Day 1: Lakeland to Sebring

For lunch today, we ate with friends from Publix and Publix Supermarkets Charities to honor their founder, George W. Jenkins, who was an early supporter of the home. Publix Supermarkets Charities has been the major corporate sponsor for the Paul Anderson Golf Classic since its inception, helping us raise over $3,000,000. (For more on this, watch the video coming soon about Mr. George, featuring his daughter Carol Jenkins Barnett and her husband, Barny, both of whom had lunch with us today.)

After lunch, we pedaled and pedaled and pedaled. It was hot. The day was sunny and bright. And hot. There was a train track that crisscrossed the road we were on. There was a train on that track that caught our guys no less than three times – the same train. And it was hot. There were about a gazillion flats (Slight Exaggeration), and that within the first handful of miles after leaving. That cost us about an hour. And it was hot. Later in the day, a storm blew in with what threatened to be heavy lightning. It was a little bit odd for Florida weather. So was the heat. (Sarcasm.) We cut our ride a bit short due to the lightning. Bible Fellowship Church hosted us in Sebring tonight and fed us a delicious meal.

Speaking of hosting: we were given stellar accommodations at Florida Southern College last night and were hosted by the Detroit Tigers to tour their training facility. Awesome. (Though one blogger did not sing the National Anthem while standing on the field… he claimed to have a medical condition.)*

Tomorrow will be a long day. And it just might get hot. (More Sarcasm.) Stay tuned.

*Please note: the blogger who did not sing the National Anthem did not sing it after being challenged to sing. To participate in a “sing-off” so to speak. His reason for not singing was a lack of competitive spirit, not a disrespect for the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. Or more accurately, he did not sing it because he too lazy.