My New Ride

So I now have my “horse” to carry me across the mountains, deserts and prairies of America. After my bike fitting and a lot of contemplation, emails and reading, I found my new bike. A few more specialist parts have now been ordered, to tweak it further for the upcoming great adventure. So all that is left to do, is for us to get better acquainted, so we ride as one across a continent together.

After some thought and plenty of consideration, I have named my new bike Irma.

I know, I know, I ride like the wind, we will hurricane down the road and other such descriptions. Yet I chose Irma for a few reasons.

I collected my bike on Wednesday evening. With the preparations for the imminent hurricane, I have not had time to take my first ride on her yet. So in effect I am spending this weekend hoping to “ride Irma out”.

As the hurricane Irma approaches, so does my ride from LA to Boston. Both of these events can seem to be scary, exciting and fraught with danger. Yet in my mind they are both experiences which will make me feel truly alive. True experiences into the unknown. Don’t take me wrong, I am not doing either of these things just for a buzz or dangerous thrill. I have thought through both carefully. I decided to prepare for hurricane Irma and sit through it, as I prefer that option than risking my life, driving into the unknown, on crowded roads to nowhere, with millions of frightened, stressed and unknown drivers all around me. I will take my chances here, being as fully prepared as I can. Similarly, I will ride from LA to Boston with Lymphoma. Getting fitter this way, for me, beats sitting around waiting for the disease to get worse, feeling sorry for myself or the unfairness of cancer. I again will plan and take all the precautions possible to survive beforehand and hope that’s enough.

In both these situations I will have to trust I did all I could and then just “ride it out”.

Plan, prepare and then trust in Irma I make it through.

Finally my new BMC Granfondo is called  “IRMA”.

The acronym can mean

I Ride More Alive

I Ride Miles Around

Safety and comfort are my friends, top speeds and road excitement my enemies. This is not a race for me but more of a test, an adventure and an ultimate challenge. This ride will hopefully improve my general health and fitness over the year to come, getting me in better shape to beat my lymphoma. Also it is a chance for me to see the many wonderful natural features of this great continent. We will ride over four mountain ranges (The Rockies, The Appalachian, The Green and The White), through three deserts (Mohave, Sonora and Painted) and into many small American towns. I will see the mighty Mississippi river, cross 15 state lines and “get out of Dodge” hopefully. Finally, and with some luck, it will be another “Bucket list” item completed. So lets hope I chose a faithful and trusted companion, who will get me from LA to Boston with the minimum of problems and the maximum enjoyment.