07 June 2012

Harrodsburg to Bardstown KY 46 Miles  (TransAm 852)

My phone buzzes on the windowsill and I stop what I’m doing (which is only work so it’s definitely worth stopping) to check my text message. It’s from Gina , 4:30 pm her time, and it says “With Wendy and Huey in town having a bourbon … To Ollie!”  To Ollie, indeed. From what I’ve gathered, he’d get a kick out of that.

It’s perhaps the most difficult day yet. This morning, at 11 am, Ollie was removed from life support, his family by his side. At that same hour, at the Lincoln Homestead State Park in Springfield, KY, his fellow TransAmmers were saying their own goodbyes, honoring his life with a peaceful remembrance of their own. And now a few of them, including our little Gina, are raising a glass in his honor. To Ollie, indeed.

And to Ollie’s family and friends, know that you are in our hearts and we wish you peace, love and healing during this difficult hour. Gina will forever cherish the time she shared with Ollie on her cross-country journey and I will be forever touched by her stories of what a wonderful cycling companion he was.

Ride on, Ollie. We’ll see you down the road, the sun on our backs and the smiles on our faces, when our journeys become one again.