Day 42 -- Waukesha, WI

The first person in the pace line came to a sudden halt. Two of us swerved out of the way and to the sides, but the person behind me and in front of me collided. I spun backwards and watched as they violently smashed to the floor, an audible crack reverberating through the air. I jumped off my bike and ran to the one cyclist still on the asphalt underneath his bike. To my great relief, he lifted his head and got up. A quick check showed one of them had injured their arm and leg with some scratches. They were all right, but my friend Travis’ helmet was blown to smithereens. His derailleur was also broken. Accidents are scary. Travis ended up racking for the day because of mechanical issues while the other cyclist, Adam Caruthers, rode despite his minor injuries.

The rest of our first day in Wisconsin went rather smoothly. The roads were in relatively good condition and we had an amazing arrival into a park on the outskirts of Waukesha. I meet the sweetest girl named Gabi. She was born with Spina Bifida and was told by doctors that she would never walk. She’s now 7, does ballet, and is bouncing all over the place on her own two legs! I got to know Gabi and her parents very well and it was quite heart warming to see how much she’s enjoying life. We met Kathy, an employee of the organization called Independence First, with which we will be spending most of the next two days.

Our busy afternoon in the park was followed by a relaxing evening at a Pi Alpha’s beach house on lake Pewaukee. His name is Brian Davidson, as in the Davidson in Harley-Davidson’s grandson. They let us use their jet skis, which I had never tried before in my life. We spent hours playing cards, talking by the campfire, and boating around the lake before we headed to lodging for the night.