Tonight the team celebrated an old friendship and new found partnership with Jack & Adams bike shop. It was an exciting step to take because they've supported us an immeasurable amount in years past yet we've never officially partnered with them. This year however, they have worked with Felt to get us fitted and ready to start logging miles on our bikes.

So yeah, it was a frigid night. But I really did enjoy seeing old faces again and meeting new teammates. There are only 50 of us, but I guess since we have so much to do before the ride, we rarely get a chance to just get to know each other. Tonight was a rare exception.

A lot happened tonight. I met the faces behind Jack & Adams (even Jack himself) and also met Mrs. Kirsten who will be coordinating the ATLAS ride in the late spring. It takes nights like these to remind myself the reality and magnitude of the task at hand. I think Drew, from J&A, put it best when he said that we don't yet grasp just how big of an impact this ride and we as riders will have on the people we meet throughout this journey. I guess when we're in the middle of it all, we don't always "see the forest." But I'm glad people can remind and encourage us. I know for me, these peoples' (and my friends') hopes and expectations will fuel me when the going gets tough. Having people believe in you is indeed a powerful force.

So as the night was coming to an end, we lined up for a team picture... freezing but joyful nonetheless. And to conclude the night, Joe (our equipment coordinator) stepped to the front and informed us that we wouldn't be getting our bikes in February as we had expected. In fact we wouldn't even be getting them in March, he said, cause they're here tonight... And suddenly a trailer pulls out from the side of J&A revealing a tent housing 50 brand new clean white Felt road bikes. (Cue the angel's choir). It was an awesome sight to see. Teammates hugging eachother and realizing perhaps for the first time that this really is the start of something good. Holding the cold frame in my hands and gazing at the slick exterior with a longhorn decal at the frame's base, I felt like a little kid on Christmas. But more than that, I saw myself coasting between mountains and pedaling through the rains, with this bicycle as my trusty companion. Granted it's just an object; but in the fight against cancer, these bikes are our weapons... and alas we are equipped.

In a nutshell, tonight was a night to remember. In my mind, it benchmarked the dawning of the real physical, mental, emotional journey which we will be embarking on together. There's no looking back now-- we'll keep our eye on the prize and hope alongside those whom we ride for.