18 April, 2008: Rick's Ride is Born
Rick Shelton, of San Antonio, Texas, passed away on April 9, 2008, much too soon. An avid cyclist, Rick was a regular on weekly rides through the Texas Hill Country. A fan of professional cycling, especially the Tour de France, his passion was contagious.
Rick and I entered the sport of cycling at the same time, and were regular training partners. We each finished our first century ride together--the "Hotter-Than-Hell Hundred"--as well as our first bike race--a local time trial won by a 17-year old Lance Armstrong. We watched Greg LeMond come from behind to beat Laurent Fignon in the last stage of the 1989 Tour de France. Within six months of LeMond's victory, we had bolted clip-on aerobars to our bikes. And somewhere along the way, I concocted the dream of completing the entire Tour de France route on the same days as the peleton.
This summer, I will make the attempt, with the goal of raising one dollar (or better yet, one Euro) per kilometer for BORP, a program that assists disabled athletes.
I had hoped that Rick would share parts of this ride with me. In a sense, he will be there--around every cobblestone corner, at the top of every classic climb, in the center of every roundabout--waving me on, happy to see me riding and supporting an organization that does so much good for young athletes.
Please help me to honor Rick's memory by making a tax-deductible donation today. Thank you!
-Jesse Czelusta
