Unwanted Rest Day

Today was a tough day for me....I didn't get to ride today. With my knee tweaked I made the decision last night to take the day off today. I sheepishly asked Jesse O'Hatnick if there was a crew job that I could do? He said that he could really use a driver and that it would be immensely helpful to him. That was a big relief because if I can't ride, I didn't want to be a useless hanger on. Yes, I could contribute by driving the Adoption Tour Director in a white Tahoe.

Yes, it was a good day.


Photo: Rider briefing before the tour rode from Chattanooga to Manchester.

We started the day with a rider briefing, led by tour director Jesse O'Hatnick. It was a beautiful morning in Chattanooga...we woke up on the Bayou Queen (see previous post,) and it promised to be a warm, fun day.


Photo: My bike, sadly sitting on top of the sag vehicle.

My darn knee was still hurting this morning, but it felt slightly better. I made the decision that I would take today off and rest my knee, so hopefully I can ride both days on Thurs and Fri.



Photo: A photo that I surreptitiously snapped while leading the Adoption Tour out of Chattanooga in the Director's Truck. Note: 80-some riders and a full THP compliment.

I had a wonderful time chatting with Tour Director Jesse O'Hatnick. I learned some of the history of the Adoption Tour, which started primarily at the behest of some Harmony Adoption workers. They wanted to combine their passion for cycling along with raising awareness for adoption. One quality of the first Adoption Tours was connecting different adoption-related agencies, including Omni Visions, Harmony Adoptions, Agape, and Tennessee Department of Children's Services. Now in it's 5th year, the Adoption Tour is truly a collaboration among numerous agencies that are involved in the Adoption effort.

Okay, this next part is really, really cool.....

One of our pit-stops was at an elementary school in Jasper, TN. Want to hear something loud? Click on the video clip below:


Video: Adoption Tour pulling into Jasper, TN elementary school. CLICK IT!

It was not nearly as fun as riding, but I led the procession into the roundabout in front of the school. The principle and the tour director spoke to the children about the need for adoption families in TN. There is currently a need for 100 "forever familes."



Photo: The kids were very interested in meeting the cyclists. We gave them candy and Adoption Tour bracelets.

Next up was some serious riding. Yes, it was time to climb Monteagle mountain. The climb was 7-10% grade for 3.4 miles. Of course, I had the best seat in the house. As driver I could watch the lead group while climbing with abandon. Well, the best seat would have been a bike saddle. This was the next best thing.


Photo: These guys were really hauling, under full THP support.

By the end of the day I had driven Jesse and I to Woody's Bicycles in Sewanne to get some badly needed emergency supplies. I begged if they had a set of cranks that I could use to replace my PowerCranks, and they totally hooked me up with a set of 9-speed Ultegra Cranks. If you live anywhere near Sewanne, go check out Woody's Bicycles [link here.]


Photo: Woody's Bicycles, which was full of character and characters. Very chill, SUPER helpful, and they have great decorations. Go there if you are in the Sewanne area. (Jesse O'Hatnick in the door.)