RT @transalt: #BikeNYC Community History event tonight at 6:30 @RedLanternBikes #tabk http://t.co/JOAzMvZ8Jw
Another Saturday Another Cancer Ride
It was 5:00 am, Saturday August 2O, when my blackberry started chirping. Quick shower , banana, and a bowl of oatmeal. It was finally here Pelotonia. Months of training on the Colemandale for ONE GOAL; Cure Cancer. Like any special event I had worked hard to put together the perfect outfit. Black spandex shorts and a bright red cycling jersey with Ruscilli Construction on the front and Cafe Brioso & Columbus200 on the sleeves.
I begin many of my morning rides with a quick stop at Cafe Brioso for a shot of Espresso. This would be the most important ride of 2011 so I was not going mess with success.
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Briso owner Jeff Davis and I rode on this dark morning to the starting line at Chemical Abstracts to join nearly 5,000 of our closest friends for a challenging endeavor to Amanda or Athens Ohio.
It was a beautiful day. The winds were calm and the skies were clear. And the Hills, well they were the beautiful rolling hills of Southern Ohio and they did not disappoint! Jeff and I were just approaching the century mark when his back tire went flat. He and I had been pulling an ungrateful group of "wheel suckers" thru the last 10 miles of our ride. Jeff had dropped back and not one of them bothered to mention that the guy with my matching jersey had a flat about 4 miles back.
All the riders eventually made it home and there was particluar joy amongst the new group of Girls with Gears who had made their first journey to the Athens Century Line.
The NEXT CANCER RIDE
It was 5 pm the following Saturday when I began to prepare for this weekends cancer ride. This ride was very different because it was Black Tie. The toughest part of training for "Up on the Roof" to support the James Cancer Center was finding my cuff links and shining my shoes. Nancy was wearing a beautiful gown and some amazing heels so our traditional "social bicycles" - POLLACK & BART would not be an option. Low Carb(on) Columbus would be put to the test.
Our good friends at COTA would be taking us on first leg of our journey. Starting in German Village and ending at the Ohio Union we took less than 100 steps and 27 minutes from our front door to the registration table
PICK Up at 6:01 pm at High & Columbus
DROP OFF at the Ohio Union at 6:29pm!
"Up on the Roof" is an amazing event of triumph and hope that celebrates the successes of the work at the James. It is also an amazing night of friendship as I got a chance to catch up with old friends and see new friends that had joined me the previous Saturday for Pelotonia. Dinner & Dancing; Love & Laughter. It was an elegant and joyous affair. We gave hugs and farewells then headed off to bike into the night. One final glass of scotch then I summoned my bike for the next leg of my cancer ride.
It was like the March of the Penguins as the tuxedo clad gentlemen and their mates waddled to the valet. As they were handing their tickets to the young men I turned to my left and motioned for my driver.
My friend Josh had brought his pedi-cab up to the Ohio Union to start our journey home. I thought I would let someone else do the work tonight and so we were off while the line grew longer at the valet station for those who had driven to the evenings event.
Now many of you may scoff at my idea of romance the way you scoff at me for not driving a car. I will choose a pedi-cab ride on a cool August Columbus evening over a carriage ride thru Central Park...............
.......but you have to bring along the right girl!!
Next stop was Bodega for a quick birthday drink with friends! Cup cakes and Brooklyn Lager were a comforting end to an glamorous evening.
We bid a fond farewell to our friend and driver Josh. He then traveled his kingdom of the Short North rescuing weary travelers from the of revelry and high gas prices. (NOTE: Josh is on his way to Lousiana by bike next month, follow his adventures at http://hipsher.tumblr.com/)
It was time to call it a night and we were still three or four miles from our bed in German Village. It was less than a 10 yard walk to the COTA BUS Stop where we boarded the "NIGHT OWL" The all night COTA bus that gets around safelyup and down High St
reet every late weekend evening.
They classify COTA as public transportation but for those of us who lead a "LOW CARB(on)" lifestyle , she is a trusted steed and true friend that makes our adventures possible.
Good Night fair maiden!
