We were showed to our super lodgings, met the neighbors the dog and whoever else was curiously wandering by the house. Soon, I mean almost instantly we were part of a family that included neighbors and friends from all over. We felt at home, we were at home! As the days went by, with every meal we ate home cooked by our host Leslie we realized more and more how incredibly blessed and fortunate we were landing in this household! The odd thing too was that they both kept telling us how much Team Rwanda had changed their lives and that they were gaining immensely from our being there with them! That evening we had the local drum group come up and give us an incredible concert right out in front of our house complete with dancers!

The field was Americas top, 151 starters and the prologue was brutal but short, they finished, 128th for Adrien and 138th for Nathan, way down on the roster.

Stage one was a circuit of 20 miles to do 5 times, it was going pretty Adrien was hanging in the front group until the last 30 miles where he lost contact with the group. I did not see two riders come through so headed to the finish line. There had been a crash and two of our riders were involved and transported to the local ER. Shortly the riders finished so we headed off to the hospital. Both Abraham and Nyandwi were sitting in the ER waiting for a doctor to look at them. A quick look over Nyandwi I assessed that it was only minor skin abrasions, nothing to stop riding about and no reason for a doctor to examine him. Abraham had pain near his kidneys so went in for an x-ray, I initially thought it could be a broken rib but there was no fracture. I had see riders get up and keep going with much more damage and was a bit puzzled at the seemingly instant decision on their part to pack it in and head to the hospital. The race was over for them, only Adrien and Nathan were left in the field. As I watched and listened to Abraham and Nyandwi I realized that they really had never been in any bike crashes before, skin abrasions were new to them, this sort of pain they were not used to, they definitely did not like it. They had more to learn about the hazards of riding a lot. I think in Rwanda where they were riding maybe 15 races/year and always off the front they were not around a lot of people in the pack, the accidents were few and they were far ahead of them. If you are racing bikes its not if you are going to crash its when and how often. Some times its not your fault others it is but most of the time it happens so fast you are on the ground before you know it and if you don't get up immediately its next to impossible to catch the group you were with when you went down. These riders have not learned that yet and will need to especially in stage races.

Stage three almost got off to a very bad start, it was 08:35 and I was starting to get the riders motivated to get in the car for a 10:00 start time. I had just loaded the bikes on the car and was at the kitchen table, Leslie was there and asked me if I was sure that the start was at 10:00? She was reading a schedule that said that we started at 09:00, yikes, she was right! I knew it was a 20 minute drive to the start, if we were to make it on time we would have had to leave 15minutes ago. I could not have been more emphatic to the riders about having to leave NOW!!! They must have thought I was out of my normal calm, controlled mind. I almost had to drag them up to get going but we were in the car in record time, I wasn't much over the speed limit but we had not too many vehicles to pass and the road was good. All the time I counted the minutes down, it was going to be very very close, where was the start anyway, there was a turn off, I should have been there by now, did I take the wrong turn, can't afford the time to make a mistake. The riders had their shoes, helmets, gloves on and bottles ready. We were under 5 minutes to the start when the turn off came and fortunately it was only 1 minute down the road to the start, whew they had not started, we were there with 4 minutes to spare, the riders even had time to sign in! That was way too close for my comfort, it didn't happen again, when I called Leslie on my way back she was very much relieved, knowing how far the start was she was certain that we were not going to make the start. It was a fast and furious 6 laps, Adrien and Nathan hung on until they couldn't anymore and finished in the middle of the pack. Each day saw many riders not finish or not start, this race was difficult and the competition hard, no easy challenge but the riders kept with it.

Stage four time trial was another difficult task, there was a head wind the entire length of the course and two hills that would break you if you didn't have the strength. Without TT bikes or wheels our riders were at a serious disadvantage but did what they could Adrien finishing 82nd and Nathan 97th.

The hardest stage yet was stage 5, starting with a climb into the heat and the last 30 miles uphill to the finish at a ski station 8500ft up 95miles later. There were plenty in the pack that were feeling the pace and days in the saddle, Adrien and Nathan stayed with a group all day and were able to even move up on gc, they were tired but fared well, Adrien 79th and Nathan 94th.

