On Saturday June 7th, the Team Wheaton Franciscan riders geared up for the annual team charity drive at the 2008 Trek 100. Even though the schedule had the State Road Race the following day, it wasn’t enough to discourage the record setting participation amount of 19 Wheaton participants. Mother Nature finally took a break from the monsoon, and gave us a day of bright sun, and light winds. Two separate Wheaton groups left at different times to tackle their respective mileage amounts. The ride was a success, with only one crash casualty by John Grisa as written below. Anyone familiar with this event knows that one out of nineteen is considered a good day. There was a lot of chatter and good natured fun during the ride, and it ended up being the perfect pre-race ride as the following day’s State Championships results would show.
The 2008 Wheaton top donation solicitor’s were the husband/wife team of Greg and Karla Francken at a whopping $1,100! They were followed by Scott “Scoots” Peterson, at $740, and Kevin Pomasl at a solid $310. Great job to everyone else for pulling in a team total amount of $3,382!
Aside from the fun of the ride, all the Wheaton riders understand the true reason why we participate in this event. Our title sponsor is a health care provider, and we’re fortunate to promote an active and healthy lifestyle. As lucky as we are to be healthy enough to train and compete in our sport, we understand that many others are not as fortunate. Team Wheaton Franciscan cycling is honored to be a part of the fight against childhood cancer and related blood disorders, and we look forward to next year where we’ll raise more funds, and have even more participants.
Look for us at the 2009 Trek 100!