So it has been a few weeks since I embarked on one of the most fantastic, inspiring and humbling adventures of my life. In the beginning of October I took part in Young Survival Coalition Tour de Pink, sponsored by Hershey Chocolate and Giant Bikes. If you have been following my blog you will know that I’ve been training for this ride for the past several months and that I had been extremely nervous to take on such a major ride.
You see, Tour de Pink is a 3 day, 230+ mile bike ride from Hershey, PA to NYC! And it is not an easy ride on flat, paved, smooth, car-less roads. It is an incredibly difficult ride that tests not only your physical strength but mostly that of your emotional. Over 200 men and women took part on this journey together. 50 of them survivors. 1 of them was me.
DAY 1
My brother (in-law) Jeff rode Day 1 of the ride with me. The first day is considered the hardest, the longest and most challenging. We were up at 6am, getting last-minute instructions, going over our cue sheet and bikes. I was settling my nerves. My mom and Kevin joined us as volunteers who helped out at the rest stops to cheer the riders on and to make sure we ate and got back on the road quickly. I had a great team there for me. I was also surround by some of my nearest and dearest friends and my Young Survival Coalition family.
9am, the gun sounds and off we go. Through the town of Hershey and on our way to King of Prussia. We rode through quaint little towns, sharing the road with cars and the horse-drawn carriages of the Amish. The views were amazing! From beautiful wood covered bridges to large open fields. Many times I found myself lost in thought as I pushed my body forward. Jeff helped to pace me that first day. The hills were brutal. And you had to reach each rest stop by a certain time or the SAG Wagon would pick you up and shuttle you to the next stop. I had told Jeff that I was determined to do the full ride and NOT get SAGed. So he kept our pace up and pushed me and coached me to go further. I cursed the hills, I cursed him, A LOT, and I referred to him as the Bike Nazi. He was going to help make sure I completed Day 1, there was no other option.
As you ride you talk to and meet other amazing people who you are taking this awesome adventure with. You hear their stories and how they have been affected by breast cancer or how they just want to support a great cause. And you all push and encourage one another along to keep going. I can’t tell you how many times seasoned veterans of the TDP would come rolling past me and would shout out to me “Keep going Jamie, You got this girl!” or “Don’t give up Jamie, you’re almost there!”. It brings tears to my eyes as I think of it now. All these strangers cheering for me, yelling out to me, lifting me and no longer being strangers but becoming my friends.
So on I pushed. Jeff “yelling” at me. Helping me work my gears and get my cadence together. Calling out to ‘Drink you’re water! And don’t forget to eat!”. The first day is 93 miles! Let’s say that again. The first day is 93 MILES! OF HILLS! And by the time I got to the 78th mile and had to climb a 4 mile hill I was ready to call it quits. I was looking everywhere for that damn SAG wagon. But it was no where. Jeff and I stopped briefly so I could take a breather and get some more water in me. I sat there trying to fight back tears. I kept telling myself I was wasting perfectly good hydration by crying and I needed to knock it off. Back on our bikes we went. Me cursing and Jeff pushing me to keep going. And together we kept going. And it felt like we kept going forever. By the time I hit Valley Forge I finally had my break down. I was crying and yelling at myself and there was Jeff, calm and cool and telling me that we were gonna get through it and make it to the end and we only had a bit further to go. So we kept going. And soon we hit King of Prussia. A few miles later we were turning into the hotel parking lot and then there it was. The End! People were cheering and yelling for us. I looked at Jeff and he reached his hand out to give me a fist bump. “You did it! Day 1 is done!” And I did.
