Done!!

Wow. It's over. Early this morning they bussed us two hours up from the Dead Sea to the Elah Valley (our "neighborhood", and where I trained a lot). We spend the day on three separate loooong climbs, joined by the one-day riders and the 10 "Fast and Courageous" kids from ALYN and their volunteer riding partners, who were all amazing. After about three and a half of cumulative hours (plus lunch and a pit stop to catch our breath), we gathered on the road a few kilometers from the hospital, and rode together with a police escort over smooth asphalt (what's that?!) and into the hospital. The family was there cheering with a massive crowd, and it was... over! I got a medal from one of the families who have a child at ALYN, and went in to a touching closing ceremony.

Before adding some pictures below, here are a few closing thoughts I had:

1. Gray (or white!) hair under the helmets. Once again, I was truly inspired by the number of 60+ riders. These guys, when not discussing grandchildren, were tearing through trails at the same speed as 20-30 year olds, and some have been doing it for over 10 years. Just a reminder that old age doesn't need to slow you down. Might make you crazy enough to do something like this, but...
2. Physical activity really is what you're built for. I had almost chronic back pain for a month and a half, and it's now... gone. Riding a bike over pretty treacherous terrain for 5 days doesn't sound like what the doctor ordered, but the human body likes to be in motion, I guess. "Taking it easy" and popping Advil did nothing for me. I'm actually going to try setting up a standing desk, because I’m convinced that sitting all day contributes to back pain...  Oh, and I'm 5 pounds lighter, which is kinda cool.
3. It's not all about today, or all about the ride. The ALYN hospital does such amazing work that it's not just a matter of the generous sponsorships - it's also about getting the word out. Hopefully you saw my video clip where I talk briefly about the work they do. We heard at the Gala that one rider, who had a friend sponsor him 5 times in a row, just heard from that sponsor that he has allotted $750,000 in his will for the hospital because of the work they are doing. 
4. The cheerleading makes a difference. I told many of my sponsors that I'd be adding their voices to the ones in my head pushing me along... and I really did. There were times when my body had no more to offer -- when I'd look out to a hilltop way ahead and way up, and see the lead riders there, knowing I'd need to make my way up there too. I really pictured you all standing there at the base of the mountain, telling me I could do it. And it made a radical difference. Hard to explain it any better. I felt like you did you part, so I had to do mine. Only fair. Together, we raised almost $4,000. That buys a LOT of help at AYLN.

And now I need to recognize my greatest cheerleader, Dena. Not only has she been supportive since the minute I began this pursuit last year, but she made sure that I never felt guilty for leaving her and the kids for a week. Even better, she watched me "from the sky" using GPS tracking on my phone, and would periodically send me texts like "Wow, that looked that terrible terrain" or "Must be nice to rest after climbing so long" or simply, just as we pulled into the parking lot in the evening... "You made it another day!". I can't tell you what that feels like, especially, as I mentioned, because I'm never at the front of the pack, nor at the end. I didn't ride alongside the same consistent people even when I was near them... the pack shifts non-stop. So all in all, I felt very alone much of the time. With Dena keeping tabs, I almost felt like I had a tandem bike (though a second pedaler would have been nice!) It's ridiculous for me to try to express my gratitude for the tone that she set for this ride...I was blessed to get through this without injury (and there were SO many opportunities) and without flat tires (SO many of those, every hour of every day), but most importantly, to come home to her.

And now... the pix:

Riding into ALYN. The grin started 5 minutes before and stayed 10 minutes more.

Getting my medal from one of the ALYN families. 

It must be hard for them to be part of the "celebration"... obviously, they'd prefer not to need to be there. But it's all about them, and we all know it very well and talk about it often during the week.

Closing ceremony.

So I'll close by once again thanking you all for participating in the incredible experience, changing the lives of kids who in other countries/circumstances, would live each day in despair, pain and frustration, instead of love, independence and... hope.  If bringing you together for "Team Jay" is what it takes from my part to help them, I'm ready to sign up for next year! Oh, and don't worry -- I'm definitely upgrading to a more professional bike, but I'm not taking up a collection for that!)