The next day, nearing his breaking point, he noticed a group of riders wearing shirts for a school where Robert’s father-in-law had once been Chairman of the Board of Trustees. “I rode like a banshee to catch up with them and asked if I could join them. They had all been required to collect donations to join the group, so I wrote a check, and they let me join. Things got a little easier after that.”
When the long, hot, grueling ride was finally over, Robert admitted he felt a sense of relief rather than a sense of accomplishment. “I saw a lot of ambulances along the route. My only feeling when I crossed the finish line was, ‘I just want to go home.’”