Jeremy's LIVESTRONG Challenge Report

FatCyclist.com 271.5 Miles of Nowhere

2010-05-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

I had this brilliant idea last year of selling miles at $5 apiece and letting donors pick my poison: stationary bike at the gym. road bike on my trainer in the garage, or a .15-mile loop at the top of the hill. I almost reached my goal of raising $1000, the .15-mile loop won and I rode 176 miles around and around and around for 11 hours.

For the 3rd annual FatCyclist.com 100 Miles of Nowhere, I upped the ante. This year, I asked for $10 a mile, hoping again to hit $1000. Thinking 100 miles was a reasonable expectation and more would be awesome, I started promoting and begging. Going into Wednesday of the final week of donation for mileage, I was worried I wouldn't hit 100.

Thursday morning, while eating breakfast, a big donation dropped in my email box. Then another one. Suddenly, I was staring down 250 miles. Then a couple more donations came in and the final total was an eye-popping $2715, or 271.5 miles.

A deal is a deal and I said I would go 200 on Saturday for sure and finish on Sunday. The plan was to drop the resistance to nearly nothing and just go crazy. It worked for a couple of folks last year and my confidence in completing all those miles otherwise was a little low.

I packed up the Jeep Friday night with a lighter version of the outreach booth I had at the Iris Festival last year. I loaded up brochures, wristbands, and the vertical Team Fatty sign I had made for the events last year. I tossed in a table and the trainer. As an afterthought, I threw in a piece of plywood. Turns out that was amazing foresight because the ground at the park was so soft.

Once the Jeep was packed, I prepped bottles for water, sports drink and protein drink, filled a bag with all the food items and extra drink powder, and drug out the cooler. I grabbed layers, shoes and extra gear and stuffed it all in a duffle bag for the transition times in the morning and evening, figuring I'd be there for a LONG time.

The morning started slowly as I filled bottles while Grandma and Grandpa came over to watch the girls so I could spin and my wife could go work. I loaded the cooler and the bike into the Jeep and rolled out a little after 8:00 a.m., a later start than I intended but such is life with little ones and leaving home for this insanity.

I stopped for a breakfast smoothie and oatmeal from Jamba Juice before getting to Riverfront Park to set up. I planted myself near the playground so the girls could have some fun when they came to visit. Setting up the table, the awning and the bike took some time so I got started at 9:16 a.m.

The first few miles involved troubleshooting the Garmin which suddenly was giving 100+ mph speed. Turns out it was automatically setting the wheel size at nearly 10 meters in circumference. This was what it looked like:

Once I got it set back to 2.1 meters, I restarted the recording. Things went smoothly until I decided to wind it up at about mile 18. The magnet on the spoke flipped outward and smacked the arm of the speed/cadence sensor for the Garmin, so I was without any way to measure distance. I pulled the bike off the trainer and pedaled over a block to my favorite local bike shop, Scott's Cycle. I knew they had a sensor in stock if we couldn't get the other one working. After a few minutes of fiddling and troubleshooting, no luck so we cracked open the new one, set it up and tightened it down (a little more firmly than before to prevent a repeat performance).

I rolled back over to the park and set up on the trainer to resume spinning and forgot to restart the timer for a couple of minutes. Fortunately, that was the end of major problems for the day. It also meant the first 30 miles were the slowest of the day.

I'm not entirely sure the reason for this particular look, but I was over one-tenth of the way to the end. (And it's the first picture I have of myself where I wasn't moving the camera which made a slight funhouse mirror effect.)

The day was gorgeous. I watched the arthritis walkers go by in the morning as the dew evaporated from the grass. The slight breeze made the ride bearable. I caught a pretty good groove about mile 50 or so and it lasted through mile 100.

The cheering committee arrived with lunch a little before I hit the century mark.

I also had a couple of friends come down with their dogs to enjoy the sunshine, chat and play and a colleague from school drop by with his son with snacks. I appreciated the company very much.

Don't they look comfy? I decided to push hard to 100 miles, a decision I would regret shortly after.

The numbers on the Garmin don't lie. The rear wheel travelled 100 miles.

Sure, I was a little tired but feeling strong.

The girls left for nap time and my iPhone was running low on batteries so I couldn't use Facebook to distract me. I had another couple of friends stop by to see how I was doing. She lost her dad to cancer earlier this year and they have always been very supportive. They had another batch of snacks from Great Harvest (yum) but didn't stay long.

I hit the doldrums at about mile 110 - the hind end was hurting and I was slowing down. Fortunately, the teacher in the classroom next door and her husband dropped in with a bag full of orange slices and an hour's worth of chit chat. I was distracted enough to power through to the halfway mark, looking cool (or something).

At this point, my iPhone was almost completely dead, so I stopped updating online. I also missed the words of encouragement from Facebook-land as I posted updates. It died right after mile 175 so I was stuck, alone, and not knowing when dinner and the support crew were going to arrive. It's hard to be 7+ hours into something like this and to be surrounded by people but totally alone. I found myself trying anything to avoid thinking about the pain coming from the seat.

As I crossed into thinking about the reasons why I was out there, I got caught by a wave of emotion. I shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't have to do this. This is stupid (in so many ways). We have to beat this thing, cancer. No one should have to live with the uncertainty cancer brings. We should be able to fix it and leave patients and their families as whole as possible.

One of the best moments was crossing the 200 mile mark. I was hurting, for sure, but it was a moment where I knew I could keep the wheel turning and finish in one day.

At 200 miles, this face isn't screaming, "No more!"

Finally, the girls got back to the park with another big Jamba Juice. I had pretty sour stomach at that point and Jamba is the one thing I know I can put down no matter how lousy I'm feeling. (Almost sounds like an endorsement and they did give me some BOGO coupons that morning, but I paid for both of the ones I had.)

And here it is...
It's the face that says, "Ow!", in so many ways. This was around mile 236. I was figuring if I really cranked on it, I could finish in about and hour.

As I got closer to the finish, I distracted myself with Facebook updates, since my wife also brought my fully-charged backup battery. Friends of ours, who brought their kids, were there, so the girls went to the playground and carousel with them.

As I counted down on Facebook, I spun the wheel about as fast as I could go. I finished just a little before everyone came out of the carousel, with an extra mile for good measure. We took the obligatory finished photographs and, in a moment of irony, I didn't want to get off the bike.

My wife, knowing there was the real potential for me to be completely useless on Mother's Day, supported the effort and was excited that I was able to raise so much money and ride so far.

After 9 and a half hours, we packed up all the gear and handouts and headed to Applebee's (girls' choice) for a post-ride meal. I ran into a couple of students, one of whom remembered what I was doing and asked how it went. I think it can be summarized simply - it hurt, but it was good.

(And the students, well, they took second in the state choir competition, so good for them.)

I'm all famous and stuff

2010-04-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

My 100 Miles of Nowhere is in the local paper. They even published a picture above the fold on the front page. Sweet! Here's to hoping I can translate it into some more fundraising.

Time's fun when you're having flies

2010-03-19T23:05:00.000-07:00

Quite a bit has happened since August. My professional obligations have increased (in a good way, I think) so my time is increasingly occupied with things other than riding bikes and fighting cancer. I had surgery to repair the mess I made in my nose by playing rugby in college so the summer can be a little more bearable for me. It turns out, the ability to breathe freely helps with riding a bike, too. My grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Yeah, I slipped that last one in there. It was an anxious few weeks as we learned the extent of the cancer. Fortunately, it has not spread widely at this point so they can treat it with relatively non-invasive options. Men are nearly guaranteed to have some form of prostate cancer if they reach a certain age so this wasn't a huge surprise intellectually. Emotionally, it was a real shock. IT motivated me to change the way I teach cell cycle control in my biology classes and led to amazing work by my students we were able to share with the student body during cancer awareness week.

I wil be back to revise the logos and widgets this week since it is spring break for me. In the meantime, my site for this year is http://seattle2010.livestrong.org/jeveritt and every $10 I collect between now and May 7, 2010 is a mile I ride in the FatCyclist.com 100 Miles of Nowhere event. Last year, I rode 176 miles and if you donate I'll ride them all.

How to Fight Like Susan

2009-08-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

Be focused
Be creative
Have outrageous endurance
Be kind

Finding hope

2009-08-24T23:49:00.000-07:00

I had a great ride today. Twenty-two miles with the fast boys on Monday night. I felt great, rode fast, and plowed home solo into a brutal headwind. I'm enjoying the time on the bike (but need to solve some minor saddle issues yesterday) and looking forward to the next ride. I am happy about that. Riding is a great refuge for me. I can ride and think or I can ride really hard, go deep into the pain cave and think about nothing.

