Profiles in Courage

Rick - Something is bound to turn up missing when 12 guys pack bikes and gear for an 8 day international trip.  In our case, it happened to be Rick McConnell`s bike, lost in the skies or baggage carousels of airline world.  Rick soldiered through Day 1`s ride on an old hybrid.  He insisted on waiting for his regular bike, which arrived mid-morning, for today`s ride.  This meant he left 2-1/2 hours late and rode the route solo.

Charles - With 25 km left to go to Andermatt, today`s final destination, we met up with the vans and, at Nel`s suggestion, decided to load up our bikes and ride the last 25 uphill kms. in the vans.  All except Charles.  He rode on alone.  We passed him with 13 km to go and he was going strong.  However, the road turned brutally steep soon thereafter, with switchbacks and narrow pavement and frequent cars, and we gritted our teeth in empathy for our teammate's situation.  Eventually, we sent a van back to get him, and it was lucky we did.  He had a serious mechanical and was limited to the big ring in front!