Yesterday's thoughts!

Here's what I said on the bike and build website yesterday:

Today started once again in Chapel Hill, at the Chapel of the Cross. The past three days had been spent there; as such, things were hectic this morning—trying to get out of a space that we really moved into. The sheer amount of food that we’ve been given was difficult to manage, and gathering our things proved to be a great challenge. But, as you might guess, we made it out, and not a minute after 8:15 AM. The generosity our crew felt from the folks in Chapel Hill was and remains to be truly overwhelming. I can’t speak for the whole group, but I found Chapel Hill a difficult place to leave.

We left together as we always do, and the group faced a 92 mile ride—our longest yet. We even had company—a few family members and friends rode with us today, which was both refreshing and fun. I’m certain that folks felt a bit nervous about the distance, but it was Tropical Depression Barry that really put a twist in our day. Yes, friends, we rode through a small tropical storm, which meant lots and lots of rain. Today, for the first time, rain coats were pulled out, and arm and leg warmers were used. Glasses fogged up, saddles were slippery, and shoes were soaked. As the North Carolina to San Diego route is new to bike and Build this year, directions to our next destinations have also been challenging—a few miscues and wrong turns weren’t uncommon today, yet another complexity to overcome. I’ll add to the fact that this was our longest day by saying that in general, it was also the toughest—physically and mentally. The lead group had four flat tires within the last mile of the ride. Enough said. One other group managed to make the 92 mile-on-paper ride 107 miles. Again, enough said—it was a challenging day.

But, at the end of the road in Winston-Salem, we had hot food waiting from Marilyn (a former Bike and Builder whose name I hope I spelled right) and her mother—burgers, hotdogs, pasta, salad, fresh lemonade, and all the fixings. We had the Pace Line Bicycle shop open their doors on a day when they usually stay closed. The mechanics there tuned our bikes, rewrapped our handlebar tape, and cleaned our chains. And, we had a news crew—they took footage and interviewed a few riders about our purpose, our ride, and our journey. It was a wonderful welcome indeed. A few of the riders came in frustrated, tears streaming (they shall remain nameless), tired, worn-out, sore, wet, and crabby. But, with the scene at the arrival point, they weren’t frowning for long—there were hugs all around, cheers and name chants. Our group is so funny, you couldn’t be mad at them or around them. It was a tough day, but a warm reward and welcome.

Today was, I believe, a pivotal moment for our group. Chapel Hill allowed us a lot of freedom to wander alone, to take time away from the bike and build crew, and to relax without having to be in front of 30 other people. But, as we move forward (and today is a fine example of our continuing journey), we move forward together, and we push through touhg days together. We welcome each other in after a long, hard day. We realize that, even though the ride was at times awful, in hindsight, it was a blast, and worth every hill, every flat tire, and every wrong turn. And we (at least I) am starting to realize that the old cliché might just be true after all—that the journey is the reward.

All in all, I’d say that it was a great day. Off to watch Anchorman with the crew to get a few laughs in before a well-deserved sleep. Drink a Guinness for me, will you?

Cheers,
Eric Immel