The gods won’t let Amy have a perfect day, but with this much Chechu time, it’s got to be close. –Rebecca

A girl can hope, can’t she? Another one of my Tour de Georgia dreams came true today when I caught the bouquet of flowers that Andre Greipel threw into the crowd.

I soon discovered that I’ve developed a nasty allergy to flowers. My right eye was on fire and watering like a garden hose, and then when that eased up after 20 minutes, I started coughing. Being a nurse, I feared the next step would be the throat closing and anaphylactic shock, but luckily that did not happen. So, for the past two days I’ve had these odd experiences happen (the fall and the new allergy) and yet, my spirit can’t be dimmed. I’m having the time of my life, literally.

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News flash! Observant Crustacean Solves ASO Crisis, Goes KERSPLATT!

What’s black and blue and red all over ? Amy, at the end of Stage 2 at the Tour de Georgia.

Read all about it. –Rebecca

I’ll get to the title later, but first I want to talk about the day.

Once again, I got up late. The excitement of this whole experience is making it hard for me to get to sleep at night, so I spend a lot of time thinking about my day and what I have to look forward to.

I programmed my destination into my GPS and, for whatever reason, she had me going through the country on two lane roads with very little sign of civilization.

I didn’t understand the reasoning behind the route, but little experiences along the way to Statesboro made it clear in the end. I saw little old men standing on rickety old bridges with a fishing line hanging over the edge. I saw tiny little puppies barely missing getting hit by a car and I saw a young woman stranded at the side of the road, her car totaled and the deer she hit lying in front of her car. I stopped to make sure she was ok. There wasn’t anything I could do for the deer. (more…)

Chechu signing Amy’s paddle?

We found this, and other fabulous photographs from TdeG, on KEN CONLEY’s website.

Nicky, Edinburgh

Welcome Amy, our reporter on the scene at the Tour de Georgia! Amy’s traveling in the wake of the peloton this week, meeting the riders, snapping photos, and visiting with fans.

Here’s the really good part: She gets to see Chechu Rubiera race every day. Lucky! –Rebecca

What is a hero?

Dictionary.com defines the word “hero” as follows: a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. I’ve only ever considered one person in my life to be a hero and that was my father, who faced his battle with cancer as only a hero could. Today, Chechu has joined that very short list. Yes, for different reasons, but he is a man of courage, bravery, and ability as is evidenced by his chosen profession. He is also, in my humble opinion, a man of noble qualities.

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