If seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong were to visit what would you do? I rode my bike over yesterday morning to see him and many other participants in the TREK 100, the MACC Fund's Ride for Hope fundraising bike ride which began at WCTC. My black Schwinn rummage sale special was clearly in the minority as well more than 90% of the bikes appeared to be TREK bikes. It was a TREK Mecca with, it had to have been thousands, of pricey Trek bikes. The president of TREK Corp. was there and introduced Lance, who raced TREK bikes in seven straight Tour de France wins.
Armstrong said just a few short words to the crowd, once the mic problem was fixed, and joined others at the beginning to lead off the ride. I saw a lot of photographers crowding around him and I didn't want to be one of those, so I didn't get any decent pictures of him. Just as well, put everyone in a colorfull jersey, bike helmet and sunglasses and you'd be surprised how similar they look.
There was some variety though. I tried hard to spot non-TREK bikes and actually saw a few, even saw a couple tandem bikes. Not everyone wore Spandex either - I saw one guy with cotton shorts and a t-shirt!
I contemplated joining the TREK 100 this year, the first year I was able, but knew I wasn't ready. Not only was it $35.00 to enter plus $1.00 a mile in pledges, but I don't own a helmet, bike shorts or Spandex. While many distances were offered, my ego would only allow me to try the 100, for which I hadn't prepared. I know my bike would have made it but my body would have hated it. Maybe next year, with sponsors.
Because I wasn't in the ride this year I payed attention to the weather because, you know, it would probably be too windy or rainy anyway. Even though a short thunder storm passed through the area, it produced only a few drops, and for the most part it was a nice day Saturday.
From WCTC I continued on my bike around Pewaukee Lake to Hwy. 83 and KE in time for the start of a seven mile
Ice Age Trail hike to commemorate National Trails Day. I read about the hike on WaukeshaNOW and it interested me. Hiking the trail costs nothing and, even though there's close to 1000 miles of Wisconsin trails, I'd never hiked it before. Not really sure how long a seven mile hike takes, I brought nothing but a camera and water bottle. The smart ones brought walking sticks, food, bug spray . . .
A little over thirty of us began the hike. The steep terrain soon leveled off and eventually passed right through downtown Hartland and beyond. We crossed paths with TREK 100 riders outside Bark River Park, where the Kiwanis Club was sponsoring a fishing clinic for kids. Rain threatened but trees along the Bark River sheltered us.
Seven miles, 14000 steps, 3-1/2 hours, and several friendships later the hike sadly ended and I continued on my bike the rest of the way around Pewaukee Lake, returning home via the Lake Country Trail. I learned a lot yesterday and was impressed by everyone I met and everything I saw. After 20 years of working weekends I told myself I'd never waste a weekend when I lost the job last year. I met a woman who had retired just the day before and her husband, a former Earth Science teacher from Oconomowoc, still teaching me about the plants and land. A gal from Milwaukee was just returning to hiking after recent foot surgery. One nice couple knew a lot about the area because they used to farm the land we were hiking on and still lived nearby. . . This weekend wasn't wasted.
