My first (and not my last!) event was AMBBR 2007. I bought into the whole team aspect early on -- I loved each person I trained with, each rider, coach, mentor gave me a little piece of their wisdom, insight, strength, laughter. I would not have survived the training without them -- go TEAM BEN! The support I received from my friends and family and complete strangers got my head right -- there was no way I wasn't going to make it. We were going to do it together.
Then a funny thing happened, not 30 minutes into the ride. I got separated from everyone. There was a strech of the ride, early on -- right near where the Renny Faire was setting up -- and I was alone. Absolutely alone. I couldn't see anyone in front of me and there was no one behind me. For a second it was frightening -- was I going to have to do this all by myself? Where were my teammates who had been supporting me? Why was I alone? Wasn't someone going to help me, get me through this? It was so quiet. I wanted to cry, but instead I started to sing just to fill the air. "Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl...." And I was still alone, but a chorus of angels joined in -- every rider who had been on that stretch before me and everyone coming behind me. Each one of my donors who believed in my. Every patient I was helping, every hero lost to blood cancer and every child who will not suffer because of what I could do. And dammit, I could do it. I had to pedal each stroke, but I was not alone on that bike.
And soon I wasn't alone on the road. This scary moment was just that -- a moment, maybe 20 seconds of time. But the TEAM in Team in Traning hit me hard in those 20 seconds. I fell in with Louisiana to get up the switchbacks, and came down the other side with California. I found my teammates again, up one side and down the other (Spooner's got nothing on 219!) and we finished the ride together, a moment I cherish.
What did you do on June 3rd? I cured cancer.