Mom's friend Debbie's funeral was Thursday. Mom had to miss the weekend in Spokane with the family to attend. Mom was pretty shook up when she passed away, even though everyone knew it was coming. Debbie planned her own funeral in the middle of aggressive treatment. She fought cancer so many times...

Losing four people to cancer in such rapid succession has left me feeling a little apprehensive about my aunt's recurrence. It's frustrating to everyone how everything can be clean then three months later, tumors are large and in charge all over the place. I tried to explain from the scientific side how cancer can be so aggressive to my dad on the drive home today while my girls slept in the back of the van. I'm not sure how effective I was but the bottom line is cancer will find a way to feed itself. Left to their own devices cancer cells will divide exponentially, eventually stealing all the nutrients from the surrounding tissue, killing the tissue it has invaded. Looked at microscopically, it's brutal.

The most powerful weapon against cancer is hope. Dad and I talked a bit about that as we talked about my cousin's expected child arriving in a few short months. Everyone fighting must find their own reason to believe they can survive. For my aunt, I pray that new grandchild brings enough hope and resolve to steel her against her second fight for her life.

I spent my evening reading up on the exploits of Team Fatty: Philly. I have to tip my hat to them. I think they very much outdid Seattle. Read more:
Lowest Gear - Preride
Lowest Gear - Ride Report
More Than a Ride - Ride Report
Ride a Bike - Ride Report
RocBike - Preride
RocBike - Ride Report

The team is being reformed for 2010. You don't have to be a hardcore cyclist to join. You don't even need to join to get the gear and feel the love. Just go visit TwinSix.com. Proceeds go to Fatty and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

A month later - major losses

2009-08-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

I've been a little lax in posting lately, due largely to the fact I have been extraordinarily busy. Between a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and a conference in San Diego, I have been on the go and (unfortunately) relatively bike free.

While at my conference, I received word that three people passed away due to cancer in the same 24 hour period. I cannot adequately do their memories justice. They will be truly missed. One is Susan Nelson, the inspiration for Team Fatty and the wife of famous cycling blogger, Fatty. Another is the mother and wife of family friends. She and her family accompanied my family on a Christmas trip to Hawaii. The last is the father of a high school classmate.

Rest in peace, all.

Ugh!

2009-07-08T22:20:00.000-07:00

I'm sick. In the middle of summer. This means my serious riding is on hold until I can take a deep breath without going into coughing fits for a full minute. So riding has slowed but this has given me something perhaps more precious: Time.

My mom's close friend, Debbie, entered hospice care last week after repeated bouts with breast cancer. Seeing Team Fatty San Jose could use an extra body, I decided to join as a virtual participant. I've raised $130.66 on my San Jose participant page.
Twin Six generously donated to each San Jose participant to bring them above $100, hopefully sealing the Team Messenger award in San Jose. Feel free to donate there in honor of Debbie's fight.

Fatty wrote another gut-wrenching post about Susan's fight against cancer. They show so much grace in trying circumstances and I feel privileged to be a part of the team in support of Susan.

I have another side project going for the team but I'm struggling getting other folks to participate. I've been able to get started the last couple of days and I hope I can get it done soon as it seems Susan has taken a turn for the worst.

Cancer sucks but there are some most excellent people involved in the fight. I hope you'll join in.

Seattle 2009 Challenge Ride Report

2009-06-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

The LIVESTRONG Challenge Seattle 2009 weekend is over and it’s time to take stock of the whole experience.

For me, the weekend began by saying goodbye to my family and making the drive from my in-law’s house to Seattle. Once I navigated downtown to my hotel and checked in, at noon, I walked a couple blocks to Seattle Center, home of the LIVESTRONG Village and the start/finish for the Challenge.

Check-in was very fast so I gave myself a little time to make a card for the wall, vote for the Team Fatty jersey and wander the LIVESTRONG Village. The setup for the LIVESTRONG Village was in a circle around the entertainment stage. Vendors and volunteers were friendly and freebies were everywhere.

I stopped at a booth set up by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and talked with the three ladies running the show. I told them I rode with a team in the Challenge a few years ago in honor of a friend of my teammates, Erik Engquist, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. One of the women said she was a survivor of pancreatic cancer and asked about Erik’s outcome. Sadly, Erik did not survive his fight and left behind a young family. Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survivability rates of all cancers and also has one of the lowest dollar commitments to research. It is effectively where breast cancer research was in the 1940’s. There’s probably a correlation between research and survivability so if you ever feel like you want to make a difference for a specific cancer, I would say pancreatic cancer would be a good choice. In the conversation, and after I put down my information, the survivor asked about my pink wristband and my team. After telling her about Susan and her fight with metastatic breast cancer, she asked if I would ride with a purple PanCAN wristband for her. Of course I would.

From Seattle Center, I walked to the Team Fatty pre-ride barbeque. We had burgers and conversation. It was mostly get-to-know-you chatter, putting faces with names and making connections with people. We had 112 people on the team from all over the region with many having only a connection through the online world of Fatty’s blog and, by extension, this team. Dan was generous enough to open up his place to host us and Nick and Dom artfully grilled up the food.

After the barbeque, I wandered over to REI then downtown to Niketown. I went to REI because it was there and Niketown in the hopes of getting a LIVESTRONG t-shirt I’ve been eyeing for a while but have been trying to avoid paying shipping to get. The shirt reads: Me, My bike, My cause, Just do it. I love the message; it resonates with me. I found it on the rack on sale and grabbed it before walking back to the hotel.

On Wednesday night, I got an email saying I might be going to the awards dinner and had it confirmed the night before, so I had to hustle back and change into my formal jeans and 10/2 collection pull over. We left home Wednesday morning and I didn’t bring nice clothes. I figured I was on vacation so I didn’t need the formal wear. I felt a little underdressed but the dinner was a blast. I ran into one of my college professors and her husband, who is trying to raise enough to go to Austin for the Ride for the Roses, so we chatted a little before going in for the meal.

Team Fatty had tables right at the front and we were served first. The food was great and remarkably light. The program had a few revisions as Lance was training in Aspen and Doug Ulman was in D.C. for the signing of the bill to allow the FDA to regulate tobacco. One of the LAF staffers, Renee, who has spent the last year kicking breast cancer’s tail took over M.C. duties and did a Q & A with Dr. Craig Nichols, Lance’s oncologist about cancer, survivorship, cancer issues and health care. Jimmy and Molly Fowkes were awarded the Individual Messenger award, with the highest number of individual donors, and Jimmy was inspirational, as always. He has been an award winner since 2006, after he was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Then the night became Fatty’s. Our team won the Team Messenger and Team Champion awards, with the highest number of team members raising at least $100 and the greatest amount of money raised. Our co-captain, Steve, won the Individual Champion award and spoke about Team Fatty, the inspiration he finds through his brother and Susan, and the power of the community Elden has built. Elden spoke via recording from Utah, thanking all the folks involved in this process and speaking from the heart about the battle his wife, Susan, has faced. Steve’s brother, Scott, then spoke of his decision to meet cancer head on and survive in the face of long odds. I walked away in awe and with a deeper commitment and contentment that what we have done is powerful, meaningful and absolutely the right thing to do in the face of this insidious disease.

After a message of encouragement from Lance via recording from Aspen, I wandered back to the hotel, stopping at the grocery store for some safe foods to eat in the morning, and settled in for sleep before the big day.

At 5:40 a.m. Sunday, the alarm went off in my hotel room. I rolled out of bed, grabbed some food and a quick shower to wake me up, and geared up for the short ride to Seattle Center. I stuffed a few extra food items into my jersey pockets so I could finish breakfast at the start line since we had to be there at 6:30 for a team picture. The weather was partly cloudy and I was warm but not toasty in arm and leg warmers.

The ride started with a fabulous roll out behind a pace car. Only it wasn’t a pace car. And it wasn’t on the right street. But it did start in front of us as the air horn from Dan Wilson sent us on our way. Pretty much the whole of Team Fatty took a wrong turn out of the gate. We got it figured out after the car turned up the hill and we looked to see other riders whizzing by us on 5th.

Once we got on the right route, it was smooth sailing across the I-90 express lanes to Mercer Island. On a side note, the tunnels were a little on the creepy side on a bike. Weather was just about perfect: not too warm, not too cold. Hills were rolling, views were gorgeous, and the pace was solid. Various groups of Team Fatty riders formed, broke up and formed anew until we got off the island and into Bellevue.

