Day 3 - the Final Day of the ride. After all of the preparation, training and fundraising, it was hard to believe that it'd all come down to this. On the one hand, after the hard day of riding on Day 2 it was nice to think we had a (relatively) quick and easy day's riding ahead of us. Of course, on the other hand, I didn't want this day to end too quickly.
Judy saw to that though. She'd warned us the night before that everybody would have to wait in the "holding area" at Skidmore College until everybody finished the ride. So the quicker you got to the end, the more waiting around you'd have to do. So the order of the day for our little group was to just "go nice and easy and enjoy the scenery."
But it ended up being our fastest of the three days(!)
The day started as the others had, with one exception. It was our wedding anniversary and Caroline had given Deb and I a card the previous night. When we opened it we discovered that she, Felipe, Bob & Chris, Judy & Julia had all signed it. VERY VERY cool - it's become one of the best keepsakes of the ride. While we weren't sure how our anniversary might work out with the GYGIG ride, it ended up being one of the more special ones we've had. And it was especially nice to be able to share it with such wonderful people.
There wasn't a lot of time to celebrate though. As on previous days, Deb and Julia had to go off in the car to clear the route for us riders and the rest of us had to get breakfast then "suit up" for the ride.
Speaking of Deb and Julia, this might be a good time to mention the support vehicles and SAG wagons that accompanied us on our 210 mile journey (esp. for Beth ;^). "SAG" stands for Support And Gear - and there was a lot of both needed on this trip. I heard of one guy who had four(?!) flat tires - going through all of his tubes in one day! And I can personally attest to the fact that on some of the hills, one of the support vehicles would come along at just the right time and the folks inside would start yelling encouragement. I even got to play "pro" with one SAG wagon - but it almost ended in (minor) tragedy . . .
By the end of the first day I realized that I was only going through one bottle by the time another rest stop would come up. So I was carrying another whole, full bottle for no reason. After getting all psyched out for the hills on Day 2, I decided I'd just carry that 2nd bottle empty. You know - all that Gatorade adds WEIGHT (gotta be at LEAST 300 grams!) and you wanna be as light as possible when climbing. %^) All day though, with the bumpy roads, that empty bottle kept wanting to creep out of its holder and fall out. So after Rest Stop 1 on Day 3 I decided "The Bottle Has To Go." But what to do with it?
AH! SAG wagon! They could support me by taking some of my gear! So when Leslie and Judy showed up alongside with their radio blarin' and heads bangin' (pics of their car to the left), I asked Judy if she could take that bottle. We were on a nice backroad, so we continued driving/riding while I got close enough to hand it to her - just like the pros! She even asked whether I needed another bottle, but since I wasn't domestiquing for anybody, I didn't need any.
That's when things got a bit hairy. Allofasudden, I see Chris out of the corner of my eye veering off to the right while seeing Judy's eyes getting bigger. "GOTTA TURN HERE!!!" Whoa! - there I go (almost) missing a turn again, but this time with a SAG wagon that's gotta turn into me to make the turn!
Well, no worries, being the pro I am (not!) I calmly and cooly leaned to the right following Chris into the turn - and Leslie narrowly missed the stop sign on the corner (nice driving!) Good thing there was no oncoming traffic. Won't try THAT again for a while...
Shorty after that hair-raising experience, Chris and I caught up with Bob and a few others. Before we knew it, we had a total of six guys all lined up and riding at a nice, moderate pace. Despite what the pic may look like, "we were NOT drafting Judy" - must be the telephoto lens that makes us look so close together(!) I had been on the front, but when I saw the camera and realized that I was the only one without my GYGIG jersey on (as luck would have it, this was the only day I rode without it!), I drifted to the back. Gotta keep the sponsor happy <g>! It's an almost perfect shot (pic courtesy Babs Larson - thanks!!). I especially like the speed limit sign (we weren't going anywhere near that fast) and the "Children at Play" sign (much more accurate...)
We went along with this nice pace(line) for a while, when I came across this scene somewhere on the south side of Albany. I told the fellas to go on up ahead and I'd catch up. BIG mistake. I didn't see them again until almost lunchtime.
In the meantime, another guy I recognized as a very strong rider came along and we decided to try to catch my group together. It took some hard riding, trading pulls regularly, and it STILL took a while to catch them (I just hope they weren't trying to get away from me).
I think it was about this time, once we regrouped, that I looked down at my odometer and didn't believe what I saw - over 40 miles already since breakfast! I couldn't believe that so many miles had already gone by. My "normal" ride is about 20-25 miles, so 40 miles is considered a long-ish ride. Now - after over 150 miles in two days, it's nuthin'. Amazing how the body works.
What's even more amazing is how well every body was doing. I've mentioned before that not everybody on the ride was afflicted with IBD, but most were. But you'd never know it. They were all cruisin' along and, while of course everybody had their own pace and the riders were strung out all along the route, everybody I saw had a smile on their face and were riding like they'd been doing it forever.
Actually, after 150 miles in two days, it probably FELT that way!
So we made it to lunch in another one of those lovely spots along the river that Judy & Co. had picked out. 
