Rookies Rule!
Today Bucknell’s two most inexperienced bike riders, Jay Kosa and Kyle Rosendale, each completed a Century Ride of 100 miles! What an accomplishment!
Let me review the circumstances. Kyle committed to the trip just a few months ago. He had never really ridden a bike until he borrowed a bike from a friend on which to train.
Jay committed to join the bike group solely as a van driver a few weeks before departure. Jay had never ridden a road bike before this trip. Jay brought no biking gear with him.
Jay was asked to try to ride when Bruce Lederman (Penn team leader) became sick last week. He borrowed Kyle’s bike, and borrowed biking shoes, a Bucknell cycling shirt and cycling shorts from me. Jay also had not been working out very much because he was ill near the end of his school year.
After Pat O’Malley (the strongest rider on the team), Walt and I completed Century Rides yesterday to celebrate the generosity of the Bucknell alumni and friends to our ride, Jay and Kyle also wanted to celebrate it the same way.
The ride today commenced in Effingham, IL and ended 145 miles miles later in Indianapolis, IN. Indiana was the seventh state we have visited on our bikes.
Today was another hot and humid day. It seems not to phase Kyle nor Jay.
This evening Ted Lansky joined the Penn riding team. He will be with us the rest of the trip (6 days of riding). The Bucknell riding team (and van) will be at full strength (five alumni) tomorrow! Roll call will be a 6:30 am. An earlier rise is our answer to heat and humidity. Plus, the riding team gets to meet Kyle’s Mom and Dad tomorrow in London, Ohio!