From there it was a bit of a blur until May Valley for me. By May Valley, distinct groups had formed up and I was riding with Jon and a few folks I never did identify. We got east of Tiger Mountain and all of a sudden it got a bit chilly. The climb was a good one with a pretty good, long descent off the back. Jon and I got stopped about halfway down as one rider was directing traffic around a pretty horrific crash that took out 3 riders and sent one to the hospital with a pretty bloody face. The road was damp but we got no drops until we got to the Issaquah Highlands.

The rain came down pretty steady along East Lake Sammamish, making drafting roughly akin to getting your teeth polished but without the sickly sweet kiddy flavor. The rain let up a few miles before Marymoor. I reconnected with Jon and Steve at the Marymoor stop and we rode together along West Lake Sammamish. We caught up to Kent rolling along on his single speed (42×17 I believe) on the century. We hit a bit of a rise and he dropped us like a crazy girlfriend.

By the time we navigated West Lake Sammamish, the sun was out again. At the base of Montreux, we came together with Jeff and Matt. I suffered mightily, having to hike a bike in a couple of spots due to pretty awful cramps. I blame it on the lack of any kind of climbing on my part prior to the event. I fully expected to catch on with another group going a bit slower once I made it over that beast, but Steve, Matt, Jon and Jeff were all waiting for me at the top. Thank you.

The descent off the hill was not nearly worth the suffering to get up there, but it was a good working downhill to the next rest stop, where we ran into Janet and a few more questions about Team Fatty. Jeff, Jon, Matt and I stopped and Steve kept rolling so we didn’t see him again until the finish.

We cruised along Lake Washington through Renton and met up with more rain. And hail. And thunder and lightning. It was a short storm as far as distance, and we tried to plow through the rain so we got soaked. Wet chamois is not a good thing. We stopped when the peanut-sized hail started pelting us. Good thing for my official FatCyclist.com cycling cap for protection against that hail.

Once it let up a little, we didn’t ride much more than a mile before we hit dry pavement again and turned down to Seward Park. It happened to be a closure day for the road along Seward Park so we dodged families riding and Dads teaching their little ones to ride bikes.

We stopped at the final rest stop at mile 95 before attacking the hill to downtown. Descriptions of its length are subject to some interpretation but regardless of length, it was steep up to Yessler and steep over Yessler. Jeff’s Garmin had us at 18% grade in a couple of spots. A climb that steep that late in a century was not very nice.

The roll up to Seattle Center was slow due to the traffic lights but we made it as a group and have some good photos of the four of us coming in together. The cheering section at the finish was as loud and large as it was at any of the Portland events. Despite the exhaustion, it’s a great feeling of accomplishment to complete the ride, having worked as a part of something so much larger than you in the fight against cancer.

It was a great ride. I met some great people over the course of the weekend. I’ve decided the people who are a part of Team Fatty Seattle are a quality bunch and I’ll ride with any of you, anytime.

For more links, pictures, and information about the event, check out:

Rider X's course preview - a pretty good description of the topography of the course

Kent P.'s photos

Matt K.'s report and photos

Andy W.'s report and photos

Lisa's report

KOMO News coverage

Video of the 100-Mile roll out - without the wrong turn

and of course FatCyclist.com -

First report

From the start line

The aftermath

Co-captain Steve's report

A Challenge to Cancer - 200x5

2009-06-04T01:01:00.000-07:00

Hello! My name is Jeremy Everitt and I’m a Fat Cyclist. No, not THE Fat Cyclist of FatCyclist.com fame; I’m just a Team Fatty member. Our goal is to be the largest team and raise the most money in LIVESTRONG Challenge history. We want to leave a legacy for Susan Nelson, Mrs. Fatty, who has metastatic breast cancer. Our time to honor her is rapidly growing short.

Susan is not the only one I work to leave a legacy for, however. My connection with cancer now stands at 94 links. That's 94 people who have been touched by cancer – 94 friends, colleagues, and family members who are connected to my efforts working with the Lance Armstrong Foundation. And these are the folks who have shared their experiences. How many links are in your connection with cancer?

This is my fifth year of involvement with the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s LIVESTRONG Challenge series. I have also taken on a role as a local LIVESTRONG Army Leader in the Salem-Keizer area.

The past few months have brought many new experiences in my now five-year long effort to raise money for the LAF and it’s many programs. I spent many hours preparing graphic materials to share with teammates to help them fundraise and recruit to Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan. I rode 176 miles in 11 hours rolling time, in a loop only 0.15 miles long, raising almost $900 as a part of the second annual FatCyclist.com 100 Miles of Nowhere event. I spent three days at the Keizer Iris Festival sharing information, listening to stories and passing out yellow wristbands.

All in all, this has been a frenetic and fantastic few months in my involvement with the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I have one more big push in the last few weeks before the Seattle Challenge event: I want to try to raise $1000 in two weeks.

Here’s the catch: I want to do it by connecting to as many people as possible.

There is no way I can do this alone. I need your help. Please, ask everyone you know to go to this Challenge donation page and donate $5.00. That’s right, $5.00. Then go join the LIVESTRONG Army. Join the millions of people standing up and saying it is time to make cancer a national priority.

Here’s why:

There are an estimated 12 million cancer survivors in the U.S. today and that number is rising. Current statistics show 1 in 2 males and 1 in 3 females will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetimes. Cancer is the number one killer of Americans under the age of 85. If you don’t know someone who has had cancer, it is almost certain you will. You only need to talk to one about their experience to know a cancer diagnosis changed their lives forever.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation is dedicated to helping patients become survivors and survivors deal with the lasting effects of cancer. Money raised for the LAF goes to fund the programs administered directly through the LAF, like SurvivorCare and LIVESTRONG at School. It also funds grants such as these:

The Cancer Institute of New Jersey ($100,000) – New Brunswick, New Jersey – The LAF-funded Buildings and Bridges (B&B) Program aims to improve the primary healthcare workforce’s ability to identify practical and emotional needs of cancer survivors and facilitate access to services that may meet those needs.

University of California, Irvine ($147,377) – Irvine, CA – The "Improving Survivorship of Patients with Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer" project has been designed to aid transition of care from a pediatric-based care facility to an adult-care facility.

Emilio Nares Foundation ($149,050) – San Diego, CA – The “Ride with Emilio” program ensures that sick children have access to weekly chemotherapy and other crucial medical appointments when their families lack personal transportation and public transportation is not adequate.

Cancer Legal Resource Center ($149,513) – Los Angeles, California – This project, "Cancer-Related Legal Education for Health Care Professionals," will empower health care professionals in the cancer community to positively affect the lives of cancer patients and survivors.

The Breakfast Club, Inc. ($50,000) – St. Louis, MO – The EARS Program (Education, Awareness, Resources and Support) will provide culturally competent comprehensive breast health/cancer education and outreach and one-on-one and group support services and navigation assistance to uninsured and under insured breast cancer survivors and their families.

M.D Anderson Cancer Center ($150,000) – Houston, TX – The Cardiology and Oncology Partnership (COP) is a group of health care providers who are committed to eliminating cardiovascular (CV) disease as a barrier to effective cancer treatment.

Familias en Accion ($140,151) – Portland, OR – The Lance Armstrong Foundation will provide funding to develop a patient navigator program for Latino cancer survivors and their families, assisting them in accessing quality cancer treatment and support services. The program will provide special emphasis in providing cancer support services to adolescents and young adults – two groups who require culturally-specific and age appropriate resources.

Aberdeen Area Tribal Group ($150,000) – Rapid City, South Dakota – Funding from the LAF will support two Native American communities in South Dakota (Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the Rapid City Urban Community) to develop community-based and culturally-appropriate cancer survivor support initiatives.

Additionally, the LAF has just partnered with Penn Medicine to provide the LIVESTRONG Care Plan powered by OncoLink with connections to all the resources the Lance Armstrong Foundation can bring to bear in a battle with cancer. In fact, I referred a student of mine to it yesterday when she told me her grandfather was just diagnosed with colon cancer.

I am proud to be a member of Team Fatty and the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s grassroots efforts to make cancer a national priority. Every little bit each of us do in the fight against cancer.

In the words of Fatty:

"What helps — a little — is to know that I, along with you, am at least doing something in this fight. It’s not enough to help Susan, and I hate myself for not having done more sooner.

But it is something, and you’re all helping me feel like I’m doing something important. And that helps me. Thank you for that."

