Ride for the Roses Day 2

I just got in from a long day/night and even had to back-date the blog to make it still appear as a post from Friday! To whomever wrote asking where my update is, this is for you (SAB??) because if you hadn't asked I would have gone to bed without posting and then apologized tomorrow. :)

The day started out early this morning with the Yellow Jersey group photo/ride with Lance. Since I'm a night owl, the 8 a.m. departure was a bit rough, but I made it onto the bus. Everybody assembled and waited for Lance to arrive. There were some other "bike celebrities" there as well, my favorite was Bob Roll (the cyclist/"Tour DES France" guy from OLN), who is really funny and extremely nice. Finally, Lance arrived, said a few words, and then everyone departed on the ride.

My trusty Blue Schwinn, however, wasn't ready to go. Somehow in transport, the gears had gotten messed up (go figure...you'll understand when I post the pictures). Lance's cycling friend Kyle generously offered me his bike, and his other cycling friend and dentist Greg rode with me on the ride. It was great to have these two super cute expert cyclists helping out and teaching me how to ride a "real bike" which is very different from the cruiser. The ride went well, and then we took some photos which I will post later.

Tonight was the Peloton Dinner where around 900 people gathered at a former trash dump that has been turned into an animal sanctuary outside of Austin. The dinner was very festive. Robin Williams and Sheryl Crow performed. Robin Williams gaves me a big smack on the lips. He's a very nice guy. Very gracious.

I have met some wonderful new friends and have realized that this weekend really isn't about Lance and cycling. It's about all of the incredible survivors and supporters who have come together to work toward a common goal. That has definitely been the best part of the weekend.

Tomorrow is a very long day, with many activities (and 2 activities outside of the LAF stuff) so I will have a lot to report.

And I really hope that my cats are okay at home without me!