Day 26: Madison, WI to Reedsburg, WI

Today’s ride was dedicated to Bridgette. Bridgette is the god daughter of a man we met along our route a couple of days ago. He himself was a biker, and noticed our support van and all of the bikes, and came over to ask about what we are doing. He talked to us for a long time and we truly enjoyed his company. We hope with everything we have that his god daughter can overcome her stage 3 cancer diagnosis.

Today was not a dry day. The first 20 miles of the 61 mile ride were through drizzling rain. The next 20 miles were relatively dry, but we decided to take our lunch break at Devil’s Lake where we got in the lake and kayaked! It was a little chilly but we were thankful that the rain stopped long enough for us to enjoy the state park and some quality time together. The last 20 miles of the ride were also through some rain, but spirits were high as we rolled into the stayover!

We are thankful for St. Johns Lutheran Church in Reedsburg Wisconsin for hosting us tonight and feeding us! Tonight we got to eat barbecued hamburger with lots of different salads and desserts. We also got to take showers at the nearby municipal church. We are extra comfortable, clean, and finally dry tonight!

Today Maria is getting a major shout-out! In Maria’s group today, all 4 of her teammates got flat tires (some more than once), and she was the only one to not get a flat tire. It might be some luck that her tires were okay, but it was her awesome attitude that accounted for her supporting her teammates down to the last mile. One of the flats occurred only 1.8 miles from the stayover, but she was there to help however she could even though it was not her bike that needed the help. Maria is killing it out there on the roads and it is always a good day when you get to spend time with her!