Your $5.00 makes a difference. Let’s work together to improve cancer care. I need your help. Please, ask everyone you know to go to this Challenge donation page and donate $5.00. Of course, anyone can donate more, but all I’m asking is $5.00 and a promise you’ll spread the word.

If you've already donated, great. Thank you very much. You have already made a huge impact. Please consider making your impact even larger by passing this on to folks you know who would like to join the fight against cancer.

If you’d like to know more about Team Fatty, be sure to check out FatCyclist.com. If you'd like to find out more about my experience riding 176 miles in a circle, check out my Challenge blog.

Thank you so very much,

Jeremy Everitt

LS Army Salem-Keizer local leader
Member – Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan

Short check ride

2009-05-25T22:22:00.000-07:00

I pulled out the single speed for a short ride today to check the legs. I felt very good, save for a little soreness in my lower back above my right hip. I can only attribute that to the over 4500 right turns I made on Saturday.

I got word on Facebook today one of my high school classmates' father is back in the hospital with cancer. I also got word yesterday about my mom's friend is having significant complications from chemo in this round with cancer.

I can't help but think we are fighting the good fight against cancer but it's really time to step up our game. It's time to make cancer a national priority in the way that taking a manned trip to the moon was a national priority. Join your local LIVESTRONG Army.

100 (and 76) Miles of Nowhere

2009-05-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the FatCyclist.com 100 Miles of Nowhere. After collecting donations in the 100 Miles of Nowhere challenge, I raise $880 prior to the start of the event. I pledged to ride 1 mile for every $5 donated to my LIVESTRONG Challenge page so I committed to riding 176 miles, not just the 100. I also allowed the donors a vote on how I did it with every $10 they donated. They had a choice between the trainer in the garage, a spin cycle in the gym, or a .15-mile loop. The loop won so I got to ride approximately 1174 times around that loop over the course of the day.

On Friday, I got bottles filled and food ready. I am allergic to nuts and sesame seeds so having actual, high-energy food is a bit difficult. It was nothing but gels, sport beans and Clif Bars kid's ZBars. Don't get me wrong, the ZBars are tasty, but they run a little more than half the calories of their adult-style brethren. When you run through 9,000+ calories on a ride, half the calories just doesn't cut it. I welcome feeding advice from folks who use allergen-free fueling methods.

Saturday morning, I wanted to be up and rolling prior to 5:30 a.m. in the interests of being finished by my youngest daughter's second birthday. Breakfast took longer than I wanted and I needed to set up my feed zone and information, so at least the neighbors could find out what I was up to.

I got rolling before the neighborhood got moving. My pace was decently high for the first few hours while the sun rose. I tried switching direction after the first hour and decided the off-camber turn in the opposite direction was uncomfortable and would require ditching too much speed in the corner, so it was all rights, all day. I also made the resolution I wouldn't look at mileage until I reached the next hour of riding so I wouldn't drive myself nuts looking at the miles tick by.

The girls came up a couple of times to shoot pictures and shout encouragement.

I greatly appreciated the brief periods of human contact. Riding that loop over and over was a very lonely experience. I started the day dreaming of what I'd do if I won the lottery. Somewhere around miles 60-80, my brain completely shut off save for checking for cars and rocks on the turns. I absorbed the music from my iPod and thought about absolutely nothing except surviving this ride.

I stopped for a extended break at mile 80 when I cramped on the inside of my right leg. A little caffeinated, sugary help, a few minutes stretching, and a resolve to bring the pace down a bit to prevent recurrence later, and I was on my way again.

At mile 85, the girls checked in again. I managed to accidently press both buttons on the brake hoods and reset the trip meter. Fortunately, I had the GPS backup. I gave them the extra battery to recharge on the GPS.

Somewhere along the way, my parents and my brother and his fiance stopped by to check in. They got a sandwich for me, which I ate in multiple sittings, and that helped a little with the calorie deficit.

One of my colleagues and his family stopped by with some energy goodies at about mile 120. They hollered encouragement from the car and, once again, I appreciate having a little human contact and encouragement. The girls were tied up all afternoon getting ready for my youngest daughter's second birthday so I had no visitors at the loop for a while.

My wife brought back the extra GPS battery somewhere around 4:45 p.m. I apparently didn't seat the connection correctly so the GPS ran out of battery shortly thereafter.

I took a little break at about 6:00 p.m. for the party. I was at mile 161. I also discovered the GPS ran out of juice at that point. I had to go off the initial odometer reading to make sure I got through 176.

My dad shot a picture of me after I walked in to the party. I looked much more chipper in the others but I thought this one really captured how I felt.

After presents and cake, I headed back to the top of the hill to ride the final 15 miles. Never have I felt so relieved to be able to get back on the bike. I really wanted to make sure I finished this ride in one day.

In the end, I finished my first race, I rode 62 miles longer in a day than I ever have before, and I raised a bunch of money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I even surprised myself and averaged 16 mph while riding. I was hoping I'd be close to 16, but I figured I'd drop well below that in the end. It was one of the more lonely things I have ever done but if it means raising $900 for the LAF, I'd do it all over again.

Here's a little video I put together of the ride:

FatCyclist.com 100 Miles of Nowhere, Keizer Edition from Jeremy Everitt on Vimeo.

The GPS track of the ride:

Glorious!

Wow! It's been a while...

2009-05-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

It's been busy in my house the last few weeks. We prepared for and successfully ran the booth at the Keizer Iris Festival last weekend. Final stats:
3 days, 24 hours open
$150.36 in donations
100+ wristbands given away
30+ signatures on the LIVESTRONG Petition
94 links on the chain of loved ones
5+ pamphlets
8+ people referred to SurvivorCare
3+ possible team members
1 Survivorship Notebook given to a person biopsied Friday

It was incredible talking to people about their connection to cancer. I was physically and emotionally spent by the end of the weekend.

The 100 Miles of Nowhere has been a resounding success. $880 have been raised for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and I will be riding 176 miles on Saturday, unless someone wants to put a little more in the pot in the next 24 hours. Bring on the pain.

Almost to $1000

2009-05-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

I just had a handful of checks come in today putting the overall total of funds raised at $895. That is tantalizingly close to that magic $1000 mark. I hope some of you can donate, find friends to donate, beg family members, or do whatever you can to help reach that $1000 milestone.

Thanks!

A milestone reached

2009-05-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

This week has been a rough one around our house. Everybody but Mom ended up not feeling so great at some point during the week. Fortunately, we are starting to recover a bit.

With a check from a colleague, my 100 Miles of Nowhere challenge reached $520 raised for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. This means I will ride 104 miles, if the current vote holds, in a .16-mile loop at the top of the hill by my house.

Now I'm not going to poo-poo $520, but I think we can do better. We've got three more weeks to get those donations in and make me go an absolutely insane 200 miles. Tell all your friends.

The 100 Miles of Nowhere raised over $21,000 in entry fees for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. This means Team Fatty is rapidly approaching $200,000, a huge milestone. Even if your not a fan of the 100 Miles of Nowhere silliness, please help us break through that $200K barrier and keep on trucking.

Thanks!

Team Fat Cyclist featured on LIVESTRONGChallenge.org

2009-04-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

Check out the team information on LIVESTRONGChallenge.org. Team Fatty and all the antics to raise money are featured this month. We are making good progress toward our goals but still need help. Please consider donating, joining the team or passing it on to all your friends.

The Final Word on the 100 Miles of Nowhere

2009-04-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

The final date for the 100 Miles of Nowhere is now hard and fast: May 23, 2009. You can check out all the details at FatCyclist.com.

This means the donation period is extended to May 23. Every $5 you give is another mile I ride (up to 200 miles, because I have desire to raise $1000, not a death wish) and every $10 you give is a vote on how it gets done. I still need some folks to put in their picks: on the trainer in the garage, on the spin bike at the gym, or doing .16-mile laps around the neighborhood. (No, riding the pedal tractor is NOT an option.) You may split your vote if you wish. The vote at this time is 2 for the trainer, 0 for the spin bike, and 4 for the .16-mile loop.

Thanks again for all the support and I hope you'll join us for the fun. Donate online to make your dollars work harder for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Special Challenge Event

2009-04-21T23:42:00.000-07:00

Show us your spirit! Join Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan (in Seattle, preferably) between 12:01 a.m. Wed., April 22, and 11:59 p.m. Wed., April 22, and get $15 off registration with the discount code "SPIRIT09". Help us reach our goal of 125 team members in Seattle and each of the other cities.

But I don't want to go to Seattle on June 21, you say. Well, if you register as a runner/walker for the 5K, you can fundraise, be a part of the most excellent Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan and if you don't come, well, I won't tell if you won't and I'll even pick up your goodie bag for you and make sure it gets into your hands. Of course, it would be much more fun if you were there.

