So it's official. The 2010 Tri-State Trek is happening. After nearly a year of preparation, and an untold number of winter and spring months spent planning, training and, let's be honest, worrying about the ride, it's already a third over. Pretty amazing.
As usual, we rode out of Boston at the asscrack of dawn, filling the streets for a brief moment as 200 riders enjoyed carte blanche to take over the streets while local cops waved us through intersections and 6 AM commuters forced grumpy smiles and the occasional cheer.
On our first day, we spend most of the time making our way down to Connecticut, passing through local towns, vaguely familiar from past AIDS and ALS rides.
One of my favorite spots is Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg (also known as Webster Lake) which, I am told, basically means "you fish on your side, I'll fish on my side, and no one fishes in the center." It's been said that this is bogus, but it's just crazy enough to be true.
At the rest stops, ALS TDI spared no expense and, in addition to mounds of Clif Bars, bananas, cookies, fresh fruit, and of course gallon upon gallon of Gatorade, extremely friendly medical staff like Heather here, doled out neck and back massages if you knew how to ask nicely. Chuck knew how to ask nicely.
Sidenote: with the steady rain in the afternoon, it wasn't 15 minutes before we were soaked and chilled to the bone. And when I got in to UConn (after screwing up and missing the final rest stop) with signs of minor hypo, the girls at the med tent got kind of excited to practice their emergency medicine and hopped into action. I'd say they got a little carried away with the space blanket and tape...
Later on that night, everyone converges on the beer tent, where we circled up and drew in whoever wasn't involved in flip cup. Sidenote: big thank you to ride sponsor, Sam Adams, and to that underage student bartender who kept 'em coming.
Then it was off to the hotel bar, where we hung out with the man, the legend, Mat Mendel, the ride organizer.
A nice way to end the night.
I was pretty stoked to catch up with some old friends I met four years ago on my first ride, especially my buddy John who was celebrating his 65th birthday that night. John's quite the character and is a figure of the ride, famous for mailing himself gourmet french wine and cheese to the event to have after dinner. He passed on his usual array of wisdom. One in particular, stuck in my mind:
Yesterday's history. Tomorrow's a mystery. Today is a gift, and that's why we call it the present.
Words to live by.
One day down, two to go!
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