Day 29: Magnolia to Arkadelphia
Today began like most days: 6:30 am wake up call, scramble to get dressed, pack your bag, and deliver it to the cargo van by 7:00 am. Voss even packed her bag last night to avoid the wrath of team Tango and their rigid deadline (don’t let the orange tie-dye deceive you – they mean business)! We had a wonderful breakfast provided by the congregation of First Presbyterian Church of Magnolia: yogurt, fruit, bagels, and “spudnuts” – donuts made from potato flour that are apparently only available in three stores across the country! Great thanks go out to this generous congregation and their hospitality in Magnolia, AR.
We began our 75 mile journey from Magnolia, AR to Arkadelphia, AR promptly at 7:30 am. Immediately, we knew we were in for a fun day - thanks to beautiful scenery, lovely weather, and a fantastic tailwind! The tailwind was quite a treat following 2 weeks of Texas headwinds, and allowed us to fly over the rolling Arkansas hills… so quickly that we almost beat the lunch van to the 50 mile stop. It also helped that all of the riders managed to have their wheels secured on the bike… myself included! These conditions all contributed to arriving in Arkadelphia in the early afternoon, in time to catch some snoozes, patch tubes, and relax in the hot Arkansas sun.
So while today operated like most days, it was indeed much more special than the others. And we were reminded of it very, very often. For today is the birthday of our beloved rider, Bryce Peterson! In honor of this joyous occasion, Team Tango planned R4WH Olympics which consisted of five events and plenty of friendly competition. The events opened with a grueling match of wheelbarrow/straw drinking race, which was followed by an artistic rendition of a bicycle using play-doh.
Next came the water balloon toss and the dizzy bat race. Overall, most contenders managed to stay on their feet following 8 spins around the bat and give humorous performances. Credit must be given to Jody Litrenta, however, for the most entertaining dizzy run as she tackled five spectators. Nothing compared to the final event, pie eating contest, in which each team was allowed to work together to conquer an over-stuffed whip cream pie. Keep in mind that the 18 Olympic contenders did not know each other just 30 days before… but this didn’t stop us from shoving four faces into a pie at one time. It was certainly the culminating moment of the games when each participant walked away with a face full of whip cream. When the results were in, it turned out that my team had barely edged out the second place team to steal the Olympic gold!!
In the end, all were winners – a quote that Pete wrote chalked on the route today. Some just were bigger winners than others. And Bryce was the biggest winner of all.
- Katie