As the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair once said, “WHOAW!” Go Jim Go 2014, year nine, is officially underway.
So, if a bunch of Hollywood screen writers were sitting around in a bungalow on some LA studio back lot and collectively decided to start writing a feel good script about this weather guy who comes up with this crazy plan to ride his bike around and help raise funds for a local children’s hospital, well the opening scene would have been exactly how this day went. Wow, what an amazing day. With the exception of a ten gazillion dollar anonymous donation, today’s ride was absolutely perfect. Here’s the story. Fade in: It’s an early fall, heaven made morning in Memphis, TN…
The first Shelby County day is always a logistical challenge to get started as we have to start at Channel 3 and end up in BikesPlus in Bartlett. So figuring how to get people and bikes and vehicles somewhere where they can be accessed at the end of the ride is difficult and at the worst a huge inconvenience to the family who has shuttled riders all the way downtown for the start. Wayne, Steve and I hatched a plan late last night to park vehicles and meet at the intersection of Farm Road and Mullins Station and take the Greenline in this morning. We’d spare having to bum rides from our loved ones, then it would be a relatively easy ride from Bartlett back to the cars. Worked out terrific. It was great fun being on the our amazing Greenline at that early hour with my good riding buddies looking forward to a big day. We started rolling at 7am sharp and got to WREG at a little after eight.
Simply magnificent morning on the river bluff today. From a happy dream, crystal blue skies with lazy tufts of white clouds lolling around in the low fall morning sun. Lots of non-lazy WREG and Le Bonheur staffers, some frantic, some chilled getting ready for the kick off show. All wearing the new cool, green Go Jim Go T-shirts.
Also there already was Le Bonheur’s audio visual engineer/magician, Eric Sefton, who was putting the finishing touches on our new super upgraded pace car sound system. For those of you who are familiar with the old system, it worked great compared to the bullhorn Jim originally used, but it sounded like the audio from an ice cream truck. Eric spent days researching how to improve the system, what speakers to use, how to power those speakers off a car battery and then how to attach and secure the whole system. Well, he figured it out because the new set up rocks! Thanks E! Great job!
Eric Sefton next to the four new speakers for the mobile GJG PA system
Most of the folks working on this big show have been doing it so long it is just a matter no-sweat professionalism. Everyone has a job and gets it done. Typical ride preparation of the vehicles and bikes as we eventually gathered over on the WREG helipad for the Live at Nine kick off show. Hugh props to the Channel 3 production team who moved their live broadcast equipment out of the studio to kick us off outside on a beautiful morning.
WREG Live at Nine team making it happen.
Mary Beth Conley and Alex Coleman did a great job orchestrating the the live interviews, Meri Armour our Le Bonheur CEO was there, City of Memphis officials with a Go Jim Go proclamation, a real life Le Bonheur superhero, Dr. Trey Eubanks who has performed more miracles on kids in the Le Bonheur OR than any of us will ever know. Of course, we had a Le Bonheur family with three year old twins. For those of you who missed it, when a three year old has to potty. Live TV no matter, she has to potty!
Every Hollywood script needs a little drama. Today’s only hiccup was the realization by Jim with thirty minutes to ride that his cycling shoes were not only not in the RV, but not even in the same zip code. Multiple phone calls and logistical plans were made in a haste and we quickly had a plan to finish out Mr Jagger’s full cycling ensemble. But for now Jim would have to rock his nerd factor nine, dirty beige leather NBs strings and all. No doubt a flagrant violation of a Velominati rule yet to be written. However, maybe the misplaced shoes was a divine plan in play all along because the most wonderful part of every GJG kick off is when after the countdown on live TV, Jim gets his feet on the pedals and rolling through the tall grass (which is hard to do on a road bike) without a mishap. Much easier to do with a flat, rubber sole vs. the clip in pedals. Jim hit the road/grass like a PRO. It has begun!
Rolling today was the full GJG contingent. On the skinny tires, Jim Jaggers, Steve Kuhar, Wayne Lichliter, Donna Brown and myself. In the pace car WREG’s Antoinette Katoe, Julie Meadows and Ellen Dykes. From Le Bonheur, DJ Julie Ashby spinning the iPods on our bangin’ new traveling dance party PA system. Bringing up the rear, our mobile bike shop and expert tech Karen Malagorski in the BikesPlus vehicle and once again piloting the Boeing MD-11 RV, Keith! David Hansen and Scott Southerland again the scouting party, advance team hitting the schools to set up prior to our arrival.
Wayne had us once again all over town on roads I had never seen before, but they always lead to where we need to be. First stop today was American Way Middle School, then onto East High School, Kingsbury Elementary, White Station Middle School, St. Agnes, St. Louis School finally arriving back to BikesPlus, then to our last stop today at Autonation Ford.
Standard Go Jim Go delights of wildly excited kids and the extraordinary effort put into collection of money, making banners and coordinating getting all the children out to greet Jim and his elves. One of the highlights to day was a song performed by the St. Agnes girls choir. Exquisite! Last but never least, our thanks to Bobby Solberg for a hit the button and order whatever you want lunch from our friends at Sonic.
In another missing shoes incident of no worthy mention, Wayne forgot his off the bike flip flops! Cue dramatic musical crescendo! No worries because he is as comfortable having lunch with friends and sponsors in his bare feet as he is in the corporate boardrooms of Le Bonheur and WREG wearing an LSU T-shirt. A rare and enviable trait to be sure.
Speaking of a scene from a movie, at one point this afternoon, Julie had “Eye of the Tiger” blasting on the sound system as we rolled past a school yard full of schoolkids. They all came running over from every corner of the playground to see us and cheer as we rode by. We turned the corner onto a street facing the other side of the yard and they all ran from one side to the other to get another glimpse of us. Now I know how Rocky felt.
So our day started in the saddle at 7am and did not end until 5:30 when we got back to the cars. Quite a long day on and off the saddle, my neather regions shan’t be happy in the morning. About 72 miles logged today in five hours of actual ride time. That’s a 14.3mph average. Although the actual official Go Jim Go tally is closer to 49 miles because the trip downtown this morning doesn’t count! No cycling mishaps, just fun urban riding on a beautiful day to be on a bike.
The streets we traveled today.
Today’s money collected totaled $6,292. That’s about $125 per mile today. Grand total so far is at $60,899. We are off to a great start, but have a long way to go to our goal of $300,000. Please give what you can anyway you can. Le Bonheur is caring for 172 children today. Thank you for any support.
I can’t even begin to think of how many people had a hand in getting this 9th edition of Go Jim Go underway in such grand, smooth fashion today. It is such a massive team effort. My sincere thanks, appreciation and mad love to everyone. Onward to Millington and Tipton County tomorrow.
Nite, nite. End Scene.
Go Jim Go, Day one crew.
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