Out of the Ashes

After my recent vehicle and bike robbery, I thought my cycling days were over. But that all changed when I received a message from a member of the Chagrin Valley Rotary Club that there was some big news in store.

Incredibly, the Rotary Club has teamed up with Giant Bicycles and Century Cycles to replace my stolen one. No more peering around dark alleys in search of my missing bike. No more posting up flyers with pictures of the long lost one.

I was presented with the new bike last week at the Century Cycles store in Rocky River with the store owner, Scott Cowan, several Rotary members, and Mark Zinni with Channel 8 (and mustn’t forget that guy who came to the store with his kayak for me to sign!). I was gifted with a brand-new carbon-fiber 2011 Giant Defy Advanced 1 road bike. For those of you who don’t know bikes, it’s quite simply the cream of the crop. At 17-pounds, I think I can lift it with my finger.

 It felt like Christmas morning. Nope, better. It’s a day I will never forget.

I wasn’t really sure how to say thank you for going so far above and beyond anything I could have asked for. So as a small token I gave one rowing glove to Century Cycles and the other to the Rotary Club. A pair of the gloves I wore to cross the Atlantic as a “thanks for giving me a hand when I needed it the most”.

And now that I have the new bike it’s time for the fun part. Plotting cycling trips of epic proportions. Last week was a nice 80-85 miler and this weekend, I have an even bigger ride planned that includes crossing borders. I won’t stop until I’m in Canada! It’s certainly got me thinking about my next big challenge, and I’m hoping to announce that shortly.

Thank you to everyone who helped in picking up the pieces after the theft. I cannot begin to express my gratitude; it’s been a true blessing. As any cyclist would know, a bike means a lot. But more than a bike, knowing there are people looking out for me means the world.

Oh, and it wouldn’t be right to have a bike without a name. I’ve decided and it’s Phoenix. It means: a person or thing regarded as uniquely remarkable in some respect. Or, in classical mythology, a unique bird that lived for centuries and rose from ashes with renewed youth to live through another cycle.

  Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Phoenix!