The plans of at least 1,000 cyclists to participate in the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope were abruptly changed before 7:00am this morning. Upon arriving at the 50-mile route start at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland, we all learned that the ride was cancelled. That was a huge disappointment, but it was understandable given the huge amounts of rain that had fallen overnight. And the rain continued to fall as we stood there, trying to figure out what to do next.
The riders who had used the shuttle from the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Washington knew what they had to do; They had to get on any available bus back to where they started. Most of us who drove in this morning stood and waited for Lance to come and speak to us.
More on the situation at the race start after I return home. Riders should feel free to add their reaction to the bad news.
Update on October 9 at 11am: It’s hard for me to look back on Saturday and come to any other conclusion than that the organizers made the right decision. In the end 7.25 inches (18.4 centimeters) of rain fell in two days at Reagan National Airport in Washington. I know how much we all wanted to ride yesterday, but I didn’t want anyone to get hurt either.
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