Cycling with Friends

On Saturday, September 22, a gang of 12 from our church spent the day cycling around St. Jacobs and Elmira.
Here's the crew

Dave, Diane, JohnV, Irene, Willemina, Richard, Ralph, Aileen and Andy, with Willemina and Richard's son-Richard as our guide.
There was some discussion on which route to follow

And tons of scavenging for free apples, tomatoes, hay, wood and anything else JohnV, Ralph and JohnD felt they could pack on the bikes.


Despite a significant amount of the route being on gravel, uphill with a head wind-Gosh! CYCLING IS FUN!!!, It was a beautiful day hanging out with amazing people. They were encouraging and enthusiastic. They were so supportive of me and the SeaToSea tour. Specifically JohnD(who recently ran the Boston Marathon)-as I pumped past him and JohnV on yet another gravel hill with a head wind, I mumbled something about how much "fun" this was! After reaching the top, JohnD caught up with me and said, "Gayle, if anyone had any doubt about you being able to do SeaToSea, they only had to watch you do that hill. You're going to do great, you'll have no problems."
Thanks John,


I'll stop my whining!

And the discussion with Joshua continues..

From Joshua:
Cycling every day is going to shorten the tendons in the back of your leg. You have a few options...

run: that shifts focus for those muscles and they'll stay looser (plus keeps me in shape for the XC fall season)
stretch a ton: not super exciting.
just let your muscles get tight: a completely viable option if you're just interested in biking which is the point of the summer I suppose.

Yeah...that might be the point, Joshua(now XC is either= cross country OR extreme cycling....which doesn't really change my response!0

My reply:

That's true....I hadn't really thought about being prepared for the fall XC season.
Although I have short legs so the short tendons are a good match, I'm thinking that a bit of table-dancing at the local pub might work for me.

You see, some of us are middle-aged and so although it may appear that we are lallygagging, we're actually looking just to be able to complete the physical cycling and enjoy a building of community and experiencing the towns and sights we get to see.

But you know...more power to you, join us at the pub when your done the run.

These are the people I have to spend 9 weeks with?!?!?

OK...so I'm on Facebook and have joined the SeaToSea group there to get to know some of the people who are doing the trek next year. Also it's a place to discuss questions, concerns, celebrations. Yesterday, A young guy from Alberta posted this.

From Joshua,
Considering the fact that most everyone has the potential to be done cycling early afternoon unless we're lallygagging around... combined with the fact that we are on a rotating schedule to do the cooking and camp setup/teardown. There's a massive amount of time to do some awesome stuff in the evenings and afternoons.

Who's interested in running?
Who's interested in in Slacklining?

What is everyone else planning to do with all that time?

HHHHMMMMMMMM...

This was my response:
Seriously? After biking for 100-140kms...you want to go running? Why stop there? Why not a swim- do the tri-thing!!!
I think the excitment is getting to you...or are you sitting to close to the glue jar?
Well have fun...You'll find me at the movie theatre, reading or hanging out with the locals.

Why do I get the feeling that I may be one of those "lallygaggers", but probably not on purpose?

Kiefer, You know it buddy!

At last year's Emmy awards, Kiefer Sutherland opened his thank you speech with this line.

"SOMETIMES, YOU HAVE A NIGHT WHERE YOU ARE REMINDED THAT YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN TOO MUCH. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS."

Yesterday, was one of those days for me.
Yesterday morning, I rode my bike down the aisle of our church to the pulpit to announce the kick off of the fund-raising of our church. I made the ride and the corner turn without nicking any pews or taking out the 40"LCD monitor at the front. I got to stand at the front with my co-rider and mentor, John Vandersteen, and thank them for their support so far and to announce what our needs are for the next few months.
Their response was completely open and embracing. After church, so many people came over to congratulate me and encourage me for the ride and the journey that I am on. They offered their blessings, support and love. Then John V, John De Witt and I biked out to Arva together to join the gang at our congregational picnic. All along our way people honked and waved as they passed us, then applauded as we arrived. John V then came up beside me to comment that my gearing is perfect.(It was like Wayne Gretzky saying- Nice Shot!)The picnic gave me a chance to hand out cookies and chat with people one on one. Again I was overwhelmed with support, encouragement and plenty of cookie orders! We all discussed just how much things have changed. 2 yrs ago I didn't know anyone, really. I wasn't even at the picnic as it was the week that Mom died. Several people I met for the first time at last year's picnic and are now good friends, George & Robin, Art & Heather, Sharon, Erica & John just to name a few. And some I have grown to know and love throughout the year, Heather & Ben, John & Irene, Will & Erica, Ben & Joanne, Hannah and Erin.
It comes as a surprise to no one that I haven't always fit in with the crowd. Even now I have one of those polar personalities that people either love or hate. So it's amazing how smoothly this relationship with the community at First CRC has developed. How warmly they have embraced me. How open they are to my differences. How forgiving they are of my faults and short-comings. Yesterday, I didn't know how to respond when Joanne asked me "Just when did you become so cool?" Whoa! When did I become cool? I'm just thankful that God surrounds me with amazing people who find this loud, opinionated and quirky girl cool. When did the geeky, fat kid who was usually the last picked for the team become the cyclist riding across the continent?
When does love and acceptance become not surprising? Maybe never so that I never forget that it is a special gift. A gift of grace that I need to give back.

