Super Spin a Success, sort of

So the Super Spin Ride for Rosita Saturday was a good time. I picked up Tiffany at 7:30 a.m. (that's darn early for a college student any day of the week, especially a Saturday), and we headed over to my old junior high school: Theisen Middle School in Fond du Lac. I'm pretty sure this was the first time I've stepped foot in that building since "graduating" from 9th grade back in 1986.

The gym was pretty much the same as I remember it. My sister's high jump records from 25+ years ago stand to this day. The volunteers who help run the Ride for Rosita each year were the same as I remember them as well: extremely helpful and extremely happy to see us. In fact, I'd say it is this dedicated group of volunteers who make this event the joy that it is. They weight on the participants, making sure everyone has enough to eat (including homemade "power bars" and drink). Oliver Clements and Dave Haase have been behind this event since its inception five years ago, and they, too, go out of their ways to welcome everyone and assist as necessary.

The riders present were a collection of local roadies, mountain bikers, casual cycling enthusiasts, regular spinners and kids from 8-18.

I was prepared to lead the group for one hour, but because Iron Woman Heather Haviland was sick and had to cancel, Doc asked me if I'd lead two. "Sure. Why not?" was my silly response. I spent the better part of two nights last week preparing a DVD presentation to go with hour. Unfortunately, the lap tap on site chokes on DVDs and no one had the necessary cables to connect Decal Dave's MacBook to the projector. I carried on with the first hour as scripted (thankfully I had the forsight to prepare my music on my iPod for this very event). The second hour didn't go so well. I put the iPod on shuffle and the song selection was less than desirable. I'm pretty sure I lost most of the remaining crowd before I even began.

Oh well, Tiffany and I got in about four hours of riding. Jon and Bryan showed up for an hour as well. According to Doc Clements, the event raised $6,000 which will cover the cost of hospital drugs in Rosita for one year. It was a good day.

A gallery of photos taken by Patrick Flood of the Fond du Lac Reporter.
A few photos taken by Decal Dave Hornung and me.