Getting Ready

I'm finally starting to feel ready for this trip. There's still quite a bit of trepidation in me as I think about being away for so long, but I'm starting to get excited about the experience as well. The idea of spending so much time in Italy - and not just "there", but riding through the country, in and out of cities - really experiencing the country. It's quite a heady thought.

Physically, I'm realizing that I should have spent some more time cross-training. If I had at least been running as well as cycling, my cardio shape would be a bit better. However, I also realize that there's only so much I'll be prepared for - for much of this, I just need to go do it.

The very distance that is making the family dynamic so hard is the very thing that will give the space I need from a mental and spiritual perspective. This will be the first "retreat" of sorts that I've taken for almost two years. That's way too long, and I need to figure that out, but it's certainly much needed. I'm praying for time to both hear from God and to just "be" with Him. As I've begun to prepare my summer class on discerning vision, I'm realizing that a majority of the factors that block the voice of God in people's lives are true in my life right now. Therefore, this needs to not just be time away for me - it needs to be a jump start into the "right" way of living and ministering.

I realize that I haven't talked much here about the route. I arrive in Milan on Saturday morning, May 9th. I'll meet the rest of the team in Milan on the 10th, and then we'll travel to Venice on Monday the 11th, where we'll build up the bikes and prepare. Tuesday the 12th is our first stage, which is a very difficult mountain stage, with a long climb that ascends just about a mile at the end of the ride. In fact, we ride Tuesday-Saturday, all of which are basically mountain stages, getting back to Milan on Saturday. We'll have a free day on Sunday the 17th to watch the Giro and rest.

We then have three more riding days as we go through the Italian Rivera and end up in Tuscany on Thursday for another free day. We then start our trip east across the country for four more days of riding, getting over to Aquila. We then have a free day on Tuesday, May 26th, following by a very difficult climb on Wednesday the 27th., which kicks off four more days of riding, taking us through Naples, Pompeii, and finally, we end with a long ride into Rome along the Appian Way on Saturday, May 30th. We have two free days in Rome to wrap up the trip, and then I'll be flying back on Tuesday, June 2nd.

It all sounds amazing - almost surreal. Hard - I'm sure the hardest thing I've ever done physically. But an incredible experience. It's a long time away, but as a once in a lifetime opportunity, I'm excited for it.