The LIVESTRONG Challenge is the Lance Armstrong Foundation's signature fundraising event inspired by the hope, courage and determination that exist in all of us. We take to the streets on bikes and on our feet, uniting individuals to stand together to fight cancer.

For the 2009 LIVESTRONG Challenge, Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan - Seattle is looking to recruit 125 team members and raise $125,000 to support cancer prevention, provide access to screening and care, fund research, and enhance the quality of life for cancer survivors everywhere. We are over $42,000 already. Whether you walk, run, or ride, your participation is one more powerful weapon in the crucial fight against cancer.

Ready to join Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan? Register today by following these easy steps:

1. Visit www.livestrongchallenge.org
2. Click on Seattle
3. Click on Register for Seattle ($50 fee - Special $15 discount 12:01 a.m. PT April 22 - 11:59 p.m. April 22 "SPIRIT09")
4. Agree to the waiver ($250 fundraising minimum required for riders to participate)
5. Choose “Join a Team” and select Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan from the drop down list.

Remember to recruit your friends and family to join you on Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan. We need their help to reach our fundraising goal.

Through the dollars and awareness that we raise, we will inspire and empower individuals, and we will make life better for the more than 12 million Americans living with cancer. We look forward to having you unite with us as a partner in our fight.

Join the Fight. Take the Challenge.

As always, thank you for the continued support and if you can't join, please send this on to someone you think might be interested.

P.S. The 100 Miles of Nowhere challenge is still on. My crazy self is up to 73 miles, but I'll go 200 if it means I raise $1000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Sunny days are back again

2009-04-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

We made the newsletter! With your help, we have raised over $167,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. That's almost as much as the entire group of participants in San Jose!

I would love your help and support. Please tell people you know about Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan. Encourage them to join the team or donate to a Team Fatty member. Every little bit helps in the fight against cancer and meeting our goals of having the largest team ever, raising the most money ever and creating a legacy the Nelson family can be proud of.

In other news, the Team Fatty booth at the Keizer Iris Festival is starting to take shape. The one major thing I have left to do is get internet access at the booth for online donations. I've got information and goodies from the Lance Armstrong Foundation to give away. I've got keychains and bracelets made of recycled bicycle chain to sell. I'm picking up some extra sunscreen to give away. I'm really excited for this fundraising and outreach opportunity. Please join me May 15-17 at Keizer Station. Drop in for an hour or two or just pop in and say, "Hi!"

The 100 Miles of Nowhere looks like it may be postponed from the end of April to sometime in May. If it is, I will extend the time for donations toward mileage. Right now, I am riding 73 miles based on the $365 in donations already in, bringing my overall total to $655 (one check isn't in the online total, yet). With some other pledged money, it looks like I may be riding the full 100 miles and then some. I would love to have to ride more. Encourage everyone you know. Just tell them this crazy guy you know is riding 100 miles (or more) going absolutely nowhere to raise money to fight cancer. If that doesn't work, well, threaten them with those pictures you took in college. :-)

I got up and out early today after getting no ride in yesterday. We planted our side garden so that meant running around town picking up tools and soil. We put in lettuce, broccoli, peas and artichokes. Fingers crossed we get a good crop and some fresh veggies in a few months. The upper garden will be tilled and planted in a couple of weeks for the tomatoes. We are hoping to put in an apple tree with the multiple varieties in one tree at some point.

The ride today was a longer group ride and with my ride from home to the meet up and back, I got in 68 miles. One of the guys who was with me the whole way said we averaged 17.7 during the 55-mile group portion of the ride. I felt good but the guys I was with wound it up to about 28 mph a couple of times on the way home so I felt pretty well cooked by the time it was over. It's time to rest and recover for a trip to the pool with the girls and another group ride tomorrow.

Cha-ching!

2009-04-06T23:24:00.000-07:00

Well, we have raised $205 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. That means I'll ride 41 miles for absolute certain in the 100 Miles of Nowhere. Why do I say "for absolute certain"? Well, my friend, Billy, called me tonight to let me know he has $240 pledged for the 100 Miles of Nowhere. He thinks he can get $300. If he does, I'm riding the full 100 and then some. I'm so excited.

Does that mean it's all over? No, way. Let's get me up to 200 miles. That's truly insane.

I had a great ride today. I rode with the club and made a wrong turn for an extra couple of miles. I felt great and averaged 18.6 mph for the ride. I need to meter my outputs so I don't overtrain early, but the weather was phenomenal and I couldn't help myself.

27 miles - 73 to go

2009-04-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

Thank you! Another round of donations came in today and together, we've raised $135 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. That means I'm riding 27 in the 100 Miles of Nowhere. Tell all your friends and help me get to (or beyond) 100 miles. Remember, you get to help choose my method of insanity.

I had an awesome ride today. The weather cleared up and it was so warm today, relatively speaking. I started in leg and arm warmers and had to peel them off after the engine got warm. I was going hard and fast, up near LT most of the ride. I still feel a little slow but feel pretty good with the effort.

I tried to GPS the route today, but I lost signal at the start and the program never picked it back up. That was a bummer as I really like the route I took.

Ride time: 2:11:03
Distance: 37.47 mi.
Average speed: 17.1 mph

15 down - 75 to go!

2009-04-03T17:47:00.000-07:00

So far, $75 in donations have come in and that puts me riding 15 miles. Make me ride more and donate today!

I got in a short ride today. 10.13 miles on Big Blue ending at the club to catch Mom and the girls after swim lessons. It's still a little chilly but is supposed to warm up this weekend and I'm planning on logging some big miles on Saturday and Sunday.

11 miles in - 89 to go

2009-04-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

So far, $55 in donations have come in and that puts me riding 11 miles. Make me ride more and donate today!

An idea so crazy it just might work

2009-03-31T16:25:00.000-07:00

So here's the deal: Team Fatty is doing 100 Miles of Nowhere. That's right. 100 miles going absolutely nowhere and I'm going right along.

So what does that have to do with me, you say. Well, I'm glad you asked. You get to choose what I do and how long I ride.

How? It's simple donate any amount of money on my LIVESTRONG Challenge page. For every $5 raised between today and the event somewhere near the end of April, I will ride a mile. For every $10 you donate, you get a vote on my method of completing the ride: the trainer, the spin bike at the athletic club or riding circles around a .165 mile loop near my house (GPS tracking on this one should be hilarious).

I will ride for as many miles as you all donate, in whatever way you all choose. It's a win for everybody but me. You choose how I suffer and an invitation to come laugh at me while you enjoy some food and drink. The Lance Armstrong Foundation gets donations to improve cancer care around the world. I just get the mind-numbing joy that comes only from riding for hours on end and going absolutely nowhere.

Just one thing: I would love to raise $1000+ on this little endeavor, but I will ride a maximum of 200 miles. (Sorry to disappoint.)

Finally, a good ride outside

2009-03-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

I've been working on support documents for Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan when I can. I'm getting set to find a printer for the flyers this afternoon so things are in motion for the Iris Festival booth in May.

I got a new toy before break as my wife needed a smartphone for her consulting work this spring. The iPhone has GPS capabilities and applications to track your rides so I gave one a try today. It's pretty cool, in a nerdy way, to finish a ride with a map documenting where you went and your elevation profile.

It's easy to forget how liberating a nice day and a bicycle can be. The crisp spring air sears the lungs as the engine gets warmed up. The whir of spokes in the crosswind as I pedal into the bottom by the river. The call of the avian multitudes as they comb over the freshly plowed and fallow fields. I love watching the fields change as spring and sumer progress along my routes out of town.

It's been a long time since I got outside on the bike for any significant distance. I took the blue Klein out and did 30 miles in just under 2 hours. Not fast, but enjoyable. Now, I just need to keep it up so I'm ready for the very challenging course in Seattle.

It's time to take names and kick..

2009-03-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

You missed the pre-order for Team Fatty jerseys, but some will be available in June (act fast). Join Team Fatty today!

Join Team Fatty!

2009-03-11T22:10:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd drop a note in here. This year's LIVESTRONG Challenge series will be in Seattle, San Jose, Philadelphia and Austin. If you are thinking about riding it and are otherwise unaffiliated, I would suggest joining Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan. Our goal is to be the largest team in the history of the series and raise the most money in the history of the series. This is in honor of Susan Nelson, Fatty's wife, who has metastatic brain cancer.