That night I took a long bath before going to dinner where I proceeded to chow down like a ravenous fiend. Jeff left because he needed to take JP to his soccer game but mom and Kev were still there, like always. After dinner the YSC acknowledge the Hershey Team who helped to put TDP together then acknowledge GIANT Bicycle for all their efforts, including donating 20 bikes to survivors that were riding. I was the lucky recipient of one myself. Then it was my turn. I was asked to tell my story, to bring a fresh reminder and face as to why this ride is done every year. I had planned to think of something to say while riding that day but all could think about was getting up the next damn hill. So that’s what I started with, “How about those damn hills?”. I spoke of my story, my feelings, the people in my life who have been so amazing to me and supported me. But I also thought it was important that I honored each woman who had or was fighting the same disease. I know my story is crappy and devastating but just about every young woman I talk has the same kind of story. They were diagnosed while pregnant or right after their honeymoon, or right after graduating from college or 6 weeks after their mother passed from cancer. All of us have some heart wrenching, shitty story. And it’s because we are young, living the prime of our lives and we’re busy and then cancer shows up! My story is no more traumatic than any other young woman’s out there who was/is diagnosed and I wanted all of them to know that their stories had been heard too.
DAY 2
No Jeff. I was on my own. Kinda. Today was 90 miles of hills for about the first 65 miles. Then, nothing but flat. I rode with my Ninja friend Lynn, as well as my super buds, Anna and Brian and my bad ass friend Corinne. Day 2 I was able to talk to the other riders more and hear their stories and get to know so many of them better. Since the hills were not as challenging it gave me more time to really bond with my fellow riders.
Day 2 took us through more scenic landscapes and up some long hills. The ride to the 3rd rest stop had us encountering a long descent on some turning, tight roads. There was a great deal of debris because a storm had ripped through the area just a few days prior and just like the first day there were some detours which made Day 2 a bit longer as well.
We had a wonderful group of gentlemen that supported us on our ride all 3 days and they must be mentioned. The Moto Men. They are a group of men on their motorcycles who follow and lead us along our route. They will ride up and down the route slowing to ride next to you and let you know what is coming up ahead, how far the next rest stop is and if they see you stranded on the side of the road they help to fix a flat, put a chain back on or even give medical support. Since I was “alone” on Day 2 these men were the reason I got the up the hills that day. After doing 93 miles of hills the day before I was pretty much over doing a ton more hills the next day. But they were there and had to be done. And these are when the Moto Men stepped in. They would see me struggling to get up a hill, pull right up next to me and talk me through it. “If you need to drop a gear Jamie, do it. Just keep going, you’re almost there. Half way up the hill Jamie, keep pushing. You know you can do it. Only 100 feet, you can do anything for 100 feet.” And I got up the hills, thanks to the Moto Men!
Day 2 ended in Trenton, NJ. Again I had a long bath, ate a yummy dinner and passed out nice and early so I would be ready for the next day.
DAY 3
Jeff is back. Apparently he had so much fun that he came back to ride Day 3 with me. It was great to have him back. Plus there were no hills. Today was all about flat and fast. Only about 52 miles. And those miles seemed to just fly by under my wheels. You would think that my body would be beaten, tired and just plain sore as hell. But there was no fatigue, no pain, nothing. Instead I felt a ton of adrenaline. All I could think about was how I only had to get through a few more miles and I would be DONE! I would soon be crossing the finish line.
Towards the end of the ride Jeff and I were scooped up by a group of strong biker women. They made us part of their pack and had me drafting off them so that I could get pulled up the smaller hills and help me to get a higher speed with less exertion. Again, more amazing people, supporting, helping and loving. A few miles later and we see the sign for the Park. As we take the right my pace quickened and I was looking around for the “finish line”. And then I see it. THE PINK BALLOON ARCH. I hear the cheers, I see tons of smiling faces and as I roll through the pink arch I see them. Huge pink signs with my name on it, and then I hear my name and I see familiar faces and hear familiar voices. And I see them. Some of my nearest and dearest friends, cheering and screaming and rocking custom pink t-shirts with my face on it. Are you kidding me?!?! I stop my bike and Jeff is next to me, hugging me, telling me how great I did and how proud he is of me and then he says it. He says that he knows Tracy is proud of me too. And then the tears come. I’m crying and holding on tight to him and on to that thought. When I finally let go Kevin and my mom were there to hug me and tell me how proud they were. JP was there too! His sweet little face and big grin giving me the best hug, saying, “I’m proud of you Aunt Jamie!” And then my cheering squad was on top of me. Their huge, beaming smiles! The girls (Robin, Amanda, and Tracy) made t-shirts with a picture of me on it and of course they paid tribute to my sister by writing her name on the shirts as well. Kev’s cousin, Jen, made posters with the help of his younger cousin. George, Amanda’s BF was there cheering and smiling and Kev’s older brother Mike was there doing his best “Situation” impersonation. 🙂
It was so great of them to show up and surprise me. It meant so much to me to have them show their support like that. It just made me cry even more. We grabbed lunch and while walking to the table to eat I was surprised by more amazing friends. Lauren and Goose showed up to cheer me. More friends, and more love!
