Also, please take a look here to sign the World Cancer Declaration: http://www.livestrongaction.org/node/155461
The weekend started Thursday night with a drive to Blacksburg where Jess and I stayed in my sister's room at my 'old' friend Chris Pohowsky's house. We learned that Thursday was the first day back for the students and were a bit worried that our plan of dinner at The Cellar would be too onerous with all the students, but we got a table and split a spinach salad and pita pizza, just like the old days, Also had a great beer from a new local brewery outside of Blacksburg. Chris met us for a drink and then we joined him at his house for a dessert of organic ice cream and fresh berries. Chris was a gracious host and even let me drink a couple of his fantastic home brews! He left for a movie and John Delong stopped by for a quick visit before we headed to bed (Jess and I that is).I woke up early Friday and took Jackie for a walk around Blacksburg and coffee at Mill Mountain. After catching up on e-mail and seeing another old friend, I got Jess up and headed to Gillie's AND Bollo's for a fantastic breakfast before hitting the road for my parents' house. Unfortunately it took us almost 7 hours since D.C. Drivers start running into each other when the rain falls! However a warm greeting from Mom, Marty, and Erin. We grilled a porterhouse, that we picked up at Whole Foods, from a farm in Mcgaheysville, VA along with some sweet potatoes, eggplant, and a big salad.
Saturday started with a short bike ride with Erin and Marty to Annapolis and back to open the
legs up for Sunday (it's not a race). We got back, had a light lunch and jumped in the car to head to Philly. We stayed downtown and planned to walk to dinner at a tapas restaurant. However as a downpour ensued we decided to take a cab and ended up a The White Dog - a restaurant that specializes in local Philly fare. My sister Jess and I had beet salads, Spring lamb from Lititz (where I won a race as a junior), fennel encrusted tuna, and Amish chicken, with sides that included fingerling potatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and artichokes. And I had a beer from a local brewery (of course). It was a fantastic meal, only to be topped by the walk home in the rain with my wife and sister. And contrary to popular belief, I did not melt . . .Sunday came at 5AM and the main event! We headed to the start of the ride. The cars lined up for miles as over 7000 people jockeyed for position on the little 2 lane road! It was a fairly casual start and I rolled out with my friends Arch and Sarah Mckown who inspired me to do the event in the first place. Jess and Erin were troopers for getting up so early and actually jumped in to do the 5k walk after we rolled out! I moved toward the front of the ride to avoid some silliness and up the first decent climb ended up with John 'College' Korioth - one of Lance's close friends. Lance was finishing the Tour of Ireland and didn't attend this year. We ended up riding together for the next 30 miles before I turned around to ride the rest with Arch and Sarah (who were on their new tandem). We had a great time and stopped at a couple of rest stops to enjoy ourselves. As we rolled out of the last stop I noticed College rolling up with the lead motorbike and we finished the last 20 miles at a rapid pace (the guy is a former national champion, but was hampered by the fact the his front derrailleur wasn't working and he finished the ride in the small ring!). I cleaned up, grabbed a quick bite and hit the road for my parents house once again for dinner and some family time.
So, after 1400 miles in the car, about 100 on the bike, 6 Starbucks stops, 4 tanks of gas, some great food, friends and family, I'm concluding my weekend with a quick ride before heading back to work tomorrow at 7AM!
Thanks to all my sponsors whose equipment and clothing I used, but more importantly, all those who supported the Livestrong ride. It was an emotional experience, brought hope and inspiration to my mother and I, and helped raise money for a cause that will help inumerable people. A special thanks to Arch who invited me to do it for 3 years, and didn't give up! I will do it again next year with the goal of bringing a team to the event and raising over $10,000!
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