You are still eligible for all the just rewards from the Challenge itself but the team has rewards, too. And we have really snazzy kit, but it's only available via preorder at TwinSix until March 17th. ($30 from every jersey goes to the LAF and you don't have to be a team member to get one.)

Check out FatCyclist.comFatCyclist.com for more info, humorous bike stories, and heart-wrenching tidbits about what it is like to live with someone you love fighting for her life. I hope it moves you as it moves me.

P.S. I will be hosting a booth to distribute LAF cancer survivorship materials and raise money for Team Fatty at the 2009 Keizer Iris Festival, May 15-17. If anyone knows a good place to have 11x17 color print done for that event relatively cheaply, I'd love to hear where. Feel free to drop in and say hi. (And, no, I'm really not too proud to beg at this point. :D )

P.P.S. Please donate.

Join Me at the Keizer Iris Festival

2009-03-01T11:22:00.001-08:00

Things are starting to come together for a booth at the Keizer Iris Festival, May 15, 16, ans 17, 2009. Big thank you to my father-in-law for sponsoring the space. I am beginning the search for giveaways and information to stock the booth, along with donation forms and things. My goal is to have some local fitness and wellness companies involved on the giveaways and some local doctor's involved in maybe providing cancer screenings to some visitors.

Bob Roll Shaves His Head for Team Fatty!

2009-02-21T19:07:00.000-08:00

No more comb-over for Mr. Roll. The challenge went out and over $5000 was raised in 20 hours. Awesome!

Slow going

2009-01-25T13:42:00.001-08:00

Money is tight. Everywhere. I was hoping to get a jump start on fund-raising in December but the only one to donate was me. I'm working on putting together a booth for the Keizer Iris Festival to distribute yellow bands and survivorship information.

Training has been light. I've been spinning but am too soft to ride outside.

It starts with me.

2008-12-04T06:45:00.000-08:00

To receive a discount on Lance Armstrong Foundation gear, use the discount code GIVE2008.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

2009 LIVESTRONG Challenge Seattle

2008-12-03T21:51:00.000-08:00

I am once again participating in LIVESTRONG Challenge which is taking place in Seattle this year. People from all over will gather June 21 to participate in either a 5K run/walk or one of several different bike rides, a 10-, 45-, 70-, or 100-mile ride all to raise money and awareness for the fight against cancer. The LAF strives to inspire and empower those who have been affected by the disease and hopes to make cancer a national priority. And with Lance’s comeback to professional cycling, perhaps we can take the issue to the global stage as well. The money the LAF generates is used to help close the gap between what we know and what we do in the cancer fight by providing everyone with better access to early screening and care, funding research related to survivorship, and working to improve the quality of life for cancer survivors.

Three out of four families in the United States will be faced with caring for a family member with cancer. One of those families in the Nelsons. I've been following the blog of Elden Nelson (a.k.a. The Fat Cyclist) for a while now at Fat Cyclist.com. The humor and raw honesty of Fatty has inspired me to join in what can only be described as a monumental challenge - have the most participants and raise the most money of any team participating this year. I have decided to ride my bike 100 miles in the upcoming LIVESTRONG Challenge. My goal is to raise over $1,000 for the LAF and finish the ride in less than 7 hours. With the support of friends and family like you, I know I can succeed in accomplishing both goals.

I ask that you please take some time and visit my fundraising website. Of course, I would appreciate any donation that you’re able to make and I would hope, in the spirit of the season, you would consider any donation on my behalf the perfect Christmas present for me. As the LAF is a registered 501(c)(3), your contribution is tax deductible. Please feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions about the Challenge or my goals, and feel free to sign up for yourself. It should be a wonderful weekend.

I cannot thank you enough for your time and consideration. Your generosity is welcomed by many more than you may know. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on the progress I make in my training and fundraising, and hope to hear from you soon.

TDF Time!

2008-07-05T08:47:00.001-07:00

We did it!

2008-06-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

We got up this morning and were out the door at 5:45 a.m. to head to the Portland LIVESTRONG Challenge. We loaded two strollers for the girls, just in case they got scrappy in the wide double. I put my bike on the rack and we were off.

We brought breakfast and a DVD for the hour's drive north for the girls and they seemed to enjoy both. The entrance to Nike World Headquarters was backed up when we got there but we had plenty of time to get set. I got the wide stroller set for the girls and put my bike together while Lindsay got the essentials together. Once we had the girls situated, I got into my riding gear and got adjusted for the ride.

I saw the girls and our friends and their daughter at the staging area. It was already heating up and only got hotter as the day went on. Our oldest had to go see Daddy before we set out on the ride and had tears going. A combination of an early morning and a little anxiety, I think, but sweet none the less. We parted ways and I was off.

My legs felt great but I really hurt. I figured I might as well go fairly hard to get off the bike sooner and finished the 40-mile course in 2:13 with two water stops. The 40-mile route is pretty flat so it wasn't a huge problem to get into a good rhythm and roll. I called my wife with 5 miles to go to let her know I was coming in fast but she didn't get the message until I was already back to the soccer field where the post-event party was being held.

The girls did the 5K. Momma had to walk a few times and settle some sisterly squabbles over space in the stroller but they made pretty good time. They walked/ran with our friends for a bit of the way.

We all played and ate at the party. I took some time to get a shower and stop by the medical tent for an ice pack while we waited for Lance to come give his speech.

The Cyclists Combating Cancer team took the jersey competition and it was awesome. Our event raised over $1,000,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I hope the other events do even better and, as Lance said, I hope we see a day where we stop doing this because we beat cancer.

Last ride before the Challenge

2008-06-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

I rode a group ride on Monday and forgot to post. We took it easy as many of the group completed the Watermelon Rides the day before. It was a simple 25-mile loop and a good shake out. I felt really good, but between swim lessons with the girls and my little mishap, it will be the last time I'm in the saddle until tomorrow. I'm going to try the 40-mile loop tomorrow but it will all depend on my ability to adjust everything to ride relatively pain free.

My wife is wonderful. She took the girls with her the last couple of days to let me rest and ice in the hopes I could get myself ready to ride. Here's to hoping the extra pain and agony was worth it.

Vital stats:
25.62 mi - 16.1 avg - 1:35:05 rolling time

Drat!

2008-06-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

In a cruel twist of fate, I have an injury and was told by my doctor unless I really wanted to hurt and possibly do permanent damage, 100 miles on the bike on Sunday is out of the question. In fact, he recommended not getting on the bike at all until I heal as the pressure of the seat will not help the healing process. I'm on ice, Advil and rest today until I feel good enough to walk around comfortably. If I can move around comfortably, I may try to give the shorter rides a go on Sunday or walk with the girls. Lame!

It's allergy season

2008-06-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

I rode last Saturday and Sunday and rode again Friday. I have come to one very simple conclusion: Allergies stink! I rode 18.5 Saturday, came home and my eyes swelled shut. I rode 68.5 miles on Sunday with a bunch of climbing and felt okay afterward but had some itchy eyes and a plugged nose. I rode 42 miles on Friday and came back covered in hives. I could see the pollen coming off the wheat and grass fields in the valley.

I'm excited for the event this weekend but we had a little shirt snafu. It seems my month-early order had a problem. My spam filter caught the notification of the problem and all of a sudden we're talking about how to upgrade shipping and changing sizes that are backordered. I think we're squared away now, but I'll be more comfortable once the shirts are in hand.

In other news, I reached a fundraising milestone yesterday when my donation total reached $500. I'm halfway to my goal but I'm afraid with less than a week to go, I won't reach my goal by ride day. I will continue to fundraise in the hopes I can reach it after, however.

Frank discussions about cancer?

2008-06-15T15:32:00.001-07:00

The Seattle Times ran an article today about the talks terminal cancer patients have, or rather don't have, with their doctors. It seems patients actually benefit by being fully educated about their situation and the knowledge allows them to make critical decisions about their care. The patients who have "the talk" with their doctor are less likely to be on a respirator, be resuscitated, or die in a hospital. Further, their loved ones did better, too. Apparently, knowledge IS power.

The Klein is out of commission

2008-06-10T21:32:00.000-07:00

So I built up my blue Klein Aura XV myself. Turns out, that may have not been the greatest plan on a couple of counts. I popped in an outboard bearing bottom bracket and crank I got on the cheap used, but did not face the bottom bracket shell. Basically the procedure cleans the paint off and makes sure the part of the frame that interfaces with the bottom bracket bearing cups is perfectly flat, preventing sloppy wobble when you pedal. The wobble can apparently cause nasty noises and destruction to occur at the bottom bracket. Two thousand of my miles on the crank and bottom bracket caused an intermittent creak to become a royal scream. I walked into the shop today to talk about a fresh problem to have the mechanic show me the crank stop at exactly the same place, going only once around on its own. That's friction, folks, and that's bad. Really bad.

