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| Seacoast Century 2013 |
It was a beautiful day, and I was excited for the tri-state ride and coastal route. Ethan had a change of plans, so I headed up to New Hampshire, planning to ride alone -- But just a few miles into the ride, I hooked up with a group of women from Swampscott and Salem. (What were the odds of that?) I spent a terrific day with Heidi, Anita, Beth and Denise, enjoying the spectacular coastline, rolling hills, and amazing scenery from Massachusetts to Maine. It was a fantastic ride and I finished strong. (Despite being sidelined earlier in the week from an illness.) It felt good to ride a strong, solid 100 miles -- and I feel ready for the EOD ride.
Tragically, an accident involving four cyclists -- in which two women were killed, and two others injured -- left us all stunned. Shockingly, I'd heard the screech of brakes from a car on the other side of the bridge behind us, (as we crossed into Hampton Beach), and said, "I hope that wasn't a cyclist", as a police officer and I stopped and looked towards the bridge. (We were less than quarter mile from the accident scene.) The four of us didn't learn details of the accident until arriving in York, Maine, when a fellow cyclist, (who'd ridden with us earlier in the morning, looping down to Newburyport), filled us in. A 20 year old woman, speeding over the Underwood Bridge, crossed the center lane divider and veered from the southbound lane, into the northbound lane, hitting the cyclists head on. At the time we learned details of the accident, (the halfway mark of the century ride), we only knew of injuries. It wasn't until we reached our final rest stop, 35 miles from the finish, the news broke that two of the cyclists had died. Truly, truly heartbreaking. I'm at a loss for words.
