Part I: Bike Marathon The Journey Begins

I trained for this bike ride for over a month. Yet that morning I had so many nerves on edge I couldn’t even think about eating breakfast. I removed the wheel off my Raliegh Venture and tossed it in the back of my car with the back seat down. Then I needed the pannier bags, the water bottles, somewhere was the multi-tool, speedometer… funny little gloves and tiny helmet mirror… pipe tobacco, all… check. Wait… something’s missing? Where are my shoes! And I have a hole in my sock!

I wonder if owning a bicycle is like having a small child? Did you ever see those people with all the baby gear? They have strollers with all sorts of bottles and baby tools… anyhue, by the time I finished I had some trouble actually getting in my little car. The handlebar was wanting to snuggle next to my head and my overnight bag kept fighting with the fifth gear of the gear stick of my car.

(Insert deep announcer voice) It is an epic story of the ages. A story of high adventure… One mans determination against all odds to save the fate of the universe itself… ok, my 1st bike-a-thon wasn’t THAT dramatic but I had to get that kind of writing out of the way.

First of all let me get this exciting information out. I had raised about $160 for the animals, as well as Other money not in that total from corporate sponsors for gas money, food, water, and tolls. I’d like to thank Genesis Behavioral Health, Dance on Studios, Happy Jacks Pipe shop, as well as all the people who donated to the animal fund.

I got a great e-mail about where some of the funds are going… I quote:

“The Gilmour Fund will be making a special, one-time grant to enable Zoo New England to provide staff support to the effort to rescue marine wildlife impacted by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. This effort is currently being coordinated by the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program, NOAA, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Anyways, I was now on my epic journey, on the road. I don’t city highway drive much at all. Wow, people go like 90 miles an hour on the highway… scaring the willies out of me… (what exactly are willies anyway?) yet my determination was not shaken my friends!!! As those speed demons plans had failed they tried a new tactic, everyone from all around somehow planned in some mass conspiracy to be on the highway at once to keep me from my destination. I actually stopped on the highway! Somehow in my mind I didn’t think it was even possible to stop on a highway. Yes, I’m from a small town. (Even that is getting bigger all the time… I rate my town by numbers of stoplights and they keep on coming growing like unruly weeds. Then they spawned roundabouts or rotaries… which are like little carousels for cars to play on. Wow I really digressed here didn’t I? )

I arrived at a Fools Fitness Fine Friend’s home near the bike-a-thon after hours on the road and one rest stop to ease my nerves. I didn’t really know what to eat to prepare for a marathon, although in the past I had heard rumors that there was lots of spaghetti involved. At that point I was winding down from the terrors of the trip down and honestly don’t even remember what we ate, for you folks who like to know that information, although I remember it wasn’t spaghetti…

STAY TUNED FOR PART II Rack Em Up

At Foolsfitness we have a motto for bicycling… the more gear the better.- Alan