Skinny tire report R. Sega
  aka Captain America

  

  Life is short
  Break the rules
  Forgive quickly
  Kiss slowly
  Love truly
  Laugh uncontrollably 
  And never regret anything that made you smile
  

Thurs. March 1,2007
I arrived in Moab about 3:00 after a pleasantly uneventful ride from Boulder City.  I spent two hours cleaning road grime and slush off the bikes, and then went to the MVI where I ran into Phyllis, Chris States and later Susan Nuyda.  Since she had eaten earlier Susan agreed to accompany me so I wouldn’t have to eat alone.  Pasta Jays, spicy minestrone, spicy maririnara and good. Susan did partake of a totally decadent looking spumoni covered with chocolate. That wound up the night so to bed.    

Friday March 2,2007,
It was pretty cold at 9:00 am. I took off with Susan who was riding strong and I got dropped about 2miles out. So I just took it easy along the Colorado River just trying to keep warm. Well layered, silk and cashmere long handles top and bottom, leg warmers, cycling shorts, cotton turtle neck sweater, jersey, warm bib, wind breaker and my soon to become famous Captain America hood, ski mask and 5 mm diving gloves and double thick wool socks.  Stayed with and conversed with various interesting people.  I met Susan returning about a mile before the turnaround..  Coming back was fairly uneventful except for one woman who had a fair amount of blood from her forehead. She had help.  About a mile from the main highway the wind came up and stopped me almost dead in my tracks. Made it back by 1:00. Met Bob Debski, Katheleen Carrico and Steve Friedman. Also found Dave Mitchell and his wife Anne who looks a lot like my niece Tina.  A bunch of us later went to dinner at whatever the place across the street is. I was totally impressed by the high quality of people who let me associate with them.

Sat. March 3, 2007.
16 degrees at 6:00, 19 at start time. Same layers. This old MN boy should know better than this. Left at 8:30 in a group with our two unsuspecting (?) Domestiques, Chris Brewer and Chris States.  A pretty good pace was set. The rest of the group was Kathleen Carrico, Dave and Anne Mitchell, Jeff Dal Pollegetto, Bob Debski, Susan Nuyda, and a fine young aspiring bike racer Nate Keck.  A very nice, well grounded young man who I would be proud to call son, or considering our age difference Grandson.  CB gave assistance to a woman who had bonked and we continued.  We started to climb and I started to lag, HR around 140 when I felt a hand at the small of my back and a voice said “ just steer, let me do the work” It was CB. He did this on several more climbs and once to help me catch up with the group. It was wonderful. I will recommend CB as "A "domestique any time.  I was told that was the called the hand of god.  I thought that was perhaps a bit much but then thought about it and one of the reasons he put us here is to help one another. So it is, just working through CB.  The scenery was spectacular and after several rest stops we made it to the top.

It was pretty much downhill going back and I was able to get the old Raleigh into 48-11 and poured it on passing just about everything on the road. Nate thought the pace quadrupled once I got on the DH. We did have a few climbs on the way back and the rest of the group except for Nate, Susan, Dal and myself went on ahead.  Dave and Anne also took it easy sightseeing.  Nate pretty well stuck with me. I told him I would be all right if he wanted to go on but he stuck. We did have a good conversation.  However at one point he told me only one more hill. I told him he had said that two hills ago.  The last hill got my HR up to 160. My max.  Made it in by 2:02. Had some Chinese food and to the sack.  Met Kathleen’s sister at the program and dinner.  Chris States gave an emotional speech that really touched a lot of people including yours truly.  CB said some very good words also, Dal got a well-deserved award and I was just so proud of the CCC group.  CB accepted the ultra large check for $201,000 for the LAF.  Bock and Steve were terrific and a good fund was raised for the Ullman foundationDinner and Bed.

