So.........how to explain our team's trip to the '06 Death Valley Ride to Cure last weekend? Like every JDRF ride I've been lucky enough to attend it was such a powerful and emotional experience that I have a hard time describing it. ( As you know however, that won't stop me from trying!)
There's a lotta words here and it won't hurt my feelings if you feel the need to (in the words of Brother Maynard) "Skip a bit Brother".
39 riders and support folks set out for Death Valley via Sin City last week. The majority of us flew in on Thursday and caught a shuttle bus from the Vegas airport out to the Furnace Creek Ranch, which is nestled in a sweet little oasis full of mequite, cottonwood and palm trees smack dab in the center of DV Nat'l Park. It's about 200' below sea level as well. The West Michigan team is one of the largest (and the fastest growing) in the country and despite the name of our chapter is comprised of riders from as far afield as Chicago and Detroit. Thursday was my first chance to meet some of them that I had only communicated w/ via e-mail or the phone so that was way-cool. It was drag that 2 of our long-time riders who had been fighting injuries all season had to drop out on the eve of the ride but other than that the team seemed ready for the ride. We spent Friday engaged in a variety of pursuits all calculated to make Saturday go smoothly........a short "tune-up" ride, lying by the pool, lunch, a big pasta dinner, etc. We hung out together for a bit after dinner and I held a brief team meeting to get an idea of what everyone's plans and goals were for the big day. The weather had been perfect thus far........nice and cool in the mornings and at night, clear as a bell and completely windless.
Too bad that wouldn't last!
I got up Sat morning @ 4:45 and headed for the breakfast buffet. Gotta have time to digest, y'know? The first thing I noticed was the heat........right then, almost 2 hours before dawn it was alreadt hotter that it was @ 10:00 in the morning on Friday. Uh oh. Then I forgot about the temp when I realized that the wind was blowin' like stink! The flags were snapping on their poles all over the ranch. "Gonna be a l-o-n-g day" I said to myself as I met up w/ members of the team and we started fillin' our plates and bellies.
And so it was. We rolled out @ around 6:45, 250-some riders bound for Jubilee Pass and dreaming of finding a cure for diabetes. I drifted towards the back, as I'm inclined to do whether coaching or....alas... racing) and watched most of my team, including asst. coaches Rach and Patrick roll up the road. It was good to know that they'd be keepin' an eye on the fasted folks so I could bring up the rear and make sure that everyone was safe and having a good ride. WE got to the first breakpoint in good shape and the second one, Mormon Point was a good place to fuel up. It was hot, about 90, but everyone seemed to be dealing w/ it well. The wind was at our backs, so I kept reminding my riders that, despite what I'd been telling them all summer, they weren't gonna be halfway when they reached their farthest point away from the start. (Note.....most of the JDRF rides, including DV are "out and back" routes) Some of the folks I was with were startin' to feel it as we drew near the 45 mile breakpoint that denotes the start of the climb up to Jubilee Pass. A few decided to turn around there and I started up the climb w/ Eiko, Steve and Katie. It's a real climb......7+ miles @ an average grade of 6% so it tends to wear on you. Katie was a little dehydrated so we decided that it'd be best for her to go back to the breakpoint and recover. The rest of us kept on grindin' up to the welcome sight of the aid station that waits just this side of the sign marking both the pass and the turn-around point. I sent my riders down and stayed up there w/ some other coaches and spent some time riding partway down and helping other riders get to the top 'til we recieved word that everyone that was planning on doing the full ride had finished the climb. At that point I headed down the 35-45 mph descent, hell-bent on catchin' my riders and helping them get home into the 20-30mph headwinds that were our destiny for the rest of the day. I stopped to help a rider from NYC w/ a flat tire so by the time I got to the breakpoint @ the foot of the climb my team mates had taken off. Asst National Coach Tim and I gathered a group of 6-7 riders and formed a paceline into the wind. Everytime our speed went over 10 mph it came apart so I went to the front, checked my cyclometer and settled in for a long pull. We lost riders at every subsequent breakpoint and ended up with a surplus of coaches and just a few riders as almost everyone called it a day as we drag-assed our way in. I caught up w/ Rachel @ the 10-miles-to-go water stop and sg\he was riding w/ Mark and Eiko, the last 2 members of our team still riding. It was gettin' dark at this point but they dug deep and we got them in just before "dusk" became "dark". I waited w/ all the other coaches @ the turn-off to the ranch so we could all ride in w/ retiring Head Coach Jay Handy and we rolled in @ about 6:30 or so to a lot of cheers and tears (and beers!)
After a quick shower it was off to the palm grove for dinner and celebration. In what will no doubt be revealed as a mis-count I was voted "Most Motivational Coach" for the ride and much food and drink was consumed and merriment and fellowship was observed being had.
Here's the thing that I wanna tell you.....................I've spent a decent chunk of my "adult" life going out of my way looking for those "goosebump moments", y'know? Those few times that the hair raises up on your arms to let'cha know that at that moment you are where you should be, doing what you should be doing and with who you're supposed to be with. I've had a few while rock climbing back-in-the-day w/ my buds on the Ragged Edge Climbing Team, on rides in Moab, during a gig now and then...............but by definition they are hard to come by, right?
Well..............in Death Valley that weekend goosebump moments were everywhere ! To spend 3-4 days surrounded by 250 passionate and commited people is a real charge for this boy! I'm really fortunate to be allowed to be a part of the JDRF thing and I can't wait for next year! I wanna thank my team again..............you guys completely rock and I was so proud of each and every one of you in Death valley, Whitefish and Asheville.
There's gonna be as many as 6 rides in 2007, contact me if you're curious!
Other than that..............bike life is sweet and fine. There's tons goin' on here @ VCC. Julia Miller has joined us in the "Cruise Director" role........her gig will be to take over all the rides and tech support and to estart working on Velo Ventures which will become our Trips and Tours division. We're lucky to have her. Ted and Lee are en route to Iceman as I type. I hate that race but I'm still jealous-as-all-hell that they're racin' and I'm not. I'm totally excited that we're signed on to be Danielle Musto's sponsoring bike shop for 2007 too! She's the perfect rider for us to be involved with.......a nice person, fun to ride with and faster'n crap! She's the #2 ranked endurance woman mountainbiker in the country and we're gonna have a blast workin' w/ her!The Pineapple Bob Classic was just that......a classic! We had 40-ish riders and I got lotsa comments that it was the best P-Bob route ever from many veterans. The Chilly Chili Ride is coming up on the 12th and that'll be a biggie too. I'm workin' on the Nov Reader, tryin' to ride and get ready for my '06 KissCross debut (I'm gonna suck!) and completely enjoying al the dirt road night rides I'm doing w/ the Crazy Bastards in GR and the new ride we started on Tuesday nights from Hamilton. Plus the band has gigs the next 2 weekends. (www.tlcb.com)
My guess is that if you're still reading this you skipped a bunch and I can't say that I blame you! There's just a lot to cover, y'know?
Talk to you later, come riding w/ us!
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