![]() To our astonishment, we learned that we had cycled 23.2 miles in a little over two hours. Who knew Montpelier didn’t have a McDonald’s? They do have a Speedway gas station, and that served as a rendezvous point. ![]() Eventually, Dad and I called our private support vehicle (driven by my mother and sister), and arranged to meet at the McDonald’s in the next town, Montpelier, IN, which a road sign indicated was five miles away. She rode with us for the first few miles until the road’s shoulder narrowed to about two feet, at which point she accelerated and soon caught up with the serious bikers. Unlike Ken, Dad and I had no significant training (a daily five block round-trip between my parents’ house and ours hardly counts), no neon yellow biking jerseys, no odometer, and no rain gear.īut we did have Fiona. The forecast was a 50% chance of rain at the start and 100% at our destination in St. Although he and I only intended to ride 10 or 15 miles-not the entire 82 miles scheduled-I began to realize how unprepared I was for this trip. ![]() After my father met us at IWU that evening, I began having second thoughts. Ken rode with the group, but I drove to meet them at Indiana Wesleyan University, where they would spend the night. Thursday’s ride was an easy 62 miles, a relatively short jaunt over easy terrain. On the following morning, Thursday, July 4, all nine riders, including Ken, sported red-white-and-blue dew rags under their helmets-Peggy’s patriotic gift in honor of Independence Day. Christy’s family provided a sumptuous and plentiful dinner (how often are you offered a pre-dessert appetizer before the real dessert?) and carbohydrate-rich breakfast, and the Andersons gave the team a place to sleep (inside), shower, and do laundry. At first it appeared that GAA intended to camp in the front yard, but they were merely drying out their equipment from the rain of a few nights before.īetween the Andersons and Christy’s family we had excellent, all-purpose hosts. It was the one with tents, tarps, and sleeping bags strewn about the lawn. ![]() Arriving that afternoon in the neighborhood of hosts Craig and Donna Anderson, we easily identified their home. Heedless of our questionable level of preparedness, Ken and I drove to Zionsville, IN, to join the GAA team on Wednesday, July, 3. And when I invited my dad to ride along with me, he agreed! Now, I was committed. In a moment of recklessness, I decided to join the ride also. Providentially, my husband Ken’s free time and GAA’s route intersected in Indiana and Ohio, two of the flattest states to bike through. Joining the Nine Riders of Geneva Across America for two days will be a highlight of the summer for several members of my family. ![]()
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