Hopkins 4K for Cancer

June 5, 2007

by Ian Miller
As I awoke to the soothing sounds of Disney’s Fantasia blaring through the church speaker system, an encouraging thought entered my mind. I joyfully extracted myself from my sleeping bag knowing that today’s cycling escapades would consist of a mere 50 miles of rolling hills. How about that? Our team has been faced with so many challenges that a 50-mile ride might as well be a calm walk through the park. I am so proud of our team. We have now battled through mountain passes, heat, head wind, rain, and a handful of centuries.

As the day played out, sure enough it was as relaxing as I had hoped. After devouring a generous breakfast spread provided my members of the First Presbyterian Church and dedicating our day’s ride, we set out in teams to Michigan City. The day began slowly most likely as a result of the morning chill brought in by an atypical cold front. As riders began to thaw out, our cadences became livelier and the pace picked up amongst all groups. Unfortunately, my cycling group was dealt a stint of bad luck. When the day was done we had repaired 5 flats. Even my frame pump couldn’t handle it, as it broke repairing the fourth flat. The afternoon heat set in and made flat fixing rather frustrating. However, each time I jumped back on my bicycle I saw the inscription I placed on my bike frame’s top tube and found strength to keep pedaling. I inscribed my grandfather’s name, Calvin Miller, onto my bicycle as a reminder of how boldly he battled cancer and how my struggles on the bike are miniscule in comparison. Despite our mechanical malfunctions my group along with all other riders successfully completed the day’s ride.

That evening our team stayed in a historical church. The church was itself a piece of art with woodwork from Belgium and numerous stained glass pieces. One of our team’s elite riders, Devin, found a piano in the church’s concert hall and graced us with classical music to accompany our dinner to conclude the day much like it had began.