Pace lining Clinic

I must say that I could hardly wait for Saturday to get here. I think this riding stuff is addicting. :) It was an earlier ride than usual, which is great for me. I am used to meeting a group of friends (the Island Boys) on the weekends at 5:45am to play golf. Today's pace lining clinic started at the corner of Edgewood and Canada at 7:45am (no I didn't go out and play 9 holes first). We were assigned our teams, based on last weeks timed sorting rides.

Before the ride, we heard from the son of one of our team-mates, Joan. Joan and I met at breakfast after the sorting ride last week. I also got to know her well during last weeks hill climbs as she kept passing me on the hill. She is a great supporter and helped me get up the hill with her encouraging words. Her 36 year old son, Dave, was diagnosed with Lymphoma just a year ago. Dave had a great job in Washington DC but decided to move back home to the Bay Area where he could be treated at Stanford. He described how he felt when first told of the diagnosis as well as all the treatments he has undergone. This gentleman is truly amazing. Dave's strength and determination and his outlook on life is so inspirational. Our group was truly lucky to have Dave come out and speak to us during this cold morning! That is Joan and her son Dave to the left!

The cool part of the day was learning that my buddy Cliff and I ended up on the same team, even though he is a better rider than me. The bummer part was that Cliff was done riding for the season. He was training on his own yesterday (Friday) and he hit something in the road that caused his bike to high-side (do they use that term in cycling?) him. Cliff landed square on his head and fractured several bones in his back and neck. He is so lucky that he was wearing a helmet! Well buddy, you'll be missed on these rides, but hopefully you'll still be able to join us for the party in Palm Springs!

We went up and down Canada road (logged in 30 miles) just doing pace lining drills. I didn't realize that you could actually draft a bicyclist. It was definitely easier to ride as a group. Trust and focus is the name of the game with pace lining. Check out the pic of the coaches demonstrating how it's done! Don't they look like pros?

I can't forget to say thanks to the support group! You guys rock! I am constantly amazed at the TNT folks (coaches, mentors, captains, etc...) for the amount of time they put in just to support us. They make it so easy for us to train. Thanks so much for donating your time!