Amy’s Army Raises Money for Cancer Research
During a group ride a couple months ago, I connected with a local Richmond cyclist who was promoting the Climb to Conquer Cancer 2018 Ride. I asked her for some more information on the story behind the event. Amy Williams, the namesake of the organization, sent this to me:
Daniel Burton was the first man to bike to the South Pole. He was so kind as to talk to me about his trip. All quotes in this article are taken from our phone conversation.
If there is one thing I have learned recently, it is that having a vague motivation to do great things in life rarely gets anyone anywhere. We all daydream of heroic exploits and globe-spanning journeys. Meanwhile, some people actually do them.
…I then stood over the sink and held my finger too tightly to assess the damage any further. The top third of my finger felt severed and foreign to the rest of my body. It was like a bit of cartilage jiggling on top of the remaining two-thirds of the finger with unnatural flexibility…
Does this sound like work or vacation? Picture this. You wake up at dawn with a sore back. You start the stove, make and eat breakfast, wash dishes, take down the tents, and pack up. Then you hop on your bike and pedal for 8-10 hours and stop occasionally for lunch and snack breaks. You continue to grind away for 80 or 100 miles until you get to your next campsite.
A Film about Endurance. About a month ago, my brother and I saw the one day premier of Godspeed: The Race Across America. Godspeed is a documentary that covers Jerry Schemmel and Brad Cooper as they race from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland in just under a week’s time.
The misanthropic sailor roves apart
Faced here with icy seas that clutch his hull.
He shivers less. His furs obscure the chart
He drew to match the stars. His sails were full,
I don’t care about most of the reasons why you should start commuting to work on a bicycle. You have probably heard them all before anyways. Such as how it might help the environment. You might have heard about the fitness implications or maybe even how it releases endorphins in your brain. That sounds good and all.
The cycling community is bound by strong ties. When I awoke this morning, there was a cyclist sleeping on my couch. He had texted me yesterday afternoon to say that he was biking from Key West to Toronto and needed a place to stay. He would be arriving at my doorstep in about two hours.
…Like Martha from the John 11 Bible passage, my family had the faith to believe in the future resurrection of my brother’s soul but were wrestling with the faith that his seemingly lifeless body would walk again in this earthly realm…