Big Ride Day 0

Photos from Day 0

The pre-ride orientation was an odd scene. It certainly didn't seem like a room full of people who were about to undertake a great athletic challenge. In fact, it's about the strangest mix of people I could imagine for an event such as this. The age range is huge, from 16 to 76. The gender split is about 40% women and 60% men, not as lopsided as I would have thought. It's a little hard to believe that these are the people I'll be spending 7 weeks with. People seem a bit tentative and anxious, yet also excited and ready to go. It's difficult to separate out all the emotions floating around the room.

The orientation itself was interesting as we found out some of the details of life in camp and what it would be like on the ride. I began to meet some of the riders and was struck by the many different backgrounds and different motivations people have for being there.

The orientation took place at the Seattle Center, which is also where we're leaving from in the morning. It's a beautiful little park by the Space Needle. After the orientation, I strolled back across the park to the hotel to begin preparations. After all the horror stories I heard last year about the weather, I was scared into taking all kinds of gear with me that I didn't need. I stayed up late sorting gear and trying to get everything on my bike. I had never ridden with a loaded bike like this (something I should have tried out ahead of time!), so I was really nervous about how it was going to work. I fell into an uneasy sleep about 11:00.

This page modified November 25, 2000