Reminded of Blessings

Today could have been really hard. It was 2 years and 6 hrs ago that I was beside my mom as she died.It was a Tuesday and a crisp, sunny day much like today.This morning on my ride, she consumed my thoughts. Not the mournful pain of loss but the wonderment in what she would think of this whole Sea To Sea. Mom was a giver...to the point of saintly self-sacrifice. She would completely support and encourage raising money to give a hand up to others. She would be happy that her chubby youngest daughter wasn't letting anyone determine what she physically capable of. She would be shocked at how much I spent on my bike!(I can hear her-Oh, Gayle! couldn't you do with something less so that more of the money could go to the poor?)She would be a little frustrated that we are planning my Un-Wedding Party and not my Wedding but she'd deal with it. My sister Ivy and I often look back and realize just how poor we were as children but never knew it. Mom would have not allowed those thoughts. Mom knew how lucky and wealthy we were compared to others.How blessed. And she would have gotten her rolling pin ready as the cookie orders have started to come in already.

Yes the fund-raising has started. Our support group, Pedals & Prayers, met on Tuesday and the drive to raise the $10, 000 sponsorship is a go. Actually, We are working as a team for all the riders from our church, 4 now including myself, my mentor John Vandersteen, our pastor Pieter and Scott Fletcher so we are looking at $26, 000 as a team.
The first of many efforts are the sugar cookies. For $5 per dozen, I'm covering all the holidays. So the word is getting out. Just this morning, my friend Tracy, sent an email to her network. She is incredible! She even did a official order form and everything! Within hours both Tracy and I had orders. Not just for the first batch at Thankgiving but for Halloween, Christmas and even next May! And we haven't even announced it at my church yet! What a blessing of support!
On a day that could be spent in sadness of loss, I am being reminded of all that I have. What a difference 2 years makes. 2 years ago I had a mom who I could call and visit, a person that was home;now I have cherished memories and the blessing of having a mom worth missing. 2 years ago I was a stranger, quietly sitting in the back of First CRC, often in tears, dealing with loss;now they are my cherished church home, who have embraced me with love, encouragement and support and are sending me out to represent them. I am honoured.
I think Mom would be pleased.

Enough of the Sob Stories.

Today, I received an email from the Admin Assistant for Sea To Sea. They are doing quick profiles of each cyclist including their reasons for doing the ride. When I registered, I submitted a letter that I had given to the congregation when asking for their endorsement. It included several of the reasons that I have blogged about- physical challenges, setting examples, turning 40, taking a step to make a difference. Now apparently, it is "too long" for the "world wide web" so they wanted me to summarise, in a few sentences, the essence of my story as they didn't feel comfortable doing that without my input.
My response was, thanks but I would rather not. See, I don't think, without knowing me personally, that this story comes out as anything more than an "Oprahish" sob story about how hard life is. I don't want to be some poor pity case that has overcome the odds. Let's be honest- nobody goes through life unscathed. We all have challenges that need to be dealt with to get through the journey....mine are just different than another person's. Also, compared to some of the people that live in the cycle of poverty, even on my worst days, I've got it pretty good.
So in the spirit of celebrating my blessings, I have submitted this list. I think it is a better indication of me- Let's pray they see the fun and post it.

The Top 5 Reasons for Gayle Doing Sea To Sea

5- Apparently, I'm not busy enough as my blackberry, iPod and cell phone all showed that I have 10 weeks open next year.

4-John Vandersteen asked me to join him. He completed Sea To Sea 2005 and thought that this time he needed something to make it more mentally and emotionally challenging.

3-Pastor Pieter once preached on Wisdom through Suffering and when I questioned him, he suggested that I test out the theory myself.

2-As one of the newest members of my congregation, if I don't make it-they haven't lost a huge investment.

1-Somebody bet me $10,000 that the fat chick couldn't make it.

Cycling in the fall

Last week I was camping and with several other activity choices, I scaled back the cycling. I have to adjust my training over the next little while. Summer is ending, fall is here and like life, adjustments are needed to accommodate the seasons.
I LOVE fall. Actually, I'm a seasons girl in general. For someone so set in her ways, it's amazing how much I love the transitions between the seasons. Maybe because it's a signal of a beginning of a new favourite. Maybe it's the reminder and thankfulness that I made it to one more. Maybe both. I love the crisp air the squeezes my lungs in the morning as I step out to start the day. The selection of jackets I can slide on, knowing that I can shed it by noon. I love the smell of the drying leaves and corn in the air. The vibrant colours of the foliage surrounding me as I hike. Changing the accessories in my apartment to match the season's colours. The chance to wear my favourite fall/winter clothes again. And of course, the onset of Halloween-celebration and imagination.
Cycling in the fall will give me a continuing vista of change on my route. I will have seen it through spring, summer and fall. But other things are changing. When I start my morning rides it is dark now and the darkness surrounds me for longer each day. Six weeks from today I will be recovering from the removal of the plate in my leg. So I look at these six weeks as the end of my first cycle(love that pun) and the start of the next. A time to let my body adjust to a new change and to focus on other areas of the Sea To Sea challenge-building community and fund-raising.
When I started this training last May I wasn't sure where I would end up. Whether what I was hoping would even be possible. I am truly grateful for the progress and support that has happened so far. Last May, 10kms seemed like forever, last week it was just a quick and easy jaunt to start my day. Four months ago, I just wanted to see if it was even reasonable to attempt going Sea To Sea. Now, I can't wait to get started. But like the world around me, I need to step back, settle, regain and renew my energy during the rest of winter so that in the spring I come forth with new life. A good cycle to be going through.