Farlington, KS to Toronto Lake, KS – 76.8mi, 12.3mph, +1974ft elevation gain

Best day yet. I got to meet Shawn Cheshire. I have been following her journey from almost the beginning of my ride. She is a veteran and former paramedic that had a traumatic fall out the back of an ambulance. She suffered a traumatic brain injury ( TBI) that has left her blind.

Shawn is riding cross country from West to East on a bicycle. She follows a cyclist with a JBL speaker on the back of her bike while Jesse ( behind/ beside) her gives road alerts to Shawn. She is simply amazing. My inspiration. I know the difficulty this journey is for me and I just can’t imagine not seeing the roadway under your tires.

By the way… she also rides a Cannondale!!!

We both shared accident stories and the impacts of our TBI’s ( I also suffer still from mine in case you didn’t know). We shed a tear, but together want to change the worlds perception of those that have had traumatic experiences. We both want to be an encouragement to others. She is an incredible woman and getting to finally meet her was the highlight of this trip. I knew it would be in Kansas and last night I knew it would be today. I had prayed she could stop for a minute. Not only did she stop she insisted her team gift Jocelynn and I a wireless headset so we could verbally communicate instead of this “honking” system we had. Let me tell you what a blessing it was to hear Jocelynn’s voice while I am out there riding all alone. This gift is beyond appreciated.

Shawn …Thank you for your inspiration. A bigger thank you for our headset. I didn’t realize how much I needed this. Thank you!! You and your team are in my prayers. Safe travels and I know we will meet again.