BamaRama500 Day 0

Our ride was initiated today with the meeting in the afternoon. We are staying in a hotel adjacent to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and its Saturn V rocket. We introduced ourselves, received our 2024 riding jerseys, received a backpack, and had our safety briefing. The jerseys had been designed earlier in the year, and we all voted on which we preferred. This year, the jersey is bright yellow. Generous anonymous donors provided the backpacks.

The safety briefing was also called “How to make it to the Gulf Shores in one piece”. We built our safety briefing on our experience from previous years with the goal of no accidents.

Our dinner this evening was at Campus 805. This is a former high school, and it is now home to businesses and restaurants. The restaurant is named “Straight to Ale”. The dinner was sponsored and paid for by Tommy and Penny Johnson, who had a successful swimming pool business in Huntsville for 47 years. In addition, they served as missionaries in Vietnam. We are grateful for their generosity. As a thank you, they were presented with a handmade patriotic quilt prepared by Loretta Daniels, the Physician Assistant who is part of our ride team.

Attending the dinner with us was the mayor of Huntsville, The Honorable Tommy Battle. The mayor explained that he enjoys bicycling, riding to and from work each day. Huntsville has a long association with bicycling, and is home to the Spring City Cycling Club that was founded in 1892.

Ms. Peyton Newman, a reporter for WHNT News 19, was also at the dinner and is covering the event for her monthly feature on local Veterans.

Tomorrow the riders meet at 7:45 a.m. with a goal of 9:00 a.m. departure. The riders are studying the route for tomorrow and are noting a 600 ft climb at about mile 12.

- Darren Anderson