This morning we were able to sleep in a little because we only had a 35 mile ride ahead of us to get to Boulder! We also had something special planned that morning for us by one of the staff from the Ulman Cancer Fund who had been in touch with a similar non-profit, with offices located in Denver, known as First Descents. We biked about two miles from our host to their office where the staff there shared with us what their program is about. It is an amazing organization that makes an impact on the young adult cancer community just like the 4K. I stole a little excerpt from their blog to sum up what they do: "First Descents offers young adult cancer fighters and survivors a free outdoor adventure experience designed to empower them to climb, paddle and surf beyond their diagnosis, defy their cancer, reclaim their lives and connect with others doing the same." Their staff was awesome and we loved getting to meet them. They also gave us a few people to ride as they joined our dedication circle which is what this ride is all about. Hopefully First Descents and the 4K will be able to cross paths in the future and maybe come together for some joint activities because they are two amazing organizations!
So after a fun morning, we were finally on the road by about 10 AM. Patricia, Chris, Emily and I were riding together for the day and although it took us a while to bike out of the city, we were able to get on some really nice bike paths afterwards. The problem with bike paths is that often groups get lost on them because the water van can't chalk the turns for us...so naturally about two groups got lost before lunch. Luckily our group found and way and was able to meet up with two other groups at the lunch stop. We were laughing about the short amount of miles ahead but little did we know how much of a pain it was about to be to get to Boulder...
So, after lunch it was just the three musketeers: Emily, Chris and I because Patricia was having bike problems and had to get in the van. We had a decent amount of climbing and then we hit a main road where we learned there was tons of construction that closed a whole lane of the road. At that point we pulled over because other groups had alerted us to how unsafe the road conditions were. We were really bummed because Boulder was only 15 miles away (we could practically see the city in the distance) but we were going to have to be shuttled in for safety. So us three musketeers waited to be rescued by the food van, unfortunately still packed with luggage (they hadn't had time to drop it off at the host yet) to shuttle us the rest of the way. The two van drivers that day, Ki young and Joanna, squished into the van with us three musketeers, the two bikes that couldn't fit on the back rack, along with all of the baggage of our teammates already there! It was a little cramped to say the least but we made it work so that we could get to the host safely. After Joanna and Ki Young dropped us off at the church, we helped unload all of the luggage and then they headed off to shuttle another group.
It was like Christmas at our host - tons of packages (mail drop!) as well as 4K alumni there to greet us! Many of the alums live near Boulder or had vacationed out here together and came to spend a few days with us. They're awesome and we were really excited to see them and get to ride with them for the next few days!It's always fun to exchange crazy 4K stories with alumni and different teams :). Also, Team San Francisco biked into Boulder today (our routes cross paths here!) and tonight we will be having a "4K Prom" with them at a restaurant to hang out and have fun together! Then we have a rest day tomorrow to explore Boulder and we also have a service project at a Children's hospital. Excited to rest and have some fun tonight and tomorrow!
So after a fun morning, we were finally on the road by about 10 AM. Patricia, Chris, Emily and I were riding together for the day and although it took us a while to bike out of the city, we were able to get on some really nice bike paths afterwards. The problem with bike paths is that often groups get lost on them because the water van can't chalk the turns for us...so naturally about two groups got lost before lunch. Luckily our group found and way and was able to meet up with two other groups at the lunch stop. We were laughing about the short amount of miles ahead but little did we know how much of a pain it was about to be to get to Boulder...
So, after lunch it was just the three musketeers: Emily, Chris and I because Patricia was having bike problems and had to get in the van. We had a decent amount of climbing and then we hit a main road where we learned there was tons of construction that closed a whole lane of the road. At that point we pulled over because other groups had alerted us to how unsafe the road conditions were. We were really bummed because Boulder was only 15 miles away (we could practically see the city in the distance) but we were going to have to be shuttled in for safety. So us three musketeers waited to be rescued by the food van, unfortunately still packed with luggage (they hadn't had time to drop it off at the host yet) to shuttle us the rest of the way. The two van drivers that day, Ki young and Joanna, squished into the van with us three musketeers, the two bikes that couldn't fit on the back rack, along with all of the baggage of our teammates already there! It was a little cramped to say the least but we made it work so that we could get to the host safely. After Joanna and Ki Young dropped us off at the church, we helped unload all of the luggage and then they headed off to shuttle another group.
It was like Christmas at our host - tons of packages (mail drop!) as well as 4K alumni there to greet us! Many of the alums live near Boulder or had vacationed out here together and came to spend a few days with us. They're awesome and we were really excited to see them and get to ride with them for the next few days!It's always fun to exchange crazy 4K stories with alumni and different teams :). Also, Team San Francisco biked into Boulder today (our routes cross paths here!) and tonight we will be having a "4K Prom" with them at a restaurant to hang out and have fun together! Then we have a rest day tomorrow to explore Boulder and we also have a service project at a Children's hospital. Excited to rest and have some fun tonight and tomorrow!