Hopkins 4K for Cancer

May 31, 2005

Greensburg, PA
We welcomed today with very cold weather, mid 50s, and with the wind chill on the bikes, it’s not a pleasant ride in any way. So we all suited up in our cold weather gear: arm warmers, leg warmers, jackets, etc., and headed out after a wonderful breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon prepared by our hosts at the Bedford Presbyterian Church. About five minutes after rolling out of town, everyone realized none of the cold weather gear we had on was needed in the warm sunlight. Off came everything after the first hill and the ride went on.

The road was relatively smooth compared to yesterday’s mountains, except for the construction en route. There was perhaps 4 miles of construction along the road, which gave everyone a hard time because a two lane road would have only have one lane open that interchanged directions and without visible construction work in sight in the closed lane, it was hard for our riders to tell when was an appropriate time to continue. We lost time waiting for cars to pass so that we could safely ride, but the construction crew was extremely friendly and usually let us ride while holding up the cars and notifying the worker on the other side that bikers were coming through. But some riders even had to walk both uphill and downhill; we all agreed this seemed to be the worst part of the day.

The first water break was located on one of the biggest climbs of the day, but it was enjoyable because it overlooked the valley down below. We took some amazing pictures at the lookout point and continued up ahead.

The lunch break was the most exciting part of the day: high speed chase after an armed robbery. One group still on the road saw undercover cop cars flying by at high speeds, while the group sitting at the lunch break heard sirens and a helicopter flying in the area. Little did we know that the car chase would make a turn at our intersection at lunch break. A truck with a flat tire went by with about ten cop cars right on his tail. For the next fifteen minutes, it seemed like every police officer in the county joined the action. People our age sitting in their cars in the parking lot were thrilled to see the police go by because they had no chance of getting a ticket – the parking lot cleared out right after.

Right after lunch, we were faced with the worst hill of the day. It was two miles of straight road, straight up. No turns, no scenery to look at, just an intimidating top that never seemed to end. In the middle, there was a small flat section that greeted us with a sign that said one more mile, once again straight up. That climb, however, was redeemed by an amazing, 4-mile downhill closer to Greensburg.

One of our riders, Jessica Lee, had to go to the hospital to get her knee checked out. She took a bad fall the first day and another fall today put her out of action for a week, but she has still been of great support to the team and such a great sport despite her condition. Now she walks with a cast on her leg and crutches under her shoulders. At the hospital, however, they saw the armed robber from the chase come in who had apparently crashed and was being escorted by two police officers through the ER.

The Greensburg YMCA welcomed us with the sweetest gesture: a long sign with all the kids’ handprints and names and the words “Welcome Hopkins 4k Cyclists.” After unloading the vans and a quick shower, we walked a few blocks to where we would give a Special Olympics bike clinic. It was an impressive group with fifteen Special Olympics participants and about forty people overall. Justin and Steve gave a great performance when they talked about such issues as helmet safety and the importance of proper clothing. Sandra and Jenn Sciarps then led the group on a stretching routine before the riders would go around the loop. It was a pretty chill event and with the sunset behind us, a nice way to finish off that portion of the day.

After all the riders had arrived at the YMCA and the bike clinic finished, we were taken to one of the rider, Joe’s, home where his family had prepared us an incredible dinner. We all ate so much and enjoyed meeting and talking to his family as well. The D’Amico (Deluzio) family turned the heat in the pool up to 90˚ and some of us enjoyed jumping into the pool cannonball-style along with breath-holding competitions, swimming competitions, and splashing of innocent bystanders while others just enjoyed dipping their feet in.

This physically challenging day was worth it because of the people we met at the end. Thanks to the Greensburg YMCA and the D’Amico family for hosting us and providing us dinner, respectively. It was an excellent finish to a long day.