A Million Dollar, 100 Mile Slice of Minnesota

Last week, I finished my first 100 mile bike ride and raised $1,555 for cancer research. With all the riders, we raised over $1 million. It feels great to have been a part of it, and once again, I want to thank everyone who donated. My cancer is treatable because of donations like that, more on that later. Something else I’ll describe later is how I probably have to go on a diet after this ride.

For now, I’ll describe a bit a bit about the ride. I didn’t know what to expect because this was my first organized long ride. Before that, I cycled on my own a lot and ran some marathons. A long bike ride is different than a marathon because riders get spread out a lot more than runners. Looking back, makes sense because cyclists have a wider range of speed than runners, and cyclists go farther. That combination means there’s more time to increase the distance between fast and slow riders. I like that because the fast riders were so far in front of me that there wasn’t a chance I’d see them.

I did get to see a lot of the Minnesota countryside, though. I also enjoyed talking with other riders. I’ll let the pictures and captions tell that part of the story.

The evening after the ride, my body ached when I bent much, but a day later, only my legs ached, when I cycled to work the next morning. I like to joke that I’m pretty fit, other than a bit of cancer.

That little health distraction is also moving on. For a couple of years, very good doctors and scanners haven’t been able to find my cancer. A couple of weeks ago, I had a special scan at the Mayo Clinic. They found something, but it was less clear than they hoped, so I’ll get another scan in a few weeks or months. I was really hoping to start my treatment in September, but now, it’ll be delayed. That’s disappointing, but it will allow me to try another 100 mile ride.

This one is in and around Itaska State Park, the starting point of the Mississippi. I haven’t spent much time in those woods for about 30 years, so it’ll be fun to see them again. If you want to learn about that ride, click here and keep watching this blog.

One thought on “A Million Dollar, 100 Mile Slice of Minnesota

  1. Congrats on a great ride and raising so much money with the others. Itasca will be wonderful in the fall. Glad they are finding more out. Hope it goes better. You have a great attitude!

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