Raise One For Anne

People living with epilepsy need a team around them. Doctors and loved ones who will advocate for betterment of their lives and help them help themselves. The best part of Anne’s team were my parents. Their patience was sometimes tested but they never stopped caring for Anne. Anne had her moments of dispair but never threw in the towel. She knew her life would be tougher without those around her. Even in her worst moments, she knew we all wanted the best for her. But it can be frustrating to not feel completely in control of your own life. This is why we ride and are raising money; to help bolster the team around those who deal with epilepsy. Today, my team, Lisa, is elsewhere so I had to go solo on my morning ride.  Our neighbor, Fran, was outside when I was leaving. She told me there was rain headed this way. A quick check of the radar showed a tiny blob to the West.  Nothing to do but ride South fast and hope to scoot around it. Riding fast alone is tougher. But I pushed on...

Riding an unsupported metric century sounded like a good idea this morning. Gear up. Pack some food, gels in your snazzy new jersey, $10 in your tailbag, a couple of water bottles on your bike and you’re off! Sure. Until you realize it’s really warm and the wind is a steady 15 mph with gusts up to 25. Then it gets tough. We did see stuff like this: And acted like a couple of scofflaws when we used a bridge that was marked closed and barricaded. It was fine for us. I’m sure it’s a load limit issue as the bridge looked in disrepair and is 106 years old. But not every ride can be 70F with a light breeze. So, we slogged it out with an extra stop to buy water about 15 miles from home. Some days you feel like you are race fast. Others it’s enough to finish the ride and not collapse at the finish. Rides like this will prepare us for our big week as we #AIMFORZERO.

On April 21st, Lisa and I unofficially kicked off the Raise One For Anne Tour by participating in the 100km Red Bud Ride in London, KY. It was a Sunny yet brisk morning(38F!) when we set out from downtown London for a tour of part of The Daniel Boone National Forest. Dressed like bob sledding Eskimos we were off with the stiffness from sleeping in a hotel bed and the morning chill. The Red Bud Ride presented us with about 3000 ft of climbing in a day. For perspective, I can ride the same distance near Columbus and barely crack 1000 ft. But Raise One For Anne isn't about doing things because they are easy. The people who live with epilepsy don't have easy lives. We dealt with the early rollers and found the first SAG station about 20 miles in to grab a snack, fill up water bottles, and get rid of our morning coffee. We had ditched our wind breakers but still were all but covered from head to toe as we warmed our legs back up and headed for the days biggest challeng...