Great Expectations. That is the theme for today. I came out with great expectations and the first half of the day was great. Then came headwinds and rain. Oh boy. I am in much better condition than last year, but the headwinds sure made it seem different. Never have I been so glad to see a stupid tree. The Shoe Tree was an oasis in my desert of exhaustion. I would not have made it without Larry Peterson. Thank you Larry.

I have never been so proud of my son, Taylor. He rode like the champion he is. It was a great, humbling experience to see such exuberance tempered with effort. He was awesome. I love you Tay. It was also great to see Joe Plater show up at the arch in Reno this morning. He rode to the top of Geiger Summit with us. Coleman and Maryanne both rode with us today. It was like a biking family reunion.

So many people to thank; Pete, the kits are great and we got a ton of compliments on them; Kenny Davis and Golden Murray, thank you for the training miles. I am stronger and I owe it to you two; Laurie and family, thank you for allowing me to train and get stronger. Thank you to my family, the Nelson’s and Warren’s for praying for me. I needed it today. Thank you to the Benecke’s in Fallon. Lunch was awesome and very touching to have Shari (sp?) come over and share her cancer experience with us. My life is blessed.

Back to great expectations, I have several names on my jersey and in my pocket. Each one of those names have great expectations. Aubri and Alec are facing fights with great expectations of actually growing up. They are teenagers. Jim has great expectations of seeing his daughter marry one day. He is a father. As I think about it, everyone’s expectations like the ones I set out with today change all the time. I sincerely hope that the effort that I am putting into this endeavor can allow some of those great expectations turn out better than mine did today. I would ask anyone reading this to donate to the cause to help find a cure for this disease. Until tomorrow.