Friday, June 18, 2010

Update Out of Blanchester, OH

Early this morning around 12:30 am as we rolled out of Blanchester, OH,
Kevin was fighting hard to keep moving. He said that he felt as if he had
no power. He slept for about 6 hours total in three stops between
Blanchester, OH and Chillicothe, OH. Once the daylight hit, Kevin
courageously got back on the bike and started turning the peddles over. He
was struggling. Slowly he made mile after mile. About 7 miles out of
Chillicothe, he wanted to stop again. We pulled off of the road and he laid
down and put his feet up on a cooler. Things were not looking good. After
about 10 minutes, he told us that he felt like he was disappointing us.
Imagine that, this man had ridden his bicycle dang near 2500 miles, and he
was worried about us. At that point, Troy, Bejan, and myself each told him
that we were not disappointed in him, rather the opposite. We told Kevin
that no matter what, we loved him, and that we were there for him. We told
him that we signed on with him till the end, and that we were going to see
him thru this whole ordeal. What happened next was the greatest example of
determination that I have ever witnessed. Kevin hopped on the bicycle, and
he commenced to turn the peddles over once again. However, he seemed to
have a little bit more giddy up in his pace, and the look of determination
as we continued to provide him leap frog support on the tight, twisty road
into and out of Chillicothe. We stayed with Kevin until Londonderry, OH
where Roger and Danny took over for the long haul into Athens, OH and them
West Virginia. We do not know how this will end, but I do know that this
has been one amazing Journey to be a part of, and that Kevin is one heck of
a cyclist, and an awesome person.

6 comments:

  1. Kevin better not DARE think that he could ever disappoint anyone! He has inspired SO many, yet even they don't really know what it takes to compete in RAAM...
    For the record, Kevin is one of the greatest people I have ever known (even if I wasn't his sister)...tell him we're proud and that he should have NO regrets no matter what happens!!

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  2. Hey Kevin,

    Your Georgia fans are cheering you on! C'mon!!! Here's what I tell my spin class participants when they get tired...

    FIND IT WITHIN!!!

    RAAM is no longer about the training. It's all about what your mind tells you what you can and can't do. Your body wants to stop, but your mind can overrule that. And deep down inside, you know you can do this. You've been to the RAAM finish line twice before. It's calling you again.

    FIND IT WITHIN, Kevin! We are so proud!

    Wendy

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  3. Kevin, you are the man! Period.

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  4. Rieks Koning, RAAM 2000June 18, 2010 at 2:23 PM

    Good job crew on getting Kevin through this difficult period and getting him on the bike again and pedalling down the road!

    I totally understand why he feels he's disappointing you, so well done, changing his perspective. Let's keep it in that mode!

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  5. Great job crew!!!!!! I know Kevin is tired, but I believe what's going on is mental. His mind is playing with him. You know that is going to happen on a ride this long and I'm glad Kevin has such a wonderful group of people out there with him. I know he is in good hands . Thank you guys.

    Lisa (wife)

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  6. Hard to imagine any disappointment. For three years your performance has inspired me me to test the limits of my own cycling and wonder whether I'd ever be up the the task of serving on your crew. Ride on, Kevin. Ride on.

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