I can't feel my legs!

11 of us got together on Saturday and took a 65 mile training ride from Ft. Langley to Golden Ears to Mission to Abbotsford and back to Ft. Langley. We passed through some beautiful country, enjoyed each other's company immensely, overcame three flat tires, and brought the feeling back to our legs with a round of beers and mexican food in Ft. Langley (since Baby Jordan wasn't allowed in the Ft. Langley pub). We didn't get in good action shots but here we are, tired and happy, after a challenging ride. Pictured are Suzanne and Mikki Bartel, Ben Fehrer, Richard Taylor, Amy Lange, Mike Strain, Gord Thompson, and Paul ? (crazy guy who came along just for fun, he isn't riding in the STP). Chris Schuld and Tina Kroeker came on the ride but had to leave early.

Blogger Newbee

Hey Team Wellspring. I am really new at this 'blog' concept so I hope I don't make a fool of myself but here goes... I have thoroughly enjoyed everyone's blogs and comments but could never figure out how to respond to them. Hopefully that will change now, now that we're only a few short weeks away from the event. I am so excited to be a part of this team and connect with old and new faces in Seattle. How time flies and I look forward to hearing where God has taken each of you these past few years. I am amazed how the sport of cycling has really grown in popularity and it seems that now 'everyone' is doing it. Richard, I have to tell you that I am a person who sooooo dislikes fundraising or asking people for donations, but in this case, I have really enjoyed sharing Wellspring with friends and family and as a result, I am getting such a great response. It has been inspiring. I think my legs are spinning that much faster because I have so much love and support in this event. Coodoes to you and the many volunteers that are making this event happen. I am honored to wear the Wellspring jersey and all that it represents!!! See ya on the trail!!
Dyan

Rain, Railway Tracks and Road Riding

Mike Strain and I set out on our three hour ride yesterday in the rain. It had been raining most of the weekend and the previous couple days so conditions were pretty slick. About five minutes into the ride we approached some railway tracks, which are everywhere in Langley, so it's kind of a pain to get off the bike, even though the signs tell you to. I started to slow down, and a I remember thinking; this may not be a good idea! Too late. I merely skidded on the first set of tracks and fortunately slowed even more because on the second set my bike went out from under me and I embraced the pavement. I looked behind me and was surprised to see Mike going down at the exact same time (if synchronized bike wipe outs was an olympic sport we would be gold medalists). Unfortunately he was going much faster. He smacked his head (thank goodness for helmets), bruised his hip pretty bad, and was bleeding. His handle bars were all out of sync. But being the tough (or stupid) guy that he is we took a five minute break to regear (no pun intended) and were off.

So let that be fair warning to all of you. If you happen to wipe out on slick rail way tracks, make sure you take at least five minutes to recompose yourself before continuing on!

tandem tubbies sign in

hi all you team wellspring members! We are the Tandem Tubbies - Gerry and Shirley Malnis from Vernon, B.C. We are not 80(although we feel like 80 when we get off the bike sometimes), but we may well be the oldest members of the team! The only person on the team we know is Richard (we also know Jeffery in Rwanda) but we are looking forward to meeting you in 6 weeks! We did not know Ben but had the privilege of working on his boathouse last November on a trip to Rwanda. All we know that if he was a friend of Jeff and Richard's he was a quality guy and we are pleased to suffer 200miles to remember his life and for such a great cause as another school block at Wellspring Academy! Ta ta for now!