[GRRiders] Gold Rush Volunteers

[Amy Rafferty]

Well, I think I'm finally recovered from my adventures on the Gold Rush
Randonnee, and I wanted to express my sincere thanks to all the volunteers
who made this event possible. I wish I could have written this note a day or
two after finishing, but the day after the ride was over I was sidelined by
a bad cold (1200 km sure can mess up the immune system!), and then I was
greeted by a mountain of deadlines when I finally made it back to work in
the middle of last week. So this note is a little late, but heartfelt,
nonetheless.

As we all know, when riders do PBP, we're cheered on and encouraged by
thousands of people at the start and all along the course. At the last PBP,
I recall closing my eyes before the start and attempting to "absorb" all the
good will I could from the spectators -- I knew I'd need it later in the
ride. And whenever I felt low or tired during PBP, someone along the course
would give me a smile or words of encouragement, and I'd find the will to go
on.

Well, the Gold Rush is a bit different. There were a few very enthusiastic
folks at the start, but once we got rolling, we were pretty much on our own
between rest stops. There weren't many towns, the people living in the
places we did go through didn't really know what we were doing, and when we
explained, the response was almost universally "that's crazy." We rode up
mountain passes in blistering temperatures, we shared the road with
seemingly hostile truck drivers, and we covered long, lonely stretches of
the course by riding through the night with little or no sleep. Looking
back, I'm amazed I was able to finish this ride, and when I think about it,
I realize there's only one reason I was able to do it:

The volunteers.

When I pulled into a rest stop, you greeted me warmly, you told me I was
doing great, and you asked what you could do to help. You reminded me to
check in and get my card signed when I forgot, and you answered my stupid
and repetitive questions with a smile. You made me wonderful, homemade meals
that went beyond physical sustenance, and then you filled my bottles and
pockets and sent me on my way. And between the stops, when I'd start to feel
down on those long, lonely stretches, a SAG driver would appear. You'd offer
me something cold to drink, ice for my bottles, and, most importantly,
encouragement. The folks at GRR headquarters kept track of our progress and
let our families and friends know we were OK.

I now realize that during an event like this, the word "support" means so
much more than attending to the physical needs of the participants. Quite
simply, the volunteers were my reason for continuing. There were so many
times I wanted to quit this ride. It was too hot, I was too sore, I was
short on sleep, my saddle felt like a cheese grater -- there were a million
reasons to stop. But I kept moving forward because whenever I was tempted to
give up, something a volunteer said or did kept me going. Sometimes I'd run
out of reasons to continue, but the one that always remained was that I
didn't want to disappoint all the people who had taken the time to help me.

I know many volunteers took time off work and away from their families,
drove hundreds of miles from home, and stayed up day and night, becoming as
exhausted as the riders they were there to help.

The words "thank you" don't seem grand enough to express my gratitude, but I
don't know what else to say. I've been dreaming of finishing the Gold Rush
for more than a year. Thank you for helping me achieve my dream.

Amy
 
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