From Steve Parker, Wheaton, Illinois
This is just to say thanks to the BBC for putting on a great ride each year, and to tell a story.
Will Streeter, a close friend of mine from South Bend, was an avid cyclist and had done the RAIN ride several times alone over the past years. Then about three years ago, Will was diagnosed with ocular cancer and had one eye removed. But he kept on riding, and last year asked me and several other of his friends to ride the RAIN with one of his two teenage sons. It was a great experience and we all enjoyed it immensely. The first photo below is of that 2011 group at the finish, with Will on the far right.
This past spring, however, Will passed away at age 49 from his cancer, leaving behind his two sons and his wife. There was some hope that Will would live long enough to do the 2012 RAIN, but when it became clear that wouldn’t happen, his sons decided to ride the RAIN in honor of their father. So before he died, Will asked me to organize a group to ride with them. By July 21, we had over 20 family and friends from South Bend, Chicago, Tucson and Boston on our “Remembering Will” team, and a jersey that Will’s sons designed. The second photo is of that group at the end of this year’s ride. Another of Will’s friends rode Will’s bike, which is in the foreground.
Will’s two sons rode the entire 160 miles, as did some of the others in our group. Others did parts of that distance, many achieving personal goals to ride distances they’d never done before. Will’s sons crossed the finish line with huge grins, greeted by cheers and hugs from our team. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two boys do the RAIN again, but 2012 will be the one they definitely remember.
So on behalf of our group I want to thank the BBC and all the other volunteers for their dedication and hard work to make the RAIN a great event!