This morning I am sad. It’s my last morning with the team and I had to say goodbye to my TransAm family.
This trip has been absolutely amazing. The people I’ve been riding with are wonderful, kind and supportive. We’ve had some really tough rides but we’ve helped each other through them. Ernie told me on several occasions as I was stressing over what was to come, “It’s okay, we’ll get through it, just like we did yesterday.” and it’s true. We did. Rain, wind, mountains, dogs, heat…. we just roll through all of it like a pack of vagabonds.
We ride 20 or so miles to each rest stop, which add up to anywhere from 50-100 miles each day. Even though we all have our own pace, we manage to arrive at the rest stops together, often overlapping by 15-30 minutes. Since it’s not a race by any means, I often spend a little too much time at these rest stops.
I think a lot about my friends and family that live with MS, and about how difficult life must be for them on a daily basis. When someone would complain about the ride or how hard a day was, I’d often hear Jeph say, “what? we get to ride our bikes all day!”. Seriously. It’s a treat. It’s a vacation. Yes, it’s hard work. Yes, I’ve missed my dog and my bed and my friends, but I really feel good about what we are doing. We are raising a lot of money and bringing a lot of attention to this cause. And when they find a cure, I’ll know that I was a part of something that helped make that happen.
I’m so excited to have this team roll through my part of the country. Sacramento, Winters, down Pleasant Valley Rd and onto Fairfield, Suisun and Vallejo. I CAN’T WAIT!!!
This is where I slept last night. Outside. Under the stars and the moon…. on a soccer field. It was great!!!!
I’ve spent a lot of time also thinking about where I am with my life. I’ve been through a lot in the past year but so has most people on my team. What I’ve learned:
I’m capable. I can do anything. I’m the most fit I’ve ever been, and I can handle any situation that comes my way. Mentally and physically, I am in a good place.
I’m positive. A ray of f*cking sunshine. Even on the worst days, I spread goodness and hope to make other people feel happy. Some people have been described as a dark cloud or are just really hard on themselves…. this is not me.
I’m grateful. I have so many people in my life that have been supportive and offered encouragement in my toughest days. They’ve pushed me and reminded me why I am doing this. They donated a lot of money. I have great leadership at work that has given me the opportunity to do this ride and coworkers to make sure the mission continues on.
So, today I’ll fly home and get to see my best friend, Toby. Tomorrow I go to work and share stories of this amazing experience. And in four weeks, I’ll get on another plane and meet my team in Telluride, CO.
Hang on, guys, I’ll be back as soon as I can!!
-mlg