Team Buttheads: Cheeky Riders—Getting Ready
On September 11 and 12, more than 100 bicyclists will pedal along the Ohio-Erie Canalway Towpath Trail to log 101 total miles. The ambitious riders will include my husband and my daughter: Al Bartholet and R.E. (Lysa) Anderson, riding as “Team Buttheads: Cheeky Riders.” I will not—repeat not—be with them; rather, I will be waiting at the end of the line to cheer with other spectators as they drag themselves across the finish line.
The ride—formally named the “Huntington Towpath Century Ride”—is a fundraiser whose purpose is to support upkeep (as well as paving of the unpaved portions) of our region’s fantastic Towpath Trail. Every rider is challenged to raise a minimum of $1,000 from charitable gifts. Team Buttheads is doing well on the fundraising front; training for the ride is another matter.
Since June, Al and Lysa have been getting together to ride anywhere from 20 to 40 miles. They have gone out in 92-degree afternoon heat and have ridden in cooler morning temps. They both have crashed a couple of times—once, Lysa clipped Al’s back wheel when he veered, and she hit the pavement hard (thank goodness for helmets)...another time, Al’s toe clip refused to released and down he went. They return home after every training session...tired, sweaty, and eager to share what they have seen: Great Blue Herons...a fawn that trotted alongside Al for a few paces...interesting people (including a bicycling man who was wearing a yellow tutu)...a family whose small child was hanging on for dear life to the back half of a bicycle-built-for-two...and much more.
In addition to stories about the day’s ride, they come back hungry, and I have made it my job to prepare healthy snacks...carrot sticks, celery with peanut butter, dill pickles, watermelon, and more substantial fare.
As we sit in Al’s Man Cave, post-practice ride, they talk about the actual Century Ride. With that day looming, they (Al much more than Lysa, who seems to have boundless energy for riding her bike) worry about their pacing (they have been averaging only about 10 to 12 miles an hour) and distance (40 in one sitting is the far edge of their mileage right now). Their next training ride will be 50 miles.
This is a worthy ride for a worthy cause, but my greatest joy comes from seeing these two bound over something they love and enjoy. As to the race itself, that’s really quite secondary.
