PAA 2014 Day 1: Austin TX to Columbus TX - 100 miles

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PAA 2014 Day 1 Austin TX to Columbus TX - 100 miles It was a warm autumn day in Austin when we rolled over to Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop to kick off PAA 2014.  There was much fan fare given that this was our first roll-out and we had a special dedication to a spunky little 4 year old named Harper Frank. Harper was diagnosed with Wilms Tumor at 13 months and recently got clear scans after 3 years! It was great to meet this little trooper. We also got to meet Lance Armstrong, who said he'd ride the first day with us.  Many of you don't know this but if it weren't for Lance, we never would have gotten connected with Pablove.  Three years ago, I randomly a tweet from Lance about PAA 2011 leaving from Milwaukee to New Orleans, and that moment of chance, I learned about the Pablove Foundation, what they do for kids cancers, and Pablove Across America...the next day I wrote Pablove an email and the rest is history.  You may have your own opinions about Lance, but he has done a ton for cancer and continues to do so, and without him we may never have discovered Pablove.   Why I Keep Pedaling Today was much tougher than I thought.  We rolled through the beautiful country roads of Texas at a strong clip.  But as the day progress, the heat amplified and while I was feeling strong for most of the day, at about mile 90, I started cramping and the heat really got to me. The last 10 miles of the ride were pretty brutal as I entered the pain cave and started hoping for the hotel to be just around the next turn, and seriously considered just tossing in the towel and being bussed back.  But when I enter these states on my bike, I often go back to why I ride. When Keira was going through treatment, or begins to have a flare up, she can't not toss in the towel.  She can't just stop the symptoms.  She just has to push through, she can't just get off her bike.  And neither can kids going through any cancer treatment really.  They can't stop, so I didn't. Here's a great video that my good friend Jeff Castelaz, co-founder of the Pablove Foundation made about the subject matter as well. Evening Dedication - Zoë Slayer Through this journey we have become connected to so many people who have experienced cancer.  This past year, I had the benefit of working with an amazing person on my team at work, Peter Jin Hong. Shortly after we met, we found out that we shared a painful link, we both had special little girls who had cancer. Unfortunately, Zoe Slayer lost her battle last year and her birthday was October 17... would have been 11 years old today.  So in remembrance to Zoe and her amazing spirit, I had the pleasure of making our evening dedication to her tonight. Thank You Thank you for those of you that have already supported us.  We also hit another milestone today and I surpassed my $15K goal thanks to your support! Crystal needs $3K more to get to her new goal.  If you haven't already supported us, we appreciate your consideration, and if we could collectively get to $30K we'd be in great shape to fund research again in 2015! Donate to Crystal $3K More to $15K! Donate to Naveen $4K More to $20K!