Pelotonia

I made my way up to Columbus last Thursday for Pelotonia, a cycling event that my brother, Geno and I were riding in that weekend. Pelotonia is a grass roots bike tour that expands from Columbus to Athens, Ohio. Anyone can ride in it and you can select the distance of your choice: 23, 43, 102, or 180 miles. Geno and I rode 43 miles, from Columbus to Amanda. In order to participate in Pelotonia you must reach a fundraising goal – the distance you ride, determines how much you need to raise. All of the money raised goes directly to the Arthur B. James Comprehensive Cancer Center at Ohio State for the purpose of one goal -- to end cancer! (I can assure you none of the money will benefit the OSU Football program…too soon?) 

Opening Ceremonies stage

On Friday afternoon, Geno and I arrived at the Pelotonia grounds for check-in and the Opening Ceremonies. Pelotonia doesn’t mess around – there were 2 giant tents packed with tables and a catered dinner, beer trucks, and an expo with tons of vendors and sponsors. We even ran into this guy.

Brutus!

The weekend was packed with great snacks, meals and drinks, bands and music. We were lucky to have Chuck Wicks serenade us as we carb-loaded for the next morning.

Checking-in the night before was convenient because we were able to leave our bikes over night, which made setting our alarms for 4:45 a bit easier. 

Bike corral...thousands of bikes!

On Saturday morning, Geno and I arrived at 6:15 and made our way to the bike corral to find our bikes waiting for us. The official kick-off time was 7:00 and the first to leave were the ones riding 102 and 180 miles. Once they left, the 43 and 23-milers made their way to the chute. Geno and I crept along, getting closer and closer, anxiously awaiting to start. We crossed the start line about 7:30 and we were so excited to get going! As we rode out of Columbus, people were cheering and ringing their cowbells as they lined the sidewalks to send us off.

We had our game/riding faces on.

We stopped about 13 miles into the ride because I had to use the "little girls room" and he wanted to see what the rest stop had to offer…

Worth the stop.

With 30 more miles ahead of us, we pedaled on. Check out that fog! It was cool outside, which made for perfect riding weather. The route took us through the country roads of central Ohio. It was gorgeous (who would have thought?!). At every stop sign or intersection we approached, we were greeted by a police officer. Although the roads were "open", the surrounding communities were aware of us, so they made an effort to stay off the roads. I felt extremely safe throughout the entire ride.

We didn’t expect to continue all the way through to Amanda, but we did. There was another rest stop for the 23-mile finish but we didn’t feel the need to stop, thinking (hoping) there would be another one around mile 30ish. We just kept riding, experiencing rolling hills, until Ms. Amanda, Ohio, greeted us! We crossed the finish line just before 10:30 where we found yet another giant tent with lots of tables and food. We gave our bikes to the Pelotonia volunteers where they loaded them on a semi-truck to be taken back to Columbus. Geno and I made a few phone calls to family (letting them know we were safe and sound) then made our way to get some lunch/breakfast/replenishment. After we re-fueled, we hopped on a bus that drove us comfortably (with AC) back to Columbus.

Pelotonia was such an awesome experience! Cancer is a terrible disease that can affect anyone's life. My heart goes out to everyone who has had to deal with the life changes and struggles associated with cancer. It was an honor to have been apart of this incredible movement! Here's to ending cancer, ONEGOAL.

If you want more information on Pelotonia or the Arthur B. James Cancer Center,
check out Pelotonia's website.

Here is a link to the Opening Ceremonies video they played to motivate and remind us why we were there.