Shoes, Ships, and Sealing Wax

The Tour of Hope

As Victor mentioned, the local ride portion of the Tour of Hope was cancelled due to the weather. I'm a bit more sanguine than he is...I doubt riders would have been hammering to the finish leaving wrecks in their wake...but it would not have made for a safe group ride.

To prove we made a go of it, though, here are the pictures. (Click the images for full size.)

Through the rain-splattered windshield: a volunteer in a yellow slicker breaks the news to another rider. For us, it was a disappointment, though I'd be lying if I didn't admit that one of my throughts was "You mean I could have slept in?" But I really felt bad for people who'd come into town just for the ride, like a lady we met from Alabama. Her crestfallen reaction was "What will I tell my donors?"

Also cancelled was the Grand Finale. I was looking forward to the health-related exhibits, the video of the national ride, and honestly, the inspiring speeches. This was where I thought I could really honor the memories of my family members. We drove past the Ellipse, which looked swampy and empty.

What was left of the event was moved into the J.W. Marriott, which is not exactly the size of the Ellipse. Victor and I went...not turning in the transponder would have cost 50 bucks, and I was still hoping for an inspirational speech...but it was a touch crowded. I remember the AIDS Rides and 3-Days where I crewed, particulary when I managed crews, and it's never fun to have to go to Plan B. Every time I saw people with credentials and radios rush by, they had my sympathy.

I was starting to feel a little claustraphobic in the crowd, though, and it from what I pieced together from overheard staff conversations and muffled announcements, Lance Armstrong wasn't going to be making an appearance, and the families of the nation team members were going to another part of the hotel. We decided to give up and leave, figuring if there were inspirational speeches, we wouldn't be able to hear them anyway.

It took awhile to make our way out of the hotel, but we finally exited onto 13th Street. And as luck would have it, the national team was just arriving as we stepped out into the rain. I raised my camera up over my head and tied to get a picture over the crowd.

So I shot a few more pictures...I thought I spotted the rider from my town...and when I brought the camera down I realized that the throng was pushing closer because one of the arriving riders was the man himself.

At that point, I traded Victor the camera for the umbrella, and he got a few better shots. Not that I'm star struck, but I was glad to see that Armstrong was out there getting wet with the rest of the team. I still feel bad for people like the woman from Alabama, and the people who intended to do the 50 mile ride...I'm sure for a lot of them, riding with Armstrong, even in a group of 1300, was a big motivator.

So today wasn't the experience for which I'd hoped, but I can't be too upset about it. For perspective, there's a Lance Armstrong quote that that I saw on a few t-shirts today: I now have only good days and great days.

Posted by Nic at October 8, 2005 02:18 PM | TrackBack