With a goal of Stillwater, MN by end of Friday, the heat was elevated early and sensed the total distance of 115 miles would be ambitious. I knew I could “phone a friend”, aka my cousin Phyllis and de-facto sister, to collect me if I fell short. My family was flying into Minneapolis to meet me at Phyllis’ house so we had Plan B in place to keep things on track. I sensed that physically my body was still in the game, but mentally I was tired and in need of this upcoming break. At a scenic overlook above Stockholm, WI, my afternoon caffeine injection failed to kick in. My left foot got stuck as I tried to pop out of my pedals and dropped to the ground on my left side. Unhurt but ego bruised, a kind woman sightseeing came over quickly to make sure I was ok. Maria was originally from an Italian family that settled in the Bronx and has been a psychotherapist in Minneapolis for over 20 years. Her quick assessment was spot on. She saw me take just a short break when I pulled off, but knew what I needed was to sit in the shade and take a real one. I drank water and we talked for 15 minutes about how she went from NYC to the Midwest, what she found interesting about the work of CRI and what led me to this adventure. Feeling refreshed, I dusted off and made it 90 miles to Point Douglas Park in Minnesota, where Phyllis met me and plied me with coconut water and bananas. Despite not making it all the way to Stillwater, I felt like I had just won a stage of the Tour de France, logging nearly 1,750 miles on Strava to reach Minnesota in 21 riding days plus 4 off/rest days. When I saw Margot, she helped it sink in by simply saying, “Think about it, you just rode your bike to Minnesota, that’s crazy!” Thanks to a perceptive therapist from the Bronx, my cousin who always has my back, and my supportive wife, I made it here safely and feeling good!