Sunday March 4, 2007 Dead Horse Point.
No mass start. Jeff and I loaded bikes on my car and drove to a parking lot about 9:30, Temps were warmer I dispensed with the Long johns and top.  Took off early as I knew I would get caught. Kathleen started with me and then went back to catch the group.  After the first long climb I happened to meet Kathleen’s friend Susan at a pit stop.  Some time after that on the hills I heard the calls for Captain America as the group passed me as expected. Ah gee there is a lot of climbing on this one. Nate rode with me a while racing out ahead and then dropping back to talk some more. His activity made me really enjoy life.  I passed the aid station near the top of the 86 vertical miles of climb as I was still well stocked with bananas and the breakfast of champions, the cheese peanut butter crackers, water was good.  Susan passed me again during the last 6 miles to DHP. Finally got to the turnaround. And caught up with the group. Including the fabulous P O’G. I had some lunch, took some pictures of the group and a Colorado River overlook like a small grand canyon. Steph interviewed Steve and me.  Steve does a great interview. Started back and shortly got caught by the group again.  Then Jeff caught up and we rode together until I stopped to take some pictures.  I got to the hard climb with the switchback and when I got to the bottom and looked back I was really amazed on where these old legs pedaled me. Had I drove this route before riding it there is no way I would have attempted it. Here I was smiling! Moral always bike it first. 

Drove back into town. Ate slept and we went to Pasta Jays, with the whole group plus Tom and Nate’s friend Trevor, for dinner. Had a fabulous stuffed chicken and marinara and the spicy Minestrone. I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.

Monday, March 5, 2007. Final ride Arches NP.
I took off from the start point what I hoped was 45 min to an hour before as I knew I would get caught.  I decided not to get my HR above 140. I really didn’t have to worry as my legs were pretty well used. I took it easy and took pictures of the fabulous scenery and actually skipped the first Aid station.  At 1 hr and 46 minutes I heard the first call for Captain America as I got caught.  Chris States gave me a little assist. Then, a little later another one.  Nate started to give Chris an assist and pushed him right past me. The young man has power. I got dropped but caught up at the balancing rock aid station at the end of the second hard climb. Boy will I make it? Doubt started creeping in.  Left the aid station for the last leg and threw the chain off the chain ring. While I was putting it on the SAG wagon pulled up and asked if I needed help. I declined but like a coward requested that they meet me at the bottom of the third climb.  Then down the hill. Wow brakes clamped hard and 35 mph and accelerating. I was afraid to look again but later saw that I had maxxed at 38.7 mph. I got to the bottom and started climbing. CB passed and told me this was the last one. I groaned I don’t know if I can. Where is the sag wagon I reserved?  The other one passed I tried to flag it down but he kept going. Lots of riders passing me and man its tough.  After 45 minutes I am getting pretty mad at the sag wagon up on top feeding their faces while I am close to cardiac arrest or worse.  Finally he comes back and I flag him down. He stops and tells me he will take me to the aid station I just left. I ask him how far I had to go to the end and was told it was three miles. But he would not take me in that direction. As politely as possible I told him to do something anatomically impossible to himself and hoped that all the fleas on every junkyard dog in the world would nest in his beard. I started off to the end. I got up out of the saddle shifted up 3 or 4 cogs and said I can do this thing. If Ken Y can go through the stuff he is I can do this.  All of a sudden I felt the Hand of God and there was no one there but me. I cried for about a mile, thinking, of things, Joanne T having stupid little sheep things sent to me anonymously from all over the country when she went through her chemo.  She later told me visualizing the look on my face as I tried to figure it out kept her going. It made me feel guilty when I finally did. My 93-year-old mom a 30-year colon cancer survivor, surgery and only one chemo. It made her too sick. Del Apel, colon cancer and dead in 6 months, with never a complaint. He showed me how a man dies with dignity. There are others also and I could see them all. I stopped crying rose up from the saddle again, gritted my teeth and it got real easy. Now that I knew who was giving the assist. Thank you friends, I love you all and I am smiling. I also forgave the Sag wagon guy. The ride back was really anticlimactic after the emotion of the last climb. I sagged back to the balancing rock aid station, skipping the climb of the scary descent. Rode the rest of the way from there. The last climbs were hard as my legs were gone.  I was content because somewhere along the way I really learned what LiveStrong means.  Before it was just a word.  I am no longer content to be just a survivor. I now am living Strong and shall continue to do so no matter what.  You have no Idea what my extended family of CCC brothers and sisters means to me. I truly love you and I have proof that you are the wind beneath my wings. With you on my side, I fly.  Each day is a gift given to us to share with others.  carpe diem  Bob  Will dive, hunt, fish or golf for food or money  Robert A. Sega  Retired

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