Alzheimer's Breakthrough Ride Journal: Ann Arbor to Cleveland Day 2

The second day of the ride from Ann Arbor to Cleveland started similar to the first. It was a crisp, cool (52 degrees) morning as we headed out of Perrysburg towards Sandusky at 7 AM (a total of a little more than 60 miles). Although a bit warmer than the first morning, Charlie and I still had on our tights, gloves and windbreakers for the first few hours of the morning. There was also a forecast of rain for later in the day. I was feeling a bit stiff from the first days ride, but slowly loosened up over the first few miles. We had several railroad crossings that both Charlie and I had a much greater respect and appreciation for after the previous days ride.

A bit after the first rest stop, we had our first excitement of the day. As we passed a small farmhouse, a medium to large size dog, bee-lined towards my bike with teeth bared and a ferocious snarl. I instinctively sped up and swerved onto the opposite side of the road (thankfully few cars were on these roads this early on a Saturday morning). With the dog at my heels and my heart pounding, I thought about trying to kick the dog, although my shoes were firmly clipped into my pedals. Instead, I sped up even further and after an equal burst of speed from the dog, he finally retreated to the side of the road. I turned around to see if the dog had any designs on Charlie, who was only 50-100 yards behind me. Thankfully, the effort required in chasing my bike seemed to have exhausted the dog who remained on the side of the road panting. For the rest of the day I relived this episode and jumped off my bike at the sound of every barking dog…

The next 20 miles or so were into a strong head wind that both Charlie and I felt like we were slogging through even though the terrain was quite flat. After an excellent lunch on the Pony, we completed the day uneventfully and arrived into Sandusky just as the first rain drops started to fall. That night we enjoyed hamburgers at a local restaurant/bar, which was filled with Ohio State buckeye fans rooting on their team. Later that evening, we were joined by my son (Raza Lamb) and Dr. Sanjay Pimplikar, who would ride the final day from Sandusky to Cleveland with us.

The three days riding with Charlie were wonderful. We had cool days and dry, flat roads through wonderful farm country (albeit with a few too many railroad crossings and dogs!). In addition, it was inspirational to ride with a 75-year-old man who was so committed to bringing awareness to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. We talked at length about how as Americans we need to do much more to effectively integrate individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers into our families, communities and society.