I’ll get the light and fluffy stuff out of the way first. That’s light and fluffy as in cream-covered sponge cake. Chatting on the open road, as you do, the good people at America by Bike learned that Rose was missing today’s graduation ceremony at Sydney University. So they arranged a graduation cake big enough to slice twenty or so ways so we all got a mouthful or two at the end of our ride from Dalhart to Pampa. Thanks to Mike, Karen, Barbara and, in particular, Jim for such a touching gesture. He’s one hell of a mechanic fixing bikes AND cakes.
On a more serious note I don’t want any of you ever again saying what Rose and I are doing is amazing. What Ron and Barry are doing is amazing and puts our efforts into the Texas shade. Ron is seventy six years old and gets in before us pretty much every single day. Less than six months ago he was being treated for cancer. The chemo sapped his strength, he says. But it clearly hasn’t sapped his endurance. We call him “Iron” Ron because he’s competed in no fewer than 17 Hawaiian Ironman triathlons. He’ll be doing a half Ironman in August. Never too old is his motto. I have decided to do this event again or a similar distance in my 77th year as a tribute to the man.
And now a bit about Barry. Barry is doing the event for charity to raise money and awareness of those, like him, who are living with haemophilia (a disorder that stops the blood clotting which, on the face of it, isn’t too good if you fall of your bike). He also has the HIV virus because he was given contaminated blood products. This is his second trans-American ride in two years proving there should be no excuses for the rest of us.
As Dylan Thomas put it: “Do not go gentle into that good night but rage rage against the dying of the light.”
