Going out strong

 The Kit

The front of the marked up jersey.

No pressure here! That is a lot of support from a great crew of the absolute best people in the world. We've also added a few names along the way, from other supporters that have dealt with this garbage as well. This gets very personal and I think it needs to be that way. It will be a long day tomorrow with a very early start from the home-20. Start time is 06:34 with a very large group of some very fast riders. It will be hot. I'm about six-pounds over an ideal riding weight, but certainly not my heaviest. A few problems with the bike last night and today, but it is ready. Now.....it is all about the mindset. We are doing this for our brother. There are no options other than to drive it home.

Back of the Marked Up Jersey - gang, bib number and all!

The Gang

All the names on the backside of the jersey are pretty much the gang. A bunch of old farts these days, but still the gang. We've all gone on to live our own lives, with the subtle influences we took from each other, as we were trying to figure it all out. I'll never forget the bus ride home from our JV football game out at Tooele. Most of us would be getting time the next day in varsity, but those away JV games were just a blast. That particular game I recovered an on-side kick just before the end of regulation, that resulted in getting the wind knocked out of me. I mean really!? On-side? We were drumming them like 296.8 to nothing when they finally scored. The bus ride home was late, but a lot of fun. The entire bus singing at the tops of our lungs to most every song that came on to the radio along the way. I'm pretty sure we took a few liberties with some lyrics. Perhaps "My Sharona"  wasn't really the way we seemed to sing it -but we were legends that night. That may not of been the entire crew, but it was exactly how we were all together. And to think we actually got away with it.............

Sobering Truth

Look........this isn't going to be easy. It never is. Every year I think how bad off I am and somehow manage to pull it together, but it is nothing short of a miracle. I'm not gonna preach, but I'd be lying if I said anything other than the truth. I pray a lot on this ride - some years more than others. It is much larger than me personally and it takes more than I have alone. And this year........that is a lot to carry. I'm soft and fold way too easy most of the time. A good fight is all talk any more. But here's the thing; there are too many of our crew and classmates that have been taken too soon. Rule number 1: Life not fair. Rule number 2: Get over it. It's largely a mental game. I know where the fatigue will set in. I know where I will get dropped. I know what the wilderness will feel like. I can control those things. I pray there are no accidents, no mechanicals and especially for a tail-wind from time to time. That's just a normal day - right? Maybe I should find out what riding hard really means and do something other than whine. You've gotta be smart. Don't blow it up. Look for groups to hook on to and watch out for the knuckle-heads. Fuel up every 30 -45 minutes. Manage the discomfort - it ain't pain. Somewhere in the end, I hope to see more daylight at the finish line than in the past two years. 

Traction for REED!

If you are reading this, pass it along to no fewer than two other people. Let them know about our brother and how we all want to take a pull out front for him. Between this post and my gift early tomorrow morning, lets make it personal and get as many page views and hopefully donations directly to his "Go Fund ME" as possible. Make it personal. If you don't donate to Reed or Huntsman, give that guy on the corner a couple bucks. Put away someone else's shopping cart - just do something - anything that is bigger than any of us individually. The world will be a better place because of the effort.

Click here for "My Sharona" - You figure it out.........

Pulling for REED! Ride HARD!