Hopkins 4K for Cancer

May 31, 2006

Day Off
Greensburg, PA - After a long day's ride from Bedford to Greensburg, it was great to wake up (late) to our first day off! Some lucky 4Kers even got to roll out of real beds for the first time in a while- it reallly IS fun to stay tours of both the medical oncology and radiation oncology wings, which allowed us to see some of the advanced technology that's coming on line as well as the doctors, nurses, techs, and other staff who devote themselves to treating cancer. We also got to meet some patients undergoing treatment. The visit was inspiring, and we left with a newfound appreciation of why we're doing what we're doing.

The rest of the day was devoted to getting 4K and personal business done- we invaded the local library and all got to check our email, finding encouraging messages from friends, family, and past riders. Thanks guys! We also took a trip to a local bike shop to stock up on tubes and patch kits, and Kinko's to do some copying. Everyone is so friendly and helpful, especially when they find out what we're doing!

Most of the riders went to Olive Garden for dinner, where they were extremely helpful and found space to store bikes, brought out pitcher after pitcher of ice cold water,. and generally put up with 20 very excited riders. There were many toasts that night, for our friends at Hope Lodge in Baltimore, all the people who have helped us along the way, and the patients and fighters that we are riding for.

Later that night a lot of people took advantage of the beautiful pool at the YMCA, and we had a pretty wet riders meeting. James got a little distracted by the indoor playground, but with some help from Garrett we managed to reclaim him from the realm of make believe.
All in all it was a great day of rest and reflection that left us refreshed and ready for the next few days.

-Olivia Helprin