Killington: Days 1 and 2

Eve of Killington Ride to Cure 2009
Team Michigan Great Lakes West

I meant to post something last night...but after a 16 hour bus ride here, dinner, hanging out with friends for a while, etc...it was just too late to put any coherent thoughts together.

Killington is gorgeous--crisp air, lush trees, rolling hills (will those seem so 'beautiful' tomorrow? I'm guessing not), and an indescribable energy and buzz of having 218 riders, 28 coaches, and dozens of volunteers ready to take on the challenge that awaits us tomorrow.

Today, we had a nice breakfast, some safety meetings, and a chance to take our bikes out for a little tune up ride before tomorrow. How about those bike room guys, eh? That place is unreal in how smoothly it's running--and the biggest props in my bag 'o tricks go to MC, Berger, and Sam for leading the way and making the bike room work really, REALLY well for the biggest JDRF ride to date. You guys rock.

In the afternoon, a bunch of people did all sorts of cool stuff today like alpine slides, gondola rides, hiking, a few extra cycling miles, and clearance shopping.

Tonight, our program included the pasta dinner, and lots of really cool, motivating stuff from all corners of the JDRF and Ride worlds. We also had our usual helmet decorating party...the ugly proof of which you can sort of see in the team photo above.

Right now, I should be sleeping, but I just can't yet. I have my usual pre-ride butterflies (the good kind), and also, maybe, just a hint of apprehension about the forecast for tomorrow. We've got some good plans in place to keep everyone safe, sound, and smiling for the day...send good thoughts our way, and we'll share lots of awesome stories with you when we return.