Hi to all our supporters....it's Scott and I want to apologize for neglecting the blog for a few days. There was a computer glitch on Friday night to be able to blog and I wasn't exactly seeing straight Saturday night to blog!!
Ok, Friday was our long day at approximately 186kms. This is a day we dread and look forward to at the same time because despite the agony of our first year in the cold rain and heavy headwind, last year was hot sun and a tailwind that made for the most memorable day of cycling yet for our Tour. Best day of cycling evvveeerrrr!!! I digress.
This year we were met with excellent temperatures but a headwind. We decided early on that we needed to work together as long as we could to make the day work and conserve energy. Another epic day in the saddle as we all fought our way through the day and found strength in some place deep inside ourselves where you only go when giving up is not an option. We all had conversations with ourselves that can't be shared....especially with children!! As is tradition, the Gravill clan met us on the run into Westport and we had a short visit before tackling the steep incline out of town. We were also joined by a special visitor this year on the third day. Mark Womack from the Foundation set up his camera at the side of the road at various locations and took some great pics of the team. There were two poses; smiling on the flats and blank stares of agony on the hill out of Westport!!
It was on the hill out of Westport that the Team split for good till Perth. The three amigos; Brent, Slodan and Curtis put the pedal down and were gone by the time everyone else made it to the top of the climb. Mini pacelines formed after this and we worked together to bring ourselves into Perth then formed up as a team again as we headed to our motel. The only potentially catastrophic injury to this point was that Doc had lost feeling in two fingers. He was attempting to self diagnose which was interesting to watch. We felt terrible that a surgeon had lost the use of two fingers however, the rest of us had no use of our lower extremities and weren't complaining at all. Although we were dying to self diagnose. I digress.
Once in Perth we took long hot showers and soaked in tubs until the traditional visit to our favorite Mexican restaurant downtown. Three years later and we're still wondering who ever had the bright idea of going for Mexican food after cycling 186kms.
We woke up Saturday morning and had a good breakfast at Penny's...where it's just us cyclists sitting four to a booth and the local camoflaged boys who can only fit two to a booth...not much eye contact goes on!
This is a day of mixed emotions for us because we are excited to get to the Hill but also know that it's our final day of riding together. It's also a day that contains a town sign that has become the most sought after town sign on the Tour. The Richardson town sign is about 7kms into the ride. This year I was particularly concerned about the sign because I had beaten Slodan last year to take it however this year he was taking most town signs and was in great form. So it was a welcome sight to see Brent at my door Saturday morning wanting to come in and create a strategy to win the sign. The plan was, we'll get Chris to start the lead out, Brent will be behind and I will be in the third spot and they will wind me up and catapult me to a win!! Destroy the enemy!! This is how it played out. As I'm casually waiting for Brent to ride beside me and give me the wink, all I see is a flash of bodies fly past me led by Peter and yelling for others to join in. All I could think of was "they've conspired against me". Now the rain starts and I'm convinced my team has joined forces with God to cause me to lose the sprint because I hate sprinting in rain. I'm 30 meters behind and figure I better stop raging and get rolling. I catch the group and give Peter a death stare as he drops off from old age. I'm happy as I realize its now Chris, Brent and me and Slodan is on our right but we're pacing him perfectly. My happiness is cut short when I suddenly realize that Chris has put himself in front of Slodan and is leading out the enemy!! I can see the look of pure satisfaction on Slodans face as he launches off the back of Chris' wheel...Brent and I go as well but it's too late and once again Slodan is in a league of his own this year and takes the Richardson sign. It was a great victory and one worth fighting for next year. I'm still wondering why the team wanted my urine sample tested after I took the sign in front of Slodan last year, but they didn't request his this year.
The Saturday ride was really enjoyable because we stayed together for all 90kms and really looked like a team with our new team jersey and shorts on. I was incredibly proud as I stayed at the back and watched us ride up the small climbs onto the Hill to the cheer of family members and others who were simply visiting the Hill from all parts of the world. We made it. Hugs and high fives as we dismounted in front of the Memorial Pavilion and then Mark Womack took team and individual photos on the Hill for us. We then lined up in front of the tower to welcome the Ride and Run To Remember teams as they arrived on the Hill.
As has become our tradition now, we all gathered with family and extended Team family at Carmello's restaurant later and had a great meal as photos were shown of the Tour. We were greeted Sunday morning with excellent weather on the Hill for the ceremony. We marched to the Hill behind our band for the first time and I think we all had a little extra spring in our step because of it. Our Service members looked tremendous.
A big thanks goes out to all of Team 3C for their hard work, determination, courage, friendship and humor throughout the Tour. We are truly blessed to have such a great group of committed members willing to sacrifice so much and work so hard to ensure this Tour continues. Our support crew; Roxy, Karen, Pete and Greg keep this machine finely tuned and running smoothly. This Tour would not happen if it wasn't for the quality of support crew we have. Thank you also to our families who support us in our preparation and make the journey to Ottawa to share in the conclusion of the Tour and the Memorial.
I think I speak for all the Team members, whether it's riders or support crew, when I say that at some point once the bikes are tucked away, we all pause and think about what we've just accomplished. We've pushed our bodies to their limits in many cases and achieved results we didn't think we could. When the pain of riding depletes us, we think about the fight in those with cancer and it gives us inner strength and inspiration to keep going. Most importantly, we've done our small part to ensure that those going through their cancer journey are being cared for with the best possible treatment program by the best possible care givers. Cancer patients deserve that and nothing less.
Thanks for taking a look at our daily blogs. Stay tuned for Ride Of Your Life Tour 2012!
Scott
