Tecpan - Day 1

I read my 5 a.m. blog and it seems I was wrong about a lot of things this morning. I didn't start alone. The press WAS there at the beginning and at the end of the ride, and the ride was 84 miles long, not 70.
Much to my surprise five cyclists from Zihuatanejo rode the whole way with me. (A couple more joined us in Petatlán for a while.) We started around 6:30 a.m. and rolled into Tecpan 84 miles later at 12:30 p.m. Not bad, but I'm not sure how my legs and rear end are going to feel tomorrow. Besides them, we had a support vehicles ahead of us and behind us. I just want to say a special thanks to Alejandro, the owner of Bi Zihuanas bike store in Zihuatanejo and a great cyclist, along with Lalo, a local triathlete. I drafted behind them most of the way. The trip would have been a lot different without them. Plus, the lunch and camaraderie at the end of the ride was great. But even before that, I got another surprise. As we rolled down the main street of Tecpan, a city of about 50,000, I saw people up ahead blocking the road and I thought there must be some kind of protest and we weren't going to get through, but then I read the large sign they were holding up. It said "Bienvenida Alisa!" I couldn't believe it. A small group of Tecpan cyclists were waiting to receive us. Pretty awesome. I also was interviewed by the local television station. Kind of crazy. The best thing of all, though, is we sold 15 t-shirts. Just a little more money for the Abandonded Senior Refuge.
Ok, folks, get your credit card, debit card or check book out and buy some miles. I'm eating them up fast. Go to http://www.bethechangeok.org/ and click on "Buy a Mile." Follow the instructions and buy one, 10 or 50 miles or more at $25 per mile and help us pay for the construction of the Abandoned Senior Refuge in Zihuatanejo - a place where this "at risk" population can be fed and cared for in a loving, Christ-centered environment. You can read about the project and how it all started at bethechangeok.org or at http://www.hm-am.com/, the website of Hablando Menos, Amando Mas, the Mexican non-profit organization that is building the refuge. You can leave comments on this blog below or you can write to me at alisaduncan13@mac.com. I'd love to hear from you. Tomorrow, God willing, I'll write from Acapulco. Five riders from Tecpan and two from Zihuatanejo will ride with me. One day down, 30 to go!