This bike was bought for me on a Sunday in August of 1998 and six days later my husband had us entered in our first adventure race. Mind you I had not ridden a bike since junior high, like in ten years and he puts me on a mountain bike on trails. I crashed more times than I can count. I impaled my leg with a broken off mesquite branch and was bloody on elbows and knees and several other places. I won’t even go in to the sevylor tandem paddling experience, divorce boats. We finished the race near last and I was incredibly sick and hot. As I sat on the ground with an ice towel around my neck, I watched the race promoter take down the finish line area and sign. I knew there was still one team on the course, a mom and her teenage sons. I made sure Jim and I stayed and cheered that team on. They finished to no finish line and little support. I knew at that point, Jim was right, I could host a race and I would never take the finish area down until all teams crossed the line. The mom who was in this race and her family would in the years to follow become great friends of ours and successful race promoters as well. This bike and I have experienced wear and tear, but we will be setting an exceptional course in Texas May 14-16, 2021 and we will leave the finish line up for all teams, even if it takes you 12 hours to finish a sprint race (we have done that).
