Ron Mitchell

COAST TO COAST DAY 5 REPORT

The Edmund Fitzgerald

Duluth Minnesota, Superior Wisconsin. These are the cities that achieved a certain legend status when Gordon Lightfoot sung of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Yet here we are slipping into town as it slumbers. Sun has broken through and warms the pavement covered with shortening shadows, pushing back the night.

Further up the road, the support team works on getting the riders set up for showers and refreshment. Lon has unloaded his massage table in the parking lot and is administering treatment to Hamish, Jeff, Kevin and Scott. Jamie and Freddy can only cast longing glances to their right on this bizarre but inviting scene as they fly past on their segment.

Yellow Submarine

It’s a long lonely morning for Jamie and Fred. The 24-hour change-over has taken much longer today than before. The massages, laundry and — as a special treat from Dr. Pat — a box full of spicy beef submarine sandwiches, have caused the morning to stretch out. Hal is dispatched to track down and support Jamie and Fred. He finds them and is doing his job behind them, when a Wisconsin State Trooper pulls him over and offers a few "suggestions" about his driving at such slow speeds.

The Power of Love

The next transition at 1 PM has Jeff heading out with Kevin. Into a headwind, they cross the top of Wisconsin toward Michigan. After 90 minutes of pushing into the wind, they are about ready to have a change of luck. Or maybe something more powerful will intervene.

Ron is driving. Susie Adelson calls from Toronto with questions for him about Toronto events. At the end of the call, she talks about the comments on the web site and asks how the guys are responding to all the support. They don’t even know about it — the team has had no in-RV internet access since the Alberta border. She describes how motivating they are and mentions a particular message from Jeff’s wife Diane. Ron sees Jeff and Kevin struggling up a hill. He discusses with Susie how they might get this message to Jeff. Blackberry is out, email is not working, wireless is less. The need is urgent. The solution? Susie reads it to Ron on the cell, Ron reads it to Jeff, one sentence at a time. The message is delivered. Not 5 seconds later, the brutal headwind reverses and a tailwind drives them forward, speeding them toward loved ones. Love is always more powerful than luck.

Never Give Up

Hamish and Scott have the rush hour shift… 6 to 10 PM. They cover an amazing amount of territory, but it was an odd ride. From the start, they were goofing around most of the time, at one point "slaloming" down a long steep grade like downhill ski racers. Trouble is, it was the wrong way. The error is discovered and reversed quickly, the pair driven back up to the small town at the top of the hill. Deposited once again at the start of another long downhill, there were no complaints from either about the navigation. They finally settled into a beautiful rhythm at 9 PM and just flew for the last hour. Big grins at the end of the ride and the satisfaction of getting it right. From the drivers seat in the RV, it was a thing of beauty… like coming from behind to tie the game late in the third period, then winning in overtime. Proof once again to the riders that you should never give up… there is always a chance that things will fall into place and reward those who imagined it and believed it possible. Just like the 19 year-old young woman from Ottawa with Hodgkin’s Disease and a 9 of 10 chance of survival that she will make 10 of 10.

Teach Your Children Well

At 12:50 AM, Scott reads a powerful dedication to Jamie and Freddie about 2 year-old Hanna Munro. Facing overwhelming odds, Hanna was treated for Stage IV Neuroblastoma. Her last chemo treatment was on her second birthday. She is now an active, playful, creative 8 year-old who just enjoys being a kid. So do Jamie and Freddy on their ride through the night.

Here Comes the Sun

5:15 AM along the northern shore of Michigan heading toward Mackinaw. A long 4-hour grind that started at 2 AM. It’s cold and dark. Coffee and sandwiches delivered through the RV’s window provide temporary encouragement. Even the dedications only work for a while. The sky is lightening, but the sun seems as reluctant as the riders. Time to pull out the secret weapon. The CD player is loaded and the walkie-talkie is aligned to a speaker as a very cool version of Here Comes the Sun sends energy across the night sky to Kevin, Jeff and Erik. They speed on with new energy and hope to greet the new day just over the horizon. Such eagerness and exuberance just at the darkest moment dispels the darkness itself and creates a hole that is filled by light. The metaphor to this ride and all the kids with cancer is not lost on the team.

Head Over Heals

Kevin and Jeff end their ride in spectacular fashion. Kevin rides hard up to the back of the RV, and in a form practiced over years of putting on the show at mountain-biking races, he clamps the front brakes hard and starts a spectacular "standie". Trouble is there’s a bit more grip in these brakes, and slowly, Kevin goes over the handlebars, landing at the feet of Jeff. No pain, just a bit of bruised ego. All of it captured on videotape, immortalized forever.

The new day arrives and Day 5 has come to an end. The team is half way home. It’s been great so far, but the best is yet to come.