The Ride is Over!

What a great ride with a great team. It was truly a great experience. We rode for 590 miles, climbed 24,000 feet and burned around 30,000 calories on the ride. We were in the saddle between 35 and 45 hours during the week. We saw spectacular scenery all the way from Vancouver to Portland. There was a great bonding experience with the entire team. The support from the volunteers was awesome. It was always great to see the roving support vans with the Chasing Daylight Tour sign on the side of the van. Hannah, Melissa and Rich were a great team. Here is what I will remember about each of the team members

• Moiz Shirazi breaking his rear derailleur in half on his way up a steep hill. His legs are too strong.
• Chris Young losing a bet with Michael Clubine and having to be referred to as Big Bird for the rest of the ride.
• Michael Clubine jumping in as our team navigator and setting up everyone's GPS units each morning and all his great pictures he took during the ride
• Arn Clubine moving down the road as a great inspiration to all the young riders on the team. Also I am sure the father/son ride with Michael was a huge bonding experience.
• Carola Paganini and Mark Yawman's perseverance on the ride. They spend the most time in the saddle. I am sure it took a lot of mental focus for them to get to the finish line. They are an inspiration to the entire team.
• Alicia Katsur and her huge improvement is cycling fitness from last year to this year.
• Jody Mortimore and Gordon Newman for always pushing the team at a fast pace.
• Mark Pennington and his cracked helmet after getting hit by an RV. The ride was a great way to end his secondment in the US
• Robert Shutt and his touch and feel navigation skills
• Tom Roy and his shiny new bike he had to buy in Billingham
• Gabe Youtsey always in the main pack. He has also made great strides in his physical fitness from last year to this year.
• Sean Harper and his great fund raising results.
• Conner Donnelly, Tim Whittler and Karissa Goodwin always riding together and riding strong.
• Jeff Waybright and his great commitment to planning and supporting the ride.
• Dan DeYoung and Lynette Richmond and their huge fund raising machine and their crazy ride to Bainbridge on Day 4 to ride with the Seattle office.
• Randi Rosen's powerful climbing ability
• Hannah Kook's relentless organizational ability and motherly instincts for the entire team
• Mellisa Muller's great smiling face always right behind the team ready in support van number 2
• Rich Fifield sitting in the back of the Hertz Penske van at the top of the hills with cold water for the team and the avocado slicer he had to buy.
• Fred Isaak and his great videographer skills after the crash and keeping with the team through the entire ride.

Talk to the riders you see in the office and I am sure they will tell you it was a once in a lifetime experience for everyone. In the coming months we will start planning for CDT IV. It takes almost a year to plan for the event. Given our success this year I am sure we will set our goals much higher next year. The tour will take on a different feel as we grow the number of riders but will still have the common goals of riding for a cause, living KPMG's core values, experiencing life at its fullest always chasing daylight.