It may have been my imagination, but it seemed like folks lingered just a little longer at lunch than they had the previous two days. 
It couldn't have been because they were tired (it was a fairly flat, easy day of riding). I suspect they, like me, wanted to take a little extra time during this last lunch together to visit and even make another new friend or five(!).
Here's the 5 guys I was riding with as we were heading out from lunch back onto the road. Once we got going - and especially after the next, and final, rest stop (where we did more visiting than hydrating or eating) - some more joined us and we had quite a train going for a while.
But eventually, as folks found their own rhythm, we were just the 6 of us again - with one added. The "Group of 7" that rode together for the rest of the ride.
And what a ride it was - that last leg of GYGIG NY 2007. Nice countryside, rolling hills and farmland, and sparse traffic. Often all you could hear - other than the wind in your ears - was the hum of the tires and the meshing of gears. Seven guys - most, if not all, with some form of IBD - riding together at a good steady pace, drinking in the sights and appreciating each person's commitment to the others in the paceline as well as to the purpose of the ride itself. Pretty cool stuff.
All too soon though, the ride was over. We finally arrived at Saratoga Springs, NY and with the city limit sign our helpful GYGIG signs were nowhere to be found (city ordinance). But we found our way through town with the aid of something much better - other folks from the ride, crew and even some family members, pointing the way to our final destination - Skidmore College. This final little bit was reminiscent of what we sometimes saw along the way during our three days - folks, sometimes only one or two at a time, cheering us on, clapping and yelling. It was so inspirational and touching to realize that they thought enough of us and of this cause to take some time to come out and support us. In times that always seem way too busy and overscheduled, that they'd make that sacrifice was really encouraging. I just wish I'd gotten a pic of some of these folks - but anybody who rode knows what I'm talking about and will remember them.
So here we are - end of the ride - the Group of 7.
Though some of us just barely made it :^) This is Caroline and Felipe - they finally arrived!! (actually not that far behind)
And here, for your viewing pleasure, is a video of the final rider coming in - the incomparable, courageous, and inspirational Emily (who is also a celebrity after being included in this year's official GYGIG video!) - riding in with her ever-present smile:
It's supposed to be a 210 mile ride. I know it actually works out to be a little longer than that. But I think, given my - ahem - detours, well, let's just say I got my money's worth out of the ride mile-wise.
While we were waiting for the last riders to come in and get changed, we had one last time visit and reminisce before the Closing Ceremony. Judy had said the previous night that the "holding area" was key, that it was important that we all stay together and come in to the closing ceremony together.
At the time, I thought that made some sense, but I wasn't ready for the sight of all of us together, dressed in the same GYGIG shirts, demonstrating such unity with each other and against the diseases that we're fighting - for ourselves and for those that couldn't ride with us. It was a pretty moving time. I was glad we'd kept up a good pace and arrived early. It was no punishment to "have to wait" for all the others - it was so inspirational to watch them all come in, each representing their own story of achievement either for themselves or another.
As we started riding in to the ceremony area, I thought - like a lot of us probably did - of graduation. It's the time of year for it and we'd certainly accomplished something to be proud of.
But the ceremony wasn't without its humor. There's "Jon Doe" who gained such notoriety on Day 1, along with E - who thoughtfully broke her right wrist so that she, along with "JD", could make up one functioning typist, or piano player. J is escorting them, but didn't break anything (thankfully!).
Here's a pic of the folks that make it happen - Julia (I'm glad I had a better pic of her at the top of this post, rather than just this one behind a post!), Leslie (all the way up from TX to help out), Judy (inimitable and incomparable), and Erica (the helpful and friendly intern). I don't know how they managed it. All the details must be overwhelming. And to top it off, they even kept the rain at bay - until the ceremony was over and the BBQ started. Certainly a dramatic end to a phenomenal weekend.
So that's Get Your Guts in Gear - New York Ride - 2007. It's certainly not ALL I could have told you about that amazing weekend, but I hope I was able to convey at least some part of what the ride was all about. As Judy promised, it was certainly "more than a ride." It was a chance to meet and spend time with some extraordinary people - not only patients, but family and friends of patients as well. It was an opportunity to reflect on how pervasive IBD really is, but even more importantly it was an opportunity to see how many have been able to overcome IBD with strength, grace, and humor. Of course, it was also about realizing that - as isolating as IBD can be - there is a community of people who are dealing with the same thing and spent days and weeks to come together - either to work their butts off as crew, or to raise funds for awareness and then ride their hearts out. They are my heroes and will continue to be a source of inspiration.
If you or someone you know suffers with IBD, make plans now to join us in 2008. I can absolutely guarantee it'll be an awesome ride.
For those of you keeping track, here are the stats for the day:
70.11 miles
16.2 mph avg
43.3 mph max
3,642' of climbing
Here's a map of the route we took on Day 3 (click for a larger view):
And here's the hill profile:
Be sure to click here if you want all the nitty gritty details of the ride, courtesy of my Garmin.
And remember, if you want more pics of the ride, ALL of my photos are in the "GYGIG NY 2007" link under "Photo Albums" in the right-hand column of this site.
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