One of the cyclists, Marc, shared his experience in a letter to his family, friends, co-workers, teammates, and loyal supporters upon his return from Tahoe. His letter beautifully captured his feelings and emotions, and with his blessing I have included it below. Here is a man, tall in stature, but in his own words short in other areas of his life before he joined TNT. He's a wonderful person and someone we now are honored to call "friend". Here is his story. Enjoy.
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Words cannot even begin to express the feelings that I have had over the last four days! I just walked back in the house 30 minutes ago! I feel that I owe you all a short note and just a couple of pictures. I will follow up with more info and an updated website shortly!
I have never experienced anything like this. Thank you for helping to change my life! Thank you more importantly for helping to change the lives of the people and families struggling with these diseases!!!
The credit goes to all of you! I did not do anything special, I just asked that you help me raise funds for this exceptional organization. You answered my request with generosity and love! I owed you the 100 miles to pay you back for this investment you made! We made it across the finish line! It hurt! I cried! It was the best that I have ever felt on an individual accomplishment level! I cannot get this silly grin off of my face!
There were 2000 TNT participants at this event, America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride. http://www.bikethewest.com/AMBBR.html These people and their generous sponsors like you raised $8.5 Million for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You should be very proud of yourselves. We are going to beat these cancers!
A self realization after riding 96 miles and walking 4:
The old Marc would view this as a failure, because the goal was to ride 100 miles. The new Marc figured out that I found a way to get the job done without quitting. From 6500 to 7044 feet, I was not able to maintain enough oxygen levels to ride without my heart rate spiking to 160 beats a minute every 1/10 of a mile. Even by walking an estimated four miles my average heart rate at this altitude was 140 beats a minute. Next time I will be lighter, shooting to lose another 50 pounds by next year. I will be adding a triple to my front gear, meaning that I will have a Granny gear. I did this on a double which means I had to use more leg muscle instead of just spinning and using mechanical advantage.
Three emotional points:
1) Imagine having a man walk up to you in a grocery store and thank you for doing this ride. Saturday, one day before the ride, I was in the local grocery buying my chiropractic angel some flowers for a thank you for fixing my ailing foot (I could barely walk on Friday night). This gentleman explained that his daughter had been afflicted with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), when she was two years old. He told me that he appreciated people like me doing this event to raise money for research. His daughter is now 16 and doing fine! His simple kind words kept driving me on to the finish!
2) Imagine getting to the top of Spooner Junction at an altitude of 7044 feet (there ain't no air up here)! You still have12 miles to go (mainly down hill but still some small climbs left). You emotionally break down because you know at this point you are going to make it. You recover some composure (not that it matters because it's okay to cry). You're surrounded by some your teammates that have been struggling as hard as you have to get here, and they give you hugs and tell you you've made it. But more moving is that a 15 year cancer survivor you have never met comes up and gives you a hug, and tells you that you are a hero for what you have done. The fund raising is for all of us (patients and families) she tells you. The ride is for you to accomplish your dreams! Let me tell you that for the first time in a very long time I know why I am here!
3) It's your 37th birthday. You wake up at 01:15 and give up on trying to go back to sleep and get out of bed at 02:00 because you are filled with self doubt on whether you can complete the challenge you accepted. You open your door to see how cold it is outside, and your door is covered with cards from your family. Notes from your six and nine year old in their own hand writing. Telling you to have a great ride and that they know you can do this. A note from your father telling you that he is proud of you. A note from your mom with a scripture that applies. A note from your wife wishing you a happy birthday and telling you she is never going to let go of your hand, even if she is not there to hold it. A note from your five year old honoree Lucy with a picture of her on her big wheel, and a drawing she made of that same image. You get to the start line and your coach and teammates can feel your anxiety rolling off of you. You get to mile 50 and you think your spent. You pull 13 miles an hour up an eight mile incline and have teams drafting behind you. When they pass at the top they tell you to fall in line and let them do the work, because they will pull you now since you helped them out and you hear "Thanks Minnesota". You get to mile 72 and you get lunch and you know that the long climbs are ahead of you with the highest elevations the true test. Your coach and other teammates encourage you while you think yourself weak for having to walk some. You realize you're not weak, because you have not quit - you are still making progress up the damn mountain. You get to the top and issue number 2 happens. You are revitalized because the Orange County CA TNT team finds out it is your birthday and sings happy birthday to you at 7044 feet. You get to relax for the next six miles because gravity is doing the work down to 6342 feet at about 30 miles an hour. You struggle to climb the three little issues in your way to success. You get to the finish line and your stronger teammates that finished before you ( in some cases hours) and they are all there to cheer you to the finish. They wrap you in a warm embrace and tell you how proud they are of you. They sing happy birthday to you in front of thousands of people and for the first time in your life you are not embarrassed to be singled out in a crowd.
My TEAM is an incredible group of people. I am truly privileged to call them all friends!
I have never cried so much in one day. I have never struggled so hard in one day. I have never felt so accomplished.
Thanks for your support, and so much for a short note. I will write more in the near future!
With Love and Appreciation,
Marc Allan McElyea
"Century Rider"
Ride On!
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