This weekend I flew to Boston to do a ride for a foundation called Best Buddies. I have done this ride on the west coast for a few years, and was invited to ride in the east coast version from the JFK library to the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port.

One of the things I swore I would never do again is ride in cold, wet weather, but somehow I have done more of it this year than I had planned. This weekend was no exception. I was so bummed to wake up and see the rain pouring down. I had flown in to Boston the night before and it was a really late night. By the time I was checked in and in my bed it was almost one in the morning, and I had to leave the hotel for the ride at 6am. Luckily it takes a bit to stress me out, so I wasn’t too bummed until I saw the pouring rain. The thought of doing a 100 mile ride in cold and rain at 4am my time was not making me smile.

The Best Buddies organization is amazingly well organized. Luckily, I had a driver who got me to the start because I was half asleep. As we got close to the ride, we got held up in traffic caused by an Avon Walk for the Cure event. We were not going to be able to over for about 20 minutes because all the walkers had to go by. I was nervous because I still needed to get my bike built. So I jumped out in the rain and quickly got my bike bag out of the back. I got my bike built in record time. I think the cars behind me were pretty impressed, or shocked, or maybe a combination of both….
When we finally got to the start I ran into the auditorium and got a bagel and coffee. Let’s just say I am 100% better after a big cup of coffee. I lined up at the start, and was inspired by the stories that were being told about overcoming disabilities and having hope. Best Buddies is a group that helps developmentally disabled people integrate into normal activities. One of the best quotes of the weekend was from one of the Best Buddies who said that “I am a person with a disability but I am not my disability”. I might not have the exact wording, but what struck me was the power of his message. We all have disabilities, but we can’t let our shortcomings define who we are. We need to focus on what we can do to make ourselves the best possible people we can be.

As the ride rolled away, I got a chance to talk to a lot of people in the group. I am always nervous to go to a place where I don’t know anyone, but I always end up meeting the most interesting people and end up with a whole new group of friends by the end. This ride was no exception. I got the local tour of the AEROSMITH houses, a reconnaissance of the local training races, and also some great rest stops along the way. Who else can roll into town and have all the gossip in a few short hours :).

Anyway, the ride was wet and cold to start, but by the time we had our lunch stop the sun was out shining brightly. Since my body felt like it was finally time to wake up, I felt like it was a whole new day. Even though it got beautiful out, I still wanted to get straight to my hotel and take a shower. I passed on the celebrity crit even though I could have been racing with Tom Brady. But let’s just say that racing a bunch of football players when they are just arriving, and I have dried mud all over me from riding 100 miles is not my idea of a good time.

So after a nice long hot shower I went back to where the ride finished and listened to the B-52’s play. It was so fun. I loved the B-52’s when I was in junior high.

So now I’m on my way home. Tired, but inspired.