Today’s ride was dedicated to Jayce Cunningham, a friend of mine. Jayce fought Leukemia for many months and passed away in March of 2018. Today would have been his 23rd birthday, and this day weighs heavily on those who knew him. Jayce was an incredibly special person who changed the lives of many, including mine, and it was an honor to be able to dedicate today’s ride to him.
Today was a long day: an 87 mile journey through the rolling hills of upstate New York. The team absolutely crushed it on the road today and kept up a great level of positivity. Today was the warmest day that the area had seen all spring, and the breeze and sunshine felt great.
The highlight of this day for many of us is the stayover that has graciously hosted us!!! The Bethlehem YMCA in Delmar, NY has been incredible to us: they had snacks and ice water set up as soon as we arrived, cooked us a homemade pasta dinner, provided hot dogs and hamburgers to grill, gave us access to showers!!!!!!, a pool and hot tub, and their entire facility. We are currently setting up to sleep in an ice rink, there is so much space to spread out – which is kind of funny because today was our first shower since Wednesday and we don’t smell too bad (until tomorrow morning). We are SO APPRECIATIVE of those who let us stay in their facility. It is so powerful to see the kindness of strangers in action.
Rider spotlight: Nathan is such a wonderful teammate to have! He is a very strong biker and a great person to have in your group during a ride. Today he not only biked the whole route, but also helped a rider with bike issues, taped up an injured leg, AND helped grill our dinner. Nathan is also in charge of printing our directions for the day (amongst other logistic tasks) – so you could say he is a crucial part of our team!
