Saturday, June 28, 2008

The Annual Belleville Pancake Ride

I woke up this morning feeling like a little kid waiting for Christmas morning, or the morning you are going to drive to Six Flaggs... No, today would be different. Indeed. A yearly JDRF ride group tradition for the Western Wisconsin Chapter team has been the 40 mile bike ride to Belleville and back. So what's so special about the Belleville bike ride?

Oh yeah..... can you smell 'em? The experienced pancake riders lead the newbies to Belleville on a gentle rolling hills ride. We arrive at Beleoni's Cafe, a hot spot for Saturday morning cyclists who enjoy a hot breakfast. I had the Troll Special along with Steve Eager, Joy and Zach Carr. The group includes Triabetes athlete (and my bike coach), Joe Brady, Whitefish alum Kitty Verkuilen along with her "now on the road to Death Valley" husband Steve, Harv and Cindy Johnson, my good friend, Rabbit aong with his new friend Sheryl who just moved here and is new to the group, Brian Cholewa and girlfriend, Jen Williams, and of course my partner in "lets turn around and check that biker out", Patti Batt. We pull in and enjoy talk of our past JDRF rides to Montana, California, North Carolina, and the newbies listen intently as we talk about Jubilee Pass, Glacier National Park, bears, coyotes and well, taverns. :) Of course!

We finish up and head out to spin that beautiful lactic acid out of the legs. I usually get a kick out of that, but our lactic-fun is cut short when Zach is found injured after failing to clip out.

Big macho, me, I immediately go up and congratulate him on his new road rash. Then I look at it and see this is no run-of-the mill badge of honor. It's a pretty deep wound that cut in when he fell right on his king ring. No picture needed to describe that, or the fact that this wusspants almost threw up at the sight. We lucked out and happened to be in the yard of a very nice man and his daughter, who cleaned him up and drove him back to town for medical attention, while the rest of us biked back dealing with a few flat tires and refreshments.

Sigh...another Pancake Ride is been and gone.... until June 2009....


2 comments:

Unknown said...

Going for Saturday pancakes and no invite? I feel robbed. :-)
Sounds like a great ride, except for the injury of course.

Brickhead said...

Pancakes and riding.... sheesh. Its supposed to be Pancakes instead of riding...