Let's get ready to ride.

Alright! We have 25 people who have committed to ride so far. We have hit our target and that makes me think we are just getting started. Why not 40?

Maybe you've gone on your first few training rides and are starting to think: What did I get myself into? Remember that we are all in the same boat. This is a ride, not a race. None of us are professionals. And part of the purpose of this blog and bike journal is to encourage us and bring us together as a team. So the first post I would love for each of you to make is this: tell us about yourself along with a favorite picture. Why do you want to ride in this event? What are you looking forward to? What do you fear? To kick things off, I'll start.

First and foremost I want to ride to remember one of the closest friends I will ever have, Ben Farrant. In my mind, this is his event. He was an excellent cyclist, he was the king of endurance, and this type of team oriented ride would be right up his alley. I'll tell you a story about Ben that indicates that and doesn't shed too well on yours truly. A few years ago Ericka and I decided to climb the grouse grind with Ben. A few minutes into the hike Ericka wasn't feeling very well and she really started to slow. Well, I wanted to climb the grind as fast as possible, and so I checked in to see Ericka was okay and then took off towards the top. Ben stayed with my wife and made sure she made it up. I know that if he was on this ride, despite his capacity to kick all our tails, he would be there encouraging us along, making sure we all made it, as a team.

Second, I want to ride because I think this provides a great opportunity for us to collectively raise money for something that really matters: a quality Christ centered education for Rwandan young people. The sweat and tears of those 200 miles hardly compare to the challenges that most Rwandan children will face. I want to do this for them.

And finally, and definetely the least important, I need you guys to get off my tail and get in shape. I can't do it without the motivation of the team. Marriage has been good for me in many ways but I'll admit that the poundage has been finding it's way to places I never knew it could. It's time for a trim, slim and healthy Richard Taylor :)