Countdown to Triathlon – 145 Days, 20.71 weeks to Race Day (See Installment 79 of "The Journey", 220 mile bike ride, below)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY -  "Courage is about doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared."
---Eddie Rickenbacker

The Journey - Installment Seventy-Nine

        The months that I had been scared of this upcoming ride - now it was here!  I should have been trembling in my shoes That morning as we prepared to mount our bikes, I was aware of something missing as we waited to set off from the hotel. Missing were my feelings of dread and anxiousness.  I had absolutely no fear and was actually excited to get started.  I’ll never forget the sound of twenty or more bike riders starting out for a ride.  As each of us got on our bikes and started to pedal, we had to click our riding shoes into our pedals and the sound was at least forty clicks (two shoes per rider).  It was a comforting sound to know we were all starting this journey together.

                          

        We rode to the capitol building in the cool of the early morning on a June day, Father’s Day weekend, which showed promise of a bright, sunny day.  When we arrived in front of the capital, my parents were there to see me off on our excursion.  Also there to greet me was a high school classmate named Alice who was part of Encina High School email e-group and had been one of the people who had been encouraging me these many months. Many of the people I had graduated with in 1962 at that Sacramento high school had been communicating back and forth via email for a couple of years keeping posted on each other and what we were currently doing. 

            Once at the capitol, we waited there for a short time for the local television camera crew to arrive and interview  Ryan Dobson about the ride and its purpose.  Once the interview was completed, I said goodbye to my parents and to Alice as they wished us “Godspeed” and our group started up on our adventure.

The California State Capitol buiilding in Sacramento.

Here we all are before starting the bike ride.  We'd riden to the capitol from the hotel.

You won't see my bike thrown in a heap on the lawn.  I have a kickstand.  Of course, no serious bike rider has a kick stand because (1) it isn't cool and (2) it adds more weight to your bike.

Here's my Mom on the right, Lisa and I'm on the left with my knee braces.