Tomorrow, I pick up the bike with a new (to me) Ultegra crankset and bearing cups. That should free up one problem but it leaves me with another: a broken rim. One of the spokes on my rear wheel is pulling through the rim. I'm actually really lucky it didn't give on a ride because my frame probably would have been completely hosed. It's almost indistinguishable but once you see it, you notice the cracks in the metal. After having the front wheel trued a couple of weeks ago, we decided to cash in the warranty toward an entire replacement set. We already knew the front wheel wasn't long for this world (after a certain rolling under the car tire incident) so it just made sense. Someday, I'll get the fancy upgrade wheels but I'm sticking with the basics for now.

I'm just counting the hours until I get to run screaming from the school building and ride (almost) whenever I'd like. It's coming soon...

Hat Day

2008-06-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

My friend and colleague went through her second round of chemotherapy late last week. She and her husband made the decision to shave her head over the weekend and the phone tree got started. At school, as a show of solidarity with her, over 40 of our teachers and staff wore hats. She requested a picture, but not everybody could make it.

Just a quick shopping trip

2008-06-08T21:27:00.000-07:00

My training took a huge hit this week. I got sick. Very, very sick. I came down with a fever on Wednesday, in the middle of the day. I fought through the rest of my classes and after school time with students before coming home and sleeping until my wife had to go to work. Trying to take care of the girls while I was shaking was not really that enjoyable.

When I woke up in the morning, I was at 102. I usually run around 97.8 so this was a pretty significant spike for me. I got sub plans in and then slept all day Thursday. My wife took the girls out of the house for most of the morning and even took them to work at a care center in the athletic club down the street (for her first day, no less) so I could sleep and try to recover to deliver my finals. She really deserves a medal because her first day didn't go very well.

My fever finally broke sometime during the night Thursday, but I still didn't feel like eating much. In fact, my appetite didn't come back until today. I finally felt good enough to ride today, a week after my last ride.

I rode up the the factory stores north of us. It was about 42 miles round trip on a very pleasant day. The allergens are out and my allergies were acting up the whole day. Sneezing on a bike is a bit sketchy. I bought some new socks and a shirt, stuffed them in my jersey pocket and rolled on home. It felt good, but I will need to have the bike worked on this week. I'm having problems with the left crank and pedal.

C/D Ride - Oh, yeah

2008-06-01T15:00:00.001-07:00

So we decided to send me on my merry way to the Sunday morning club ride. It was advertised as a C/D ride, which is the most difficult ride the club does, as near as I can recall.

We rolled south then traversed the hills, with repeated climbs and descents. I suffered like a dog on every climb, trying to keep up with the fast group. I have a bit of heft helping me catch them on the descents. I bailed to get water from a teacher friend whose house is on the route and never caught back on. I caught another club member and rode back in to town with him. I basically had cramps from the top of the last hill all the way home.

I have a lot of work to do before the Challenge at the end of the month.

Stats:
60.11 mi - 16.3 avg - 3:41:12 rolling time
HRM - 4:02:52 total time (w/ rests) - 3075 cal - 35% fat - Max 219 BPM - Avg 145 BPM

C/D Ride - Oh, yeah

2008-06-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Pure insanity

2008-05-31T21:23:00.001-07:00

The last two weeks have been Crazy. Yes, that's Crazy with a capital C. The last three weeks of class before finals week is nuts anyway, but throw a load of family and other obligations in the middle and things have to give. I've been riding to work except two days which required large loads of stuff for back-to-back-to-back meetings and appointments.

I did no riding over Memorial Day weekend. The weather was lousy and my entire family save my grandma who is in nursing care was at my parents' place. We had a great time with the sibs and significant others. The second meeting of the cousins was a barrel of fun, too. We barbecued and generally ate enough to feed a small country, which definitely doesn't help the training any.

My colleague with breast cancer just started chemotherapy. She's fighting through and still coming to work, but you can see how much of a toll it's taking on her already. She's got a great support network and we've got her back if she needs us at work.

I did manage to drum up a few donations in the last couple of weeks - thanks everybody, you all rock. I think I'll be eligible to ride with the $250 minimum but I'd really appreciate a few more of you out there to help a few more folks with cancer. Drop by the fundraising site anytime (linked at right :-) ).

Out of the mouths of babes

2008-05-19T22:26:00.000-07:00

Today I rode the now fixed gear to work. I had IM soccer after school (one more day!) and came home right away.

The girls were on fire. Big daughter had no nap and was still (miraculously) going strong. Little daughter was moving and shaking. She should be crawling any day - or so the phrase has been for the last I don't know how long. I grabbed a snack and played with big daughter before getting ready for the Monday group ride.

I told big daughter I was going for a bike ride and she immediately asked to go, too. I told her I was sorry but this was a Dadda only bike ride and we would ride together on Thursday. She repeated her request and I had to restate our deal for Thursday. After I got dressed and went to say goodbye to the girls, I walked into the kitchen and said, "All right." Big daughter looked up from her playing long enough to say, "Bye", and that's all there was. I admit I was a bit afraid of a meltdown on departure.

The ride today was a fairly flat 28 miles, giving me 30 miles with the trip to and from the gathering place. I felt lousy after all the riding yesterday but I got going pretty quickly today. It was so different riding the geared bike after spending so much time on the fixed gear yesterday. I'm not used to riding fixed, yet, but I already feel a difference in my pedal stroke. We started pretty fast and one guy and I kept the pace high all the way back into town. He headed home at the city limits and I had a few miles home by myself.

I pulled in a little before 8:00 and big daughter was still up and reading stories. I walked into her room and asked her how dinner was. Instead of replying, she said, "How was your ride, Daddy?" I love that kid. I can't wait to get her pedaling on her own soon.

Don't forget to drop a donation in the bucket for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I'm working on the shirt design and I will include names of friends and family of donors on the back.

Monday's ride stats:
29.69 mi - 32.3 max - 17.9 avg - 1:39:27 rolling time

Time flies when you're having fun

2008-05-18T15:07:00.000-07:00

I rode to work four of five days the last week. The weather helped and I pulled out the single speed to celebrate. It doesn't have fender mounts so I leave it hanging up for most of the winter.

Jana and I hit the local evening family ride for the first time this season on Thursday. We cranked through the 12 miles in about 45 minutes. Not too bad for my being a little out of shape and the weather being a lot hot.

Yesterday was spent busting my hump around the house to welcome spring. I did some repairs on the sprinklers and the gazebo cover. I put up the cover and the shade tarp (thanks, Gramps!) so our outdoor living room was ready to enjoy with the nice spring weather. The girls love being outside so that was a bit of an essential thing to do. I put together the micro-drip sprinkler system in the garden. I needed a few things to complete those tasks so I rode to Lowe's, the long way, of course, to pick up the needed supplies. It wasn't a terribly long ride, but I did get in about 7 or 8 miles in spite of all the work around the house.

Today I rode 33 miles as the trailer for the Iris Festival Half Marathon. It was fun seeing and making friends. I found it to be a challenging ride since I flipped my rear wheel so it was a fixed-gear. I have muscles angry with me right now I'm not sure I knew I had. Even though it was not a huge number of miles, being on the bike for three and a half hours was a good test for putting in some serious distance.

The intramural soccer program draws to a close this Wednesday and I am looking forward to having my afternoons back. My students are getting the warm-weather fidgets and the end-of-the-year uh-ohs. I really need to help some of them after school or they won't make it.

This week I talked with my wife and we decided to pay forward some of my mad money for the month. I've mentioned the Fat Cyclist before and his wife was recently diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Their family is going to have some real needs in the immediate future so we contributed a little to the WIN Susan Nelson Fund. Read a little of his blog. If the spirit moves you, I encourage you to do the same.

It's Bike to Work Week

2008-05-13T21:28:00.001-07:00

In all the hubbub leading to LIVESTRONG Day, it escaped me that it's the League of American Bicyclists' annual Bike to Work Week this week. I was a bad commuter today, but I had to drop off my front wheel from my favorite bike for a little work and go to my barber.

The wheel is out of true and is giving me a little feedback on rides along with nicking the sensor causing quiet clicking from the front fork on rides. I'm hoping the guys at the local shop can work their magic and get me rolling again because if they can't, it'll be another one in the books for expensive stupid mistakes. You see, like almost every wheelset I have ever had, this one had at least one wheel munched by my own stupidity.

