Act 4 of 4: The Best For Last

*My friend, Patti!

As fun as the events were, I saved the best for last, the big finale!  The special things in life and sport, ironically, are not the sport itself.  The special things are the dedication, the goal setting, the memories, the accomplishment, and above all, the friendships with the people sharing those memories.

I was so fortunate to share my memories of this "production" with some great people.  My dear friends, Ed and Patti, provided me a gift after the competition and told me they make a quilt for all their grandkids, and I was an adopted grandchild in their eyes.  That's a very special thing to hear from someone.  When Ed and Patti told me that, my little heart just about melted.  To think that someone would go through all the effort, time, and money to make me a special gift just to say they care about me is a powerful thing.  I am so thankful to have shared my memories with Ed and Patti, they are great folks who are close to my heart.

*Patti and I with the quilt she made me, amazing.

*Ed and Patti, my dear friends.

Before I left my parents gave me their support, which I appreciated.  My mom bought me some little goodies to take on the road and use on my long trip.  I knew I had them behind me, without them and their constant support and encouragement these dreams wouldn't materialize.

*Opening ceremonies

I arrived at the events by myself, but I quickly reconnected with my race friends and met many new friends.  It was such a pleasure to share the adventures with all of my friends as we dreamed big and achieved together.  Again I owe Chris Seivers a big thank you.  Her words, "Do you want me to take pictures for you" were music to my ears.  Her photography and cheers over all my races was clutch and I appreciate it.  She is a very nice lady who I was lucky to meet at the bike race.

*Patti and Gloria at the parade of athletes

As great as the results were, those aren't the accomplishments I am most proud of.  Whether you agree or not, anytime you are interacting with people you are a role model.  I feel strongly that there is general lack of role models for young kids (even adults) today. I take my responsibility of being a role model very seriously. I was lucky because I was able to interact with nearly a hundred people of all ages.  I am a role model, it is my responsibility to show through my actions and words that dedication, determination, honor in competition, and positive attitudes belong in sports.  I have made it my personal mission to show people (young people in particular) that you don't have to posture, act tough, have a foul mouth, or take short cuts to get to the top.  It's okay to be compassionate and kind to your competitors but still compete and train ferociously (and honorably) to win. Those are important lessons that I was fortunate to learn growing up from my role models.

*A random shot of driving in a picture

*Moving into my hotel

*This is where my bikes slept

*Speedplay sent me some special edition white pedals for the Murder Machine!

*What did I eat after two days of mostly liquid diet?  Eggs, tuna sandwich on wheat, and a bottle of water.

The weekend of events was a dream come true. I couldn't imagine anything better than having those moments throughout the weekend in which I felt so empowered with the feeling of being happy to be me, happy being where I was at, doing what I what I loved to do.  It's about seizing opportunities and going for it, and that's what I did.

Thanks for reading, Believe in the Power of One.