Hopkins 4K for Cancer

May 28, 2006

Waynesboro, PA
Day One: May 28, 2006

Baltimore, MD to Waynesboro, PA

~72 miles

Today was, finally, the sendoff for the Summer 2006 Hopkins 4K for Cancer. That title is a little misleading though, because this isn’t really “just” a summer trip anymore. Really, this weekend was the end of a year of work at Hope Lodge, of planning, organizing, training… and now we get to take our message on the road. The weekend started with our group ride on Friday getting cancelled due to the threat of thunderstorms all afternoon. We also moved the BBQ indoors to the restaurant Rocky Run. Of course this meant that the weather stayed clear. Unfortunately, the humidity we experienced on Friday and Saturday was also forecasted for Sunday. Saturday began with our final Rider’s Meeting which began with a first aid presentation by my mom (thanks mommy!). I’m just glad she didn’t share too many embarrassing incidents with the group. The riders also got their jerseys and picked up some sweats and t-shirts designed by Emma from Ithaca.

This year we have riders from 8 different schools- JHU, UNC-Wilmington, Ithaca, Fairmont State (WV), Uconn (though a Hopkins grad), Columbia, UC Berkeley (almost), and Umich. There are 27 riders total and everyone seems ready for the “summer of their lives”. Saturday night was the first time that some of the “out-of-towners” got to see the Baltimore Hope Lodge. It was overwhelming to see how many family, friends, and other supporters came out to our final dinner to see the group go. Thanks again to Karen, Brenda, Lou, and everyone at the Lodge for all of their help this year. It really is a perfect give and take relationship- the trip isn’t possible without the Lodge. Dinner was a feast of burgers, sides, and the most artistic, 3-D cake designs I’ve seen thanks to Nicole E.

The actual first day started bright and early with a 6am meeting a Shriver Hall. Bagels were provided by Panera and Sam’s Bagels with OJ from Eddie’s grocery in Charles Village. We were also greeted by a bunch of previous riders who helped with biking, driving the vans, driving extra cars, and generally making the day much more bearable for all the newbies. So thanks to Travis, Franca, Rodrigo, Patrick, Jen, Trang, Aaron, Justin, and also members of the cycling team who helped; Jess, Brian, Lauren, and Cliff. The ceremony at Shriver started a bit late, but we got to hear from Travis and Gloria Jetter from the ACS. Both provided some great last inspiration for the riders before setting out to the Inner Harbor for our Tire Dipping ceremony. We caravanned down to the Harbor, and on the count of 3 our back wheels were dipped into the Atlantic Ocean (ok, it’s the Chesapeake, not quite the coast but close enough), and off we set for our destination 4,000 miles (give or take a few wrong turns) away.

Our goal that day was to ride 72 miles to the Otterbein Church in Waynesboro PA. The 4K has stayed there for at least the past 4 years, and as every ride can tell you-the meal at the end of the day is about the best tasting food you have ever had in your life… and the gym floor is the best bed you’ve ever slept on. Riders got to cross their first state border, and most people took the time to take a photo by the Welcome to Pennsylvania sign. By 7:00pm the last riders were coming in after a hard day that was the longest most people had ever been on a bike. The day ends with a one mile climb a few miles from the church. And again, it’s the tallest hill most people have ever been on (until the next day, and then the day after). We were greeted by Bill at the Church and a whole spread of fried chicken, pizza and lemonade. Dessert was 6 cartons of ice cream and tons of cookies which Clare Blubaugh’s grandparents gave to us. She had mentioned all day that they were going to have a surprise for us in Waynesboro, and every ride greatly appreciated it, so THANK YOU!! At dinner we heard from Brad Anderson, a cancer survivor who shared with us a little bit about how cancer can give you a new sense of purpose in life and how one copes with a diagnosis. Thank you very much to the Otterbein Church community, and we hope to see you again next year!

Next is on to Bedford, PA. We’ll try to update the journals and photos as often as we can, but please forgive any delays… the Internet isn’t always around when you’re on a bike. Thanks for reading! : )

-Katie R.