2015 Key-To-Keys Ride Day 3 (For Steve)

It's day 3 of the 2015 Key-To-Keys Ride (K2K) and our stopping town tonight is Charleston, SC.  During our dedication circle this morning, I dedicated my ride to Steve, one of my former cycling coaches and current friend.

Steve is in a tough battle with Stage 4 Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas.  He has been in this fight since March of 2014.  His doctors have switched his Abraxane/Gemcitabine regimen for the more toxic Folfirinox cocktail protocol in the hopes of eradicating the tumor. Steve, you are the true warrior in this fight. Stay strong my friend!

My van assignment for today was #4 which meant we would ride segment four for approximately 40 miles. However, our van driver Julie and navigator Allie had a littile suprise for us.  BREAKFAST!!! Yes a real breakfast with all the fixins! WOOHOO!! But it was a special breakfast. Allie, who works with cancer patients at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, had arranged for us to meet one of her patients at a restaurant in Charleston. We shared a meal with 16 year old Henry Burneson, his mom Heather and dad Eric. 

From left to right, teammate Jim, van driver Julie, Henry's mom Heather, Henry's dad Eric, Henry, navigator Allie, teammate Annette, teammate Marti and your humble blogger. Henry is battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and is preparing for a stem cell transplant in May. It was a real treat to share a breakfast and stories with Henry and his family.  Our team dedicated our ride today to Henry and his fight against cancer. Keep fighting Henry and stay strong!

Once breakfast was done, we hit the road to our starting point: a gas station in Georgetown, SC. We  started the ride and approximately four miles into the ride, the heavens opened up and a downpour ensued.  Because of the rain and the road we were traveling on was extremely busy, we hopped in the van to stay safe.  We drove approximately eight miles until we found this beautiful Nationall Park. The rain had stopped by that time so we decided to ride through the park and complete the ride.  We made it to 32 miles before we had to stop due to a commitment we had to keep later in the evening.  

This is us at the finish today.  it was a a fun day riding with Jim, Annette and Marti! Lots of laughs and stories on the road today!

Tomorrow, we invade Jacksonville, FL.  We'll visit two cancer centers to see the how our efforts for UCF are affecting the lives of cancer patients, their doctors and nurses.  Talk to you tomorrow!

Slowing!

Gary