All my life I've been blessed with good health. I've broken some bones and had some stitches and caught the normal colds and viruses that are part of life but I've always come back to good health. I get to be very active. I play golf. I ski. I hike. I used to run before my knees said that's enough and now I spend a lot of time on a bicycle. I cannot imagine not being able to do those things. I think that's why a conversation I had with a man I met at church the other day is still on my mind. He is connected to an organization called Free Wheelchair Mission. They are providing wheelchairs to people all over the world - for 50 bucks. Think about it. He's on a mission. 1,000 wheelchairs from 1,000 churches. 1,000,000 wheelchairs. A simple and durable design that could have an incredible impact on a life. Check it out.
"These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs.These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war" - Ronald Reagan on the fortieth anniversary of the Normandy Invasion. You will find these words and much more in The Boys of Pointe Du Hoc where Douglas Brinkley tells us about the Rangers who attacked the cliffs and about the President who paid them homage and the speech he gave. The eyes got misty again rereading this story. I recommend it.
Went "Cruisin the Conejo" this past Saturday along with about 1300 of my best friends. We had great weather on this silver Anniversary Edition of a great ride which in part benefits Boy Scout Troop 753. They are a big reason for this ride's well earned reputation like the Eagle Scout pictured here who was one of several at the ably staffed rest stops who would patiently hold on to your bike while you refueled. I elected the "metric century" option at 68 miles with about 3000 feet of climbing. You never know what to expect in these events. The morning started cool and overcast. First guy I talked to graduated from the same high school I did just a few years before me. One fellow was riding with his 16 year old twin boys. One of them was up ahead of us because "that's the way he is" and the other was behind, struggling some with the hills. Motorpaced behind a farm tractor for a while. He was too wide to pass on the left and nearly sweeping riders into the ditch on the right. Felt strong the whole way. Attacked the hills and maintained good pace on the flat. Refueled smartly at the rest stops and lingered only briefly. Kept the waterbottle charged with electrolyte drink. Passed far more than passed me and no one went by on the climbs. One young gal latched on to my wheel for the last third of the event. Said she liked drafting behind me. She's an ocean swimmer (as in the Alcatraz swim) that wants to race criteriums. She crashed with about 5 miles to go and finished the rest of the ride without a front brake. The post ride BBQ was top notch. An excellent day overall. Great job Troop 753!
