I made it to the Y! Man was I nervous. My lack of experience was not something I was comfortable discussing so I sort of tried to stay out of the way. It was awesome to see all the bikes set up in the common room, racers showing off their months of preparation. I was a little more like the girl in the itsy-bitsy yellow polka dot bikini, choosing to keep my ride in my room. Already I was feeling out of place yet extremely giddy. I met up with Chris Bennett in the evening for dinner at a great little Greek place downtown. It helped to meet someone and hear their story. Chris actually went to school in Hamilton where I was from, so it was a cool connection. At dinner, Chris described what it takes within a person to ride this thing, and knowing that there were others like me gave me a huge burst of confidence. 
Back to the room and over my set up again. Made some adjustments. Filled my box with all the stuff I wasn't taking with me along with a few things for the wife and kids, and off to the post office to mail it home. There was a real sense of no turning back. A warm rush through my body brought a sense of fear, finality, incredible joy and excitement. The one goal I set for myself was showing up in Banff and I was here ready to go. Nothing more to do but head to the racers meeting at the pub and try and get some sleep.
He brought a great energy. I exchanged an awkward moment with him and his love of the high-five. See, I thought that the high-five was permanently replaced with the fist pump. So when presented with the high-five I instinctive formed a fist then morphed into a handshake until I figured it out. He really caught me off guard. Great guy!
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