Day 2
A rider crosses the Newburgh-Beacon bridge
Julia and I are up early, and leave breakfast before the first riders arrive. (I make do with fruit and cereal, and have to get out of there before the eggs start cooking!). But we are not out for long before C, a 70ish year old man and winner of the Great Comebacks award, catches up with us on the road. I am in awe as I watch him climb up a steep hill. He has been living with an ostomy for over 20 years, and is in better shape than everyone I know, save the racers at Chris' races who are not even half his age. And did I mention that he also runs marathons?
Riders at a rest stop (C not pictured, of course)
Riders are supposed to check in at each stop, so we know if they run into mechanical issues or get lost. When we don't hear from C for a bit, Julia calls his wife, who is woman-ing a support van. She cheerfully tells us he "didn't need" to stop at rest stops 1&2, but has called in to her and will arrive at lunch shortly.
Speaking of lunch, the crew has outdone themselves with their 50s lunch room theme. Gary has become "Madge," complete with pointy cat eye glasses, hair net, and support hose. The other rest stops and support vans also have themes that elicit smiles from the tired riders, like a Hawaiian Luau and a biker bar.
After lunch, more portable facility issues for Julia -- the company has neglected to retrieve them from a rail trail site/rest stop where opening ceremonies for the trail are to occur the next day. She is playing phone tag when this fox-like creature appears along the roadside, pointy ears and a long ratty tail. We look at him, NYC native and Suburban Girl, wondering what he is and if he poses any danger to our riders. Is he rabid? Will he attack anyone on a bike? She calls the local police, and we are told it is probably a coy-dog, a cross between a coyote and a wild dog. (No it's not -- when looking for a photo for this, I've discovered it's probably a jackal).He's probably harmless, but they'll send out a cruiser. We call all the support vans to warn them to be on the lookout for this thing just in case.
In addition to the deer and the coydog, we've encountered a zillion squirrels and rabbits, a turtle or two, and groundhogs. It's a regular Wild Kingdom out here. Unfortunately that also means a lot of roadkill that the riders must navigate.
Julia and I arrive mid-afternoon at camp #2, this one a more lively setting with RVs parked everywhere, and lots of kids swimming in a (green) lake. As we round the turn, one of our riders is standing outside the shower "shed", shivering in a towel. I pull up and she informs us that she has put her quarter in but no water is coming out. (Quarter? I will have to PAY for a TIMED shower???!!!). We circle back to the opening of the camp and Julia talks to the woman at the front counter. We drive back, and as our rider is now getting into the back seat of my car to be driven to the other showers across camp, a cranky woman yells out of the door that she's got the water running and our rider should hurry before she runs out of time. She does hurry back to the shower. That finishes off this camp for me. It seems inhuman that after people ride nearly 80 miles up steep hills in the sun that all they can look forward to is a COLD, timed shower (we supply the quarters, apparently, but STILL). Later, the same rider slips me the phone number of the local Best Western where she and her co-workers are staying that night. I give Chris the "I've been getting up at 3:30am for two days in a row, with no decent tea to speak of, and it's my anniversary weekend and you are not making me take cold timed showers and sleeping in a tent on wet ground" look. A smart man, or rather a worn-out one after his own 80 miles, he gets in the car and I drive us off to register at the only other hotel in the area with available rooms I can find, the Red Carpet Inn. It's no luxury hotel, but the alternative is too brutal to contemplate.
We circle back to the camp for dinner and conversation, and then Judy our ride director sends me on a grocery store run for fruit, soda, and the graham cracker/marshmallow/chocolate combo that we know as smores. Someone has built a bonfire and people gather round, a little sad that tomorrow is already the last day of the ride. They are excited to see the treats, one or two risking the chocolate (many IBD patients are lactose-intolerant). Tom, a tall Belgian rider ("I come from Belgium, the land of Eddy Merckx and Tom Boonen!") is instructed by a friend how to toast the marshmallow properly over the fire. "I am going to be a schmore expert!" he declares. We all crack up laughing, enjoying the easy company.
There is an instant bond as people share their stories of medications, surgeries, and side effects because of Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. But it's a sharing with triumph rather than self-pity. Some of the riders were diagnosed at 2 or 10 years old, others in their 30s and 40s. They have suffered constant abdominal soreness, and some had to learn to enjoy food again, post-surgery, after years of eating=pain. School was a problem, and one couldn't attend college because at that age he was in and out of the bathroom all the time. If you saw these people today, as I did, pedaling their bikes up monster hills and then sailing triumphantly down the other side, you would never guess in a million years what they've been through. Chris was in and out of the hospital in 2003 with lots of pain, and had one surgery that December to remove some extra intestinal scar tissue. With new medication, he's been in remission and has had a relatively normal life since that time. Some patients can only hope to be that healthy, and none of them know when their intestines (if they still have them) are going to flare up again. They savor this time with each other, knowing that everyone at camp understands and accepts them, and the ride is a victory for all.
Tom the Belgian Schmore Expert, Matt, and Bambi (Jonathan)
Next: Day 3: Chalking, Riding Tandem, and Graduation
The ride sounds so cool. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Erin | June 14, 2007 at 12:16 AM
I agree with you about the showers. Much better off roughing it at the hotel! And Madge! What a hoot!
Posted by: Meg | June 14, 2007 at 12:48 AM
Sounds like you guys had fun! What inspiring riders. I so want to be like the senior citizen who runs marathons/cycles when I'm a senior citizen.
Posted by: Holly of HollYarns | June 14, 2007 at 02:24 AM
I am so enjoying your GYGIG travel report. The riders truly are an inspiration, and it's lucky they had people like you and Julia to clear the way! On recent bike rides it has actually crossed my mind that a passing deer might possibly be a problem (there are lots around here) and then you post about that poor rider! You saw some interesting wildlife; the jackal/coydog looks creepy. I'm with you hotels, real beds, plumbing, and hot water! Happy anniversary!
Posted by: Kristen | June 14, 2007 at 07:41 AM
Sounds wonderful! I'm so glad you're having a great trip.
:)
Posted by: Brigitte | June 14, 2007 at 07:52 AM
It really sounds like a fun time with the themed rest stops, etc. It must have taken a ton of planning to organize everything!
Posted by: Sarah | June 14, 2007 at 08:55 AM
I love Madge! Your ride coverage is excellent - it makes me feel like I was there with you.
Posted by: Beth | June 14, 2007 at 08:59 AM
Another great post, Debby! I'm really enjoying hearing about the ride. Looking forward to tomorrow's installment.
Posted by: Julie | June 14, 2007 at 09:49 AM
What an adventure :)
Posted by: Felicia | June 14, 2007 at 12:06 PM
I actually got a little tuckered out just reading this post! But in a good way. It looks like so much fun!
Posted by: Sheepish Annie | June 14, 2007 at 06:11 PM
Great report. When I realized that you were actually leaving on Friday, not Saturday, I also realized that there was no way I could make the send off. Sorry!
The ride sounds like are great time. Coming together and overcoming obstacles like Chris and the others have is the kind of story we need to hear.
Congratulations to both of you for accomplishing so much!
Posted by: Devorah | June 14, 2007 at 08:40 PM