6.13 - Cleveland, OH - 60
6.14 - Rest Day - 0
6.15 - Vermillion, OH - 40
Friday morning, I was joined by some good friends from my days in NH - Michelle and Jason Edmonds rolled up to camp and joined the team for our Friday ride from Geneva into Cleveland. They made fast friends with a couple of riders and easily immersed themselves in the pace lines and rest stops of the day. (Note: the subject of my totaled bike came up in conversation...and I would just like to clarify to all that Ben was driving at the time of the incident...you can even ask him if you like!)
Local knowledge definitely helped as we approached Cleveland. Clearly the taxpayers of Ohio do not spend their money on roads...and Michelle and Jason helped avoid some of the worst parts of downtown.
My favorite husband, Ben, also flew on from NH on Friday and met us at Great Lakes Brewery after the ride. We had a good time laughing and catching up with old and new friends - Michelle Jason, Cassie, Kristen, Bethany, Richard and Skylar....and we also learned that Great Lakes has a new bike jersey in the works which will be unveiled in a few weeks...
As I got up to leave, a woman stopped me, looked at my orange jersey and asked if I was participating in the cross country ride. I said yes and she imparted a very heartfelt thank you. When I asked if she knew someone with MS, she titled her head and blinked slowly and started to well up..clearly she had been diagnosed. I told her my mom had the disease. She thanked me again and touched the back of my arm and walked past. There have been so many moments like this during the trip and each time, I get a lump in my throat. Until a cure is determined, these folks and their families have a rough road ahead of them.
While most of the team stayed downtown in the Cleveland hostel, Ben and I went back to the Edmonds for a night of pizza, hot-tubbing and shower & laundry (as two separate events for a change). It should also be noted that the pizza was so big that Jason had to try a couple of times to fit it into the car. The four of us killed it in one sitting.
The next morning, Ben and I went out to breakfast while the Edmonds picked up their car from Geneva and dropped it in Vermillion for the end of the ride on Sunday. Such a treat to have some alone time with the hubs to connect.
I dropped Ben off and headed downtown for our service project. We had lunch with some MS patients at a Cleveland nursing home. Mostly, we chatted about our trip and showed pictures. At the end of lunch, we presented the local clinic with a $10,000 check from our fund-raising. We will also present checks in Minneapolis and Seattle - a great way to find projects and research.
Saturday night was pretty normal. Michelle, Jason, Ben and I went to dinner and watched a movie on their amazing sectional. Pop Quiz : is Alu Naan a tasty Indian bread or a hint that Jason drinks too much beer???
Sunday, Ben brought us downtown and we checked out the Cleveland hostel where the team stayed.
I kissed Ben good-bye and the three of us joined up with Richard for a morning of bike sightseeing on the way to Vermilion. A great day - and so hard to say good bye to my favorite Akron couple. I wish them well for Cycle Oregon this year...and hope they will visit Swamp Rabbit Brewery on their upcoming trip to Travelers Rest, SC!!!
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