Below is a little summary of our ride in the 2005 Ride for the Roses in support of Lance Armstrong's foundation for the support of cancer sufferers, survivors and their families. We completed this ride a couple weeks ago. The Kier/Smith tandem team raised over $1,000 and the ride as a whole raised $7.3 million for the foundation.

This was our second century (100 mile ride) this fall. Two weeks earlier we rode through tropical storm Tammy at the Seagull Century in Maryland - 100 miles of rain and wind - so we were happy to see the forecast for clear, calm, 70 degree weather. The ride attracted between 6000 and 7000 riders and 4000 and 5000 volunteers. The scene at the beginning was spectacular. We lined up before dawn at the Travis County Convention center. The center was at a slightly elevated spot and we could see solid streams of car lights converging on the convention center in all directions. It resembled the wonderful scene at the end of the movie "Field of Dreams". It was quite cool at the time, and crystal clear - with the stars, a half moon, and a very bright Mars above us.

This is a big time event, and the start was extremely well organized. Every rider had a specific spot to line up and a specific time to start. We were pleased to see that the tandems would be among the first to leave, after Lance and the big donors. They lined the tandems up near the VIP trailer. We enjoyed up close and personal views of Robin Williams (the actor and a great friend of Lance) big George Hincapie (my favorite cyclist). Probably getting the most attention at the start was a 5-seat "tandem" (qunitem?), with parents and three lovely young girls, probably ages 4-10. They were planning doing the 40 miler, which was impressive. Finally, Lance emerged, and provided properly inspiring words to start us off. At about mile 10 we saw George and we think Robin sneaking back, but Lance made it to at least the 20 mile point (from pictures that were published later). We never saw him after the start.

We've been on well organized rides, but this was something else. The first part of the ride was on a moderately busy road, but the highway patrol had blocked off an entire lane for us, and there was plenty of room to ride. We had driven part of the ride the day before and were surprised there were no arrows or signs marking the turns. We soon found out what all those volunteers were for. Each turn had 4-20 people standing, indicating the turn and cheering us on. Riders had the choice of 7, 25, 40, 70 or 100 miles (so lots of turns need to be indicated!). There were rest stops every 10 miles or so. We soon passed out into the rolling countryside, with all 6000 of us spreading out on our various routes. It was very rural, with ranches, small towns, houses, farms and lots of cows. Very quiet and very open with a big, big sky.

As in all of the rides of this kind (raising money for various medical causes), there were many riders riding in honor of, or memory of, loved ones and friends who suffered from the disease, as well as many that were themselves survivors of cancer. Because of the varieties of rides there were a huge variety of riders - many young children, and older people; many that obviously didn't do much cycling, and many that were obviously still recovering. Because of Lance's fame, there were also many very, very good riders. The most moving to us was a tandem ridden without a stoker, with a sign saying the captain was riding in memory of his stoker, partner, wife and sole-mate, recently lost to cancer. The sight of this left Bill and me in tears for much of the rest of the ride.

I thought constantly about my mother, who died almost exactly a year ago, ultimately of cancer. Her stubbornness at times drove her children crazy, but her strong will is one of the traits each of us have taken into our own lives. It helped me out on this ride.

The day stayed clear and sunny, but a steady wind rose through the day. By the end of the day it was averaging 25-30 miles an hour, gusting to over 35. We went out fast, perhaps too fast, early and as the wind rose, and the hills got a bit more frequent, I went though a terrible sinking spell. Poor Bill had to pretty much pull me up the hills, and I was riding pretty much on will alone. We were both quite worried about how in the world we would finish. When we reached the rest stop at 78 miles I had a chance to re-hydrate, eat and rest a bit, which helped me stage a major recovery, and we were able to finish strong. At the end we had a wonderful tailwind for a bit, and sped along at over 30 miles per hour. Unfortunately the last two miles turned right into the wind, which with our bodies screaming "enough" served as insult upon injury. In the end, we finished the 100 miles in 5.5 hours of riding, 6.5 hours total. We felt good about our accomplishment, and our contribution, and had great respect for the many, many people that pushed themselves through a not very easy ride.

We were happy to contribute our little bit of tribute to Lance. Not only is he a spectacular athlete, but he has used his fame to make a difference. His foundation has raised an enormous amount of money to support sufferers and survivors of cancer and their families. He has attracted tremendous national attention to his cause, and has made a real difference in the world. Given Lance's personality the message is fight it on your terms. Learn the facts, don't be afraid to ask for second and third opinions, take control of your treatment, and if it comes to that, your death.

We are very glad we went, and may well go again. Cycling to us is a challenge, a pleasure, a way to see new places, a way to work together, and a way to LiveStrong. All in all, it was a great weekend; we had fun, but also were able to contribute to something important. Thanks again for your support!

Kathleen and Bill, November 2005