Friday, May 25, 2007

..."it sho am good!!"

Somewhere out West as Judd, Rob and I sat at dinner...we saw this old advertisement for flour. It was an African-American man saying..."it sho am good!". We quickly adopted this as our catch-phrase throughout the trip. If the road (or weather, or scenery or whatever...) was particularly good...one of us would say.."It sho am good"...and the others would chime in..." it sho am"!

I really had a great time! I went into this thinking it would be a "cycling" adventure. In reality...it turned into a "life" adventure! The thought of jumping into a group of 27 other cyclists was a bit scary for me. Those of you who ride with me know I can be a little picky about the people I surround myself with in "the pack". This group had all skill levels represented. There were strong, seasoned riders and there were relative newbies....some of which (because of the weather up north) had only trained a few days outdoors ( a few only on a trainer in the basement!)...with zero work in a paceline. They all ended up impressing me! When someone was having a bad day there'd be a crowd around them trying to cheer them on. People who had never met before became instant friends. And, I suspect...friends for life! We were all in this together. And you had a sense that the "group" would have done anything to get you to the end! It was pretty amazing to be a part of this experience. To the entire group and ABB staff...Thank you for an epic adventure! To my buddy's Rob and Judd (and Iain) ...I miss you already! My stomach isn't hurting today...the first day I haven't had to laugh thru a 10 mile climb (try it sometime...it's not easy!). I'll never forget this trip..and I thank you for making it so memorable. Rob couldn't resist and gave us "Moon over Kingston"...right down Main Street! I'm afraid that town will never be the same!! Stay safe out there my brothers!!!

To my beautiful and supportive wife, Katie: THANK YOU! Thank you for being so supportive and for insisting this was a "must-do" dream to fulfill. I could not have done this without you! I can't wait to see your beautiful face!

I hope everyone has enjoyed following along on this adventure! I had a bunch of photo ideas that I let slip...in favor of not turning this into "work". There were a few nights that I'd have rather gone to bed...but, I knew you were out there and I knew that you cared enough to check on me. For that I thank all of you!

See ya! dd


9 comments:

Kev said...

Congrats!!! Your blogs sho am good too! (sho was?!) Thanks for chronicling your journey for us...made us learn along the way as well! See ya soon, Kev

Nisan said...

BRAVO!

BRAVO!

-standing ovation-

BRAVISIMO!!

Nora, aka sheepman

Craig Howes said...

Congrats on a fine accomplishment! I have enjoyed following along threw your blog!

Thanks for sharing the experience!

Anonymous said...

Poodle Boy David,
Your blog "sho am good." Thanks for chronicling this excellent adventure and providing all the excellent pics!

You are the consummate cyclist and you have filled our "chalice of pleasure" to the brim. -Rob

Suz said...

Thank you for sharing your trip with all of your friends and family...but also many of us (Rob's fan club)have followed along through your blog. I'm glad you got to know Rob like we know him...a man of integrity, enthusiasm and a "hoot" to hang out with. :)
Congratulations!!...nothing feels so wonderful as a dream lived out!! May you be blessed with a new dream...after you rest from this one! :)
God's blessings on you and yours - Suzie Reis - a friend of Rob's

Unknown said...

Congratulations Dave. That was an amazing effort and a great story to read. Look forward to you getting back to riding around here.

Kirk said...

Well, I've been stealing your pics for about a month now to put on Rob's page. Thanks for everyting and congrats on your accomplishment. To celebrate- I just got myself a new Scott CR1 Pro. Well, actually I got that for myself but that sounds like a good excuse.
If you have a pic of Rob in the ocean, could you please post it? Or send it to me (kirkmaroscher@gmail.com) so I could end his blog with it.
THANKS!!!! and safe, happy riding.

MK said...

Congrats to all of you! Thanks so much for posting all of your blogs and pics throughout the ride so that we could see what Rob was doing out there. We will miss the daily posts! Mike & Holly

Josh Neimark said...

I have read through a number of your posts - an amazing journey! I would sure be interested in learning more about your preparation and training. I am preparing to train and embark on a similar mission . . . I recently began a Blog to share the story of my self transformation, which for me began with a terrible life threatning illness. My road to recovery began with an old Schwinn . . .I have eveolved to a fairly competent rider (although on a Cannondale now) and have the support of my local shop, but am looking to have some dialogue with others like yourself who have accomplished so much. Would it be possible to trade emails so I could gain an understanding of your preparations?

Regards,

Josh Neimark
http://joshneimark.blogspot.com
josh@joshneimark.com