After lunch we said our good-byes and mom, Kev, Lynn and I headed into the city. We would be riding into Fox and Friends Studios the next day and talking about the amazing ride. Again I took a bath and this time I was surprised by a knock on the door that turned out to be my dear friend Zanzia. She was unable to make it in time to cheer me on at the finish so she came to the city to do dinner.
We met up with my sister Liza and my niece and nephew who excitedly showed me the kick ass posters they made for the next day. Dinner was yummy and relaxing and after saying good-bye to Zanzia we headed to bed to watch the Bears game and to get some rest.
DAY 4
Today was the ride into the Fox and Friends studios. We were up early and getting set up in groups for our arrival. I was given the honor of being able to ride with the founders of the TDP as well as the president of the YSC, her hubby, and the VP of Hershey. Every single one of these people are my friends and were some fo my biggest supporters and cheerleader during this ride and even before it.
This year they featured Matt Purdue. One of the founding members of the TDP. His partner Randi has recently passed from breast cancer and left behind Matt and her adorable daughter. Hershey was kind enough to present them with a check for their daughter. I was lucky enough to know Randi and call her my friend. She was small in stature but not in spirit or heart. She was a true force to be reckoned with and many of us shed some tears while Matt spoke.
After the interview we all mingled and ate some breakfast and took pictures. There was laughter, exchanging of emails and phone numbers and of course hugs. And then the hosts of the show came back out to interview some of the riders randomly. I of course had my wicked cute niece and nephew with me, sporting their YSC t-shirts and cool signs and wouldn’t you know it. I was interviewed. It was pretty cool. And I felt proud to be given the opportunity to not only speak about my experience on the ride but to also speak about the amazing people who helped to make it happen.
We spent the rest of the day wandering around the city before heading home. It was very bittersweet to leave. I had such an amazing time on this ride. I met some incredible and inspiring people. I achieved the goal that I set out for myself and I grew closer to my sister.
On Day 2 when I spent many miles riding alone I found myself talking, out loud, to Tracy. I talked to her about life, what I was thinking, what I feeling, asking for her to keep me going when I felt tired, asking her to always stay close to me and telling her how much I love and I miss her. And I even made note that I hoped no other bikers came up on my suddenly while I was babbling to her.
This ride was one of the best experiences of my life. With this ride I was able to give cancer an F YOU! I was able to see that though my body isn’t back 100% it is damn near close. But mostly this ride, though for cancer, helped bring back some normalcy in my life. I plan to do this ride, every year for as long as I can. Just the thought of riding next year has me humming with excitement and anticipation.
Now I am trying to get all my thank yous written and sent. Please don’t think I have forgotten to do that. There are just so many of you that I need to thank personally. Also if you would like to see pics of the ride you can do that HERE and HERE.
On another note I was featured in our local newspaper and you can read that HERE. I thought the piece cam out good though I did get made fun of by my sister. She said it makes me kind of sound like a super hero. “Jamie beats cancer, resucues dogs and leaps tall buildings in a single bound!” She thinks she’s funny.
So there it is. My TDP ride. All of it. Well, mostly all of it. I hope I was able to convey to all of you even a little bit of the beauty and awesomeness of this ride. And I hope that I wll have your support on the ride next year. And I really hope I see some of you riding in it WITH ME next year!!
Love, Love, Love
Jamie's Journey 