A Day On The Road
Rick wakes up, opening his eyes to see the interior of the motor home and tries to remember which town or even which country he is in. Tired from the rigours of the previous day including the late night public appearance, he starts to mentally prepare for another day on the road. He can hear the rain drumming on the roof and the sounds of the crew stirring. His shoulders, arms and back ache from the strain of pushing his chair through the equivalent of two marathons yesterday, and he’s about to do it all over again.
The depth and difficulty of this amazing accomplishment is sometimes lost when you simply review the results: 40,598 km wheeled over two years, two months and two days, through 34 countries on four continents, $26.1 million in donations and the incredible awareness raised regarding the true potential of people with disabilities.
As a world champion athlete, every day of the Tour, Rick woke up at dawn and had to prepare to wheel the equivalent of over two marathons. He averaged 30,000 strokes a day through all kinds of terrain, in all kinds of weather – despite sustaining severe injuries in his shoulders, wrists and hands, bouts of carbon monoxide poisoning, flu, bladder infections, and pressure sores.
As well wheeling approximately 87 kms a day, he also managed the Tour, talked to media, made countless speeches, visited schools and hospitals and attended community events, usually not falling into bed until midnight. While days of rest were necessary to heal, recover from illness, travel between continents, attend public events, etc., Rick wheeled for 465 of the total 792 days of the Tour.
Add to this, layers of emotional, financial, technological and logistical challenges and you can begin to imagine a typical day on the Tour.
Which brings us to today and every day since the Tour. Rick has woken up with the same level of commitment, determination, will and motivation to continue his mission.
The journey continues…the Tour was simply the beginning.
Interested in learning more about a typical day? Read this excerpt from A Hero’s Welcome by Richard L. Peterson.
