Our older son, Chad, was in the most important race of his life this past week. He was in the Netherlands for a Team Sunweb 2020 meeting when his wife called from Colorado at 2 a.m. telling him, “Get home now.” Although she wasn’t due for 2 weeks, they were going to induce her labor. He had 22 hours of travel and was still 30 minutes away when Kate was ready to push. This “Wonder Woman” was able to wait until Chad arrived to push. Thanks to prayers from lots of friends and family as well as a friend “enthusiastically driving” Chad from the airport, Chad arrived in time, and Elena Brynne was born 30 minutes after he arrived at the hospital. Kate and the baby are doing well. Chad ended his racing season by winning the race and the biggest and best prize of all. I think he’s still standing on the top podium basking in its glory.
A Ranch and a Horse Named "Haga"
A month after Chris died in 2016, Chad, Shane, and I drove to our favorite family vacation spot, a Christian family dude ranch in Estes Park, called Wind River Ranch. We visited there 3 different summers when the boys were younger. The boys had rated it a perfect “10” while they rated Disney World only a “7.” We all found this to be a place to seek and find God and enjoy family time in a relaxed Christian atmosphere.
Tributes to a Legacy
Chad and Shane wanted to pay a special final tribute to their dad and his fight of "cancer on two wheels."
As Chris fought over the years, his body was less able to handle riding his bike, even though he desperately wanted to continue. Eventually, his bike stood in the garage, unused. Their desire was that their dad, though absent in body, would be able to roll out with them for one last ride. So exactly one week after he passed, down to the minute (Saturday at 7 a.m. and his usual ride time), Chad and Shane rolled for a lap around the neighborhood with his bike, each carrying one of his favorite jerseys.
No Longer Just a Dream
In 2010, Chris told our older son, Chad, “Go for it and chase your dream. I have no doubt you’ll make it.” (see my previous blog): Chasing a Dream
Chad reached one dream last year—his first time to race in the Tour de France. Today he reached another dream: to win an Individual Time Trial (ITT) in a WorldTour—a Grand Tour—the Giro d’Italia (Italy’s version of the Tour de France for those who aren’t familiar with the cycling world).
Mother's [Birth]Day
Back in 2012, Chad wrote a blog to honor my birthday and Mother’s Day. I thought today would be an appropriate day to share what wonderful boys I have. (Shane’s blog dedicated to me will be next.) For those who get to spend Mother’s Day with your children, count yourselves lucky. I have still not been able to spend Mother’s Day with Chad since he originally wrote this blog. This year, Chad is “across the big pond” in Italy—racing the Giro d’Italia (Italy’s version of the Tour de France for those who are non-cycling fans.)
Cycling, Cancer, Hammers, and Perspective
Homes of Hope
My younger son, Shane, was Chad’s shadow. Whatever Chad did, Shane did. Their lives always seemed to be intertwined as best buddies. After Shane graduated from college and was unhappy with his chosen career path, he decided to try his brother’s dream career. Shane, too, became a professional bicyclist, before he quickly realized that was Chad’s dream—not his. Here are excerpts from what Shane wrote in 2014 (shared with his permission):
More Than Sport
My older son, Chad, just finished racing his first Tour de France, and his professional cycling team, Team Sunweb, helped Tom Dumoulin place second overall. As proud and excited as I am for him and for them, Chad will be the first to tell you that there is more to life than just sports. Below are excerpts from a blog that he wrote about a life-changing experience he had in 2013 (shared with his permission):
The Rest of the Story
He Was Going to Play Baseball
People frequently ask me, “Did your sons get into cycling because of their dad?” The answer is, “No. Chris got into cycling because of our boys.” Whatever sport they became interested in, Chris wanted to become a part of to spend more time with them. (Okay, to be honest, he also wanted to make sure they were safe when riding on streets with motorists during their earlier years.) But then he, too, got bit by the cycling bug and loved to be on the bike even if Chad and Shane weren’t around.
Since our older son Chad is currently racing in the Tour de France, I decided to share (with his permission) a blog that he wrote in March 2011 on how he became a cyclist.
God’s Timetable and Sense of Humor
Living the Dream
Well, yesterday was quite the exciting day. Chad officially became a bike racer in the eyes of the American public as he entered his first stage of the Tour de France. Although he has seven Grand Tours already under his belt, because the general public in America has never heard of those races, those tours don't count.
Chasing a Dream
Our older son, Chad, was scheduled to graduate in December 2010 with a degree in mechanical engineering. Although he had already received a job offer from the company where he had interned, we weren’t surprised when he called Chris in October to say that a couple of semi-professional cycling teams had shown an interest in him. He didn’t ask his dad’s opinion of what he should do, but Chris sensed he wanted to. Our son apparently couldn’t get up the courage to make this career change after we had put him through four years of college.