Enough is Enough...

Alright... enough of the tough guy routine...

Time to talk about the other things that I am obsessed with, my wife and my kids. They have been to both races so far this year and have been awarded the prize for our team's biggest fans (by me!).

My daughter, Eliza, is almost three and talks about bikes everyday. She has been supporting her dad on Tuesdays for the group ride (it passes by her grandparents house and by our house coincidentally) by sitting by the road with Mommy and Baby Jack and ringing her bell.

My son, Jack, is almost 5 months old. He has Down Syndrome and has finally been scheduled for open heart surgery next month to repair a major heart defect. I am often reflective on the fact that I pour so much time into athletic endeavors, yet he can't hold up his head for more than a moment without losing his breath from the effort. Feeding is a full workout for my son... he needs a break halfway through a 4 ounce bottle to regain his strength. I pray that this surgery will help his stamina... we have heard from other patient's parents that this surgery will change everything with Jack... he will be much stronger and finally start to thrive.

I have always been drawn to cycling... since the first time I learned about it. It was the summer after my freshman year in college... the summer of 1994. I was an avid runner... only 25 miles a week, but to my lazy college friends, I was a freak. Two things happened in the span of a month... 1) I met a lady that had started riding a bike... she was a friend of my Aunts and told me that she rode 50 miles the day before... I was blown away... she was eating a ton... she was really lean... I was in love... with cycling not with her... she was old (probably 35- but that was old to me)... 2) I went on vacation and a hurricane ran us away from the coast... when we were inland, my folks stopped at a Books A Million and I was looking at the magazines... I spotted a Bicycling Magazine... It was a special issue called the "SuperFit Cyclist"... it was a series where they broke down every body part and discussed what happened as you trained it on a bike... it also had a coaching section where Mike Walden broke down every aspect of training and racing... I was sold...

So I got my folks to buy me my first road bike... an old cannondale with downtube shifters... for my 21st birthday... I still have the magazine that I bought that day... my wife laminated it years later as a Christmas present since the pages were worn through and tattered. Ironically, the information is mostly outdated and in Bicycling fashion it was very lack luster (not to me then... it was awesome then)... to date it properly I will give an example... the cutting edge technological training method... heart rate monitors... they don't mention power meters at all.

I tell this story because all that led me to here... I think for a reason. Jack could be a great athlete... he could play basketball or tennis or golf or baseball... who knows. But most certainly he will be able to ride a bike. Most certainly I will be able to get a tandem and me and Jack could ride together. No matter how challenged he is... we can have this. It happens to be my passion and it happens to be one of the best pastimes/sports for disabled children and adults. God works in mysterious ways and I am thankful that regardless of Jack's interests, he can always hop on the bike with his old dad... and hopefully ride him in the ground.