The last stage was their favorite type of course, the criterium (just kidding) and though it was an 8 corner crit. with the average speed of 30+mph for the first part of the race they lasted for more than half the race before loosing touch with the field. They were very glad the Mt Hood Cycling Classic was over, our meals and accommodations made up for the pain and suffering they endured. I announced after the race that the neighbors had arranged to take them out on a jet ski after the race, the instant smiles came on and laughter ensued, wow they couldn't believe it. Nor could they believe two days earlier when the other neighbor Alice took three of them to ride her horse! Abraham was first then Nyandwi , soon another person volunteered her horse and there were two doing something they had never dreamed of riding. The jet ski experience was just that, an experience, screams and hollers could be heard as they jetted by in full thrust of the jet skis. A few days earlier they had never even seen a jet ski and now they were riding one, dreams were coming true on this trip. That evening we were invited across the street to another Jim and Alice's house where the camera crew Andrew and Ryan were staying for and incredible salmon dinner. There too we were surrounded by incredible hospitality along with a Great Dane, more dogs, cats, a rat and a bird. Domesticated animals are not really part of the Rwandan upbringing, amazed they watched these animals behave and express attachment to their human masters, it didn't seem real to them.

Monday came and the plan was to pick up the Motor Queen from Walt's Radiators who had her all week replacing the 30yr old flaking and disintegrating radiator. The noon appointment came and went so I drove down to see what was going on, it was supposed to be finished by Friday but delays in getting the core pushed it to Monday. The radiator was still out of the Motor Queen, things were not going smoothly so I helped as good Walt finished the work. We were starting to dig into our arrival time deadline, we had our Fundraiser the next evening and we were the show. It was apparent that we would have to drive all through the night at this point. There were three of us now trying to get the radiator back in place and it wasn't until past 19:00 hrs we pulled out of Walt's Radiator. Taking an 800 mile drive all through the night in remote Oregon was probably not the wisest choice on a new radiator but we did not have much choice. I headed back to Hood River to pack up and the riders were ready to make the transition quick, they had been fed and warned that we couldn't waste any time loading the Motor Queen up before leaving. Leslie made some quick calls and already being attached to the Team wanted to ensure our safe trip offered to come along and help drive through the night for a plane trip back to Portland, it didn't take me long to say yes! an extra driver would be a welcome and needed relief.

We headed south knowing that we could not afford any down time, we only had about a two hour buffer to get in before the all important fundraiser. I well knew that any slight mishap could eat up those precious two hours and it wasn't long before my biggest fear happened, the coolant temp started to climb, it was about midnight we were indeed "out there", pulling off the road my fear was confirmed and there was steam everywhere. When I opened the steaming engine compartment I found Walt's big flashlight lodged in a nook that they had forgotten to take out and immediately put it to use climbing under the vehicle. To my surprise it wasn't long before I found the loose hose clamp, tightened it up, refilled the reservoir and off we were the Motor Queen never to overheat again! Wow another answered prayer, we were on the road without digging much into our buffer zone.

Yes we did make it in time to the fundraiser, we did have time to shower and get ready, no time for a nap but we were excited about the evening ahead so no time to feel the fatigue. I know that we already had an update about the fundraiser but I would just like to add that the incredible energy of the guests that were at the "event" sent this surge of encouragement through us all. The riders probably were not fully aware of what it was all about but what they did know and feel was the culmination of warmth and support that they have felt throughout their whole trip in America. They were baffled at how their own Ambassador to the United States Eng. James Kimonyo was there to greet them flown in from Washington D.C. His speech and encouragement to the riders fell upon thirsty ears, they themselves were realizing their own ambassador status. The Rwandan genocide was in the past, they were there to tell the world what an incredible country Rwanda was like now. They represented the future hope of their own country and I could see them being lifted up to their sober responsibilities. They could not escape from the past and its brutal memories nor did they want to, they were there to accept it and embrace the future with its positive insights and opportunities. They were there to make a difference to the generations to come and they already were.