Let's begin with my first geared bike, an old Trek 820 mountain bike. I bought it cheap from a friend in high school who was run over by a van and couldn't ride for quite a while. It served me well though an STP and many, many miles around the Willamette Valley. I rode that thing all over until I finally got a job in college and could afford a new, better-fitting mountain bike. After a training ride for the STP, I park my bike along a curb in the church parking lot, only to have the support van driver back over it, folding the rear wheel. Probably should have pulled it into the grass.

My second mountain bike, a Barracuda A2B, was a fun ride. It was small and agile, handled trails well and served as my first commuter. Problem with it was it stunk to ride it for long distances. It was just a bit small along the top tube for any kind of distance on the road. I used it to go back and forth to my old high school to borrow my parents' car for my part time job in college. (Thanks for loaning me the car!) I upgraded that bike as often as I could, putting v-brakes on it in one upgrade. I touched the brakes on the wet track at the school and folded the rear wheel like a cheap tent. Tacos are great for dinner, bad for bike wheels. I had to carry the bike the rest of the way to pick up the car and all the back to my dorm that day. My next paycheck went to a new upgrade - double-wall rims.

My first road bike, a '98 Klein Stage, was a used purchase shortly after I got married. (Thanks, honey!) I bought it used and rode it all over, rejuvenating my joy in the long distance ride. It carried me through the first LIVESTRONG Ride in 2005, almost took me through the first LIVESTRONG Challenge in 2006 save for a broken screw two days before the ride and is now a converted single speed. One trip to the in-laws' house, I put the front wheel in a fork mount on the car rack. Apparently, I didn't tighten the quick release well enough and their are no lawyer tabs on the old Yakima fork mounts. Somewhere between Salem and Portland, my front wheel left the rack. I had to buy a new front wheel in Olympia so I could ride. I started to have a bit of trouble with the rear wheel staying true after a couple of years. In 2005, I got a new Bontrager wheelset to replace the rear wheel and match it to the front.

I had upgraded the Stage a little, of course, and pulled its parts for the new-to-me Klein Aura XV. I got a the frame last Christmas off eBay along with a new crank. I built the bike up, rebuilding the bearings and filling in parts I didn't have. I love the ride, probably in part because I built it myself. On occasion I ride across the ferry and through the west hills to my parents' house and meet the girls over there for a little grandparent time. One time, I showered up over there and was going to toss the bike on the rack for the trip home. Learning from the previous lesson, I put the front wheel in the car. Only it didn't make it into the car before I got caught up getting the girls into their car seats. As the car rolled down the hill the front wheel got the business end of the car's rear wheel. Fortunately, it was only a small section caught under the wheel, but I think I'll be fighting with it to keep it true for the rest of its life.

Here's to hoping we can get a true front wheel tomorrow.

50% Off LIVESTRONG Challenge Registration Today

2008-05-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

Go to the LIVESTRONG Challenge website and use the discount code LSDAY08.

Remember to join the Celtic Connection!

LIVESTRONG Day is tomorrow!

2008-05-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

The weekend was devoted to Mom(s) so riding didn't happen.

Friday after school, I rented a tiller to get our little garden plot ready and spent a couple of hours getting everything ground up.

Saturday was spent adding soil to our garden, carting and spreading 2 yards of bark, and framing the now raised garden bed to keep our two-legged and four-legged cohabitants out. Graciously, Grandpa and Grandma provided assistance in the process and allowed me to work pretty solid all day while Mom got to go to a bridal shower and work out.

Sunday morning, we hosted breakfast for my two favorite Moms in the whole world and had my sister join us. She's getting married in August and has loads to do, so she, my wife and my mom went to get them registered and discuss plans, leaving Grandpa and I with the squirts. They got back late so I wasn't able to pull the quick afternoon ride.

With no long ride over the weekend, I made a commitment to hit the local Monday group ride after school and refereeing soccer. This meant little time with the girls this evening, but I've got to get some miles in. The Challenge is less than two months aways.

The ride was a quick, 28-mile loop in the opposite direction I normally go. I grabbed on to the two fast guys and hung on the whole way. I'm nowhere near as fit as I was last summer, but I hung in. It felt good to go fast.

In honor of LIVESTRONG Day tomorrow, I wore my Challenge jersey and carried my newly arrived bright pink FatCyclist.com water bottle from TwinSix. If you haven't heard, Susan, Fatty's wife, has taken a turn for the worst. The eloquence Fatty has in sharing his family's trials through cancer treatment is a must read. I certainly can't do his writing justice. It's time to find a way to eliminate cancer so no family has to go through what the Nelson family is experience.

Cyclometer stats: 29.77 mi -33.5 max - 18.9 avg - 1:34:24 rolling time

Another week in the books

2008-05-09T22:24:00.000-07:00

The last five days have been hectic.

Monday was a no-ride day because I was running (yes, literally) from my classroom to the gym for intramural soccer then to my alma mater for a meeting. Unfortunately, sometimes a car is faster.

Tuesday was a track meet after school and it was long. Sprinters can be so slow sometimes. We had ten heats of the short sprints and they all took their sweet time between heats getting their blocks set.

Wednesday and Thursday afternoons were occupied with more IM soccer. It's great to get kids involved in activities when they wouldn't normally connect with the greater school community. I was really missing our third ref those two days.

Friday brought a beautiful day and the sudden inspiration to rent a tiller and get the garden ready for planting. My shoulders and hands are still vibrating.

I rode to work Tuesday through Friday. My wife and the girls surprised me on Thursday at the soccer games so I went home with them after the game. I was happy I chose to ride when the car parked in the space next to mine was stolen during school and a car parked a little further down the row was broken into this week.

I've got my first two donations for this year's Challenge and I'm hoping to bring in donations and team members on LIVESTRONG Day.

Quick out and back

2008-05-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

With two little girls, ages 2 and almost 1, time is at a premium and it was never more evident than today. My wife took our youngest to church while big girl and I played at home. We played on the slide. We played with the dog. We played in little sister's room. We played in the garage. And we missed lunch. Mom was not pleased.

I prepped the bike to while soccer balls were holding big girl's attention and ran to get changed before Mom got home. As soon as Mom and little sis got home, I left. The highwheeler ride left from an elementary school about 3 miles from home today at 1:30. It was a simple straight shot to Silverton and back, out one road, in on the next road north. I tried to make short work of it as Mom wanted to go run then go to a class at the gym.

I rolled into the driveway, tagged Mom and off she went. The girls and I had snack and played until Mom came home. Little one was running snotty and warm while big one is just running snotty, so it may be a little interesting this week.

I will say, for not getting near enough ride time, today's ride felt great. I won't be riding tomorrow due to the insane schedule that will have me hopping all over town. It's probably good to have a forced rest day.

Cyclometer stats: 30.93 mi - 30.7 Max - 16.9 avg - 1:49:20 rolling time

Never ride with a wet chamois...

2008-05-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

I left the house a little late yesterday and watched the thunderheads rolling east. My target was to go north then east to Mt. Angel and Scotts Mills to put in some hill work. As I got to the end of my usual road out of town, the drops started. I threw on my vest and knee warmers and kept on going, thinking to myself I may have to adjust the plan a little. I turned onto the east-running road and the sporadic drops became a little stronger until I rolled right under the cell. I got soaked at about mile 18 into a 51-mile ride.

I adjusted my route, watching the cells above and veered south and east until I got to the old familiar territory east of our old house and knew I could get some hills. I hit one more cell rolling toward the county jail and found nothing but dry pavement back in the neighborhood. It was a good, clear-the-head ride.

As soon as I got into the driveway, I turned on the faucet and washed off the grit accumulated from the country roads, figuring I'm already soaked, why not? I pulled off my shoes to reveal the classic road grit line on the socks, scrubbed the bike and went in for a warm shower. As the warm water trickled down my back I couldn't help but wonder what that burning sensation on the hindquarters was. Needless to say I figured it out. Yeah, next time there is a chance of rain, I'm putting on the fenders.

HR Monitor of questionable accuracy: 3:16:55 - 2541 Cal - 35% Fat - Max 216 - Avg 150 -2:39:34 In Zone

Cyclometer stats: 51.46 mi - 37.8 max - 16.9 avg - 3:02:36 rolling time

Good news and sad news

2008-05-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

I rode to work twice this week and carpooled with my wife the other three days. She subbed in the building and it was fun to go to work with her every morning - even if we're so busy during the day we don't see each other.

The week seemed long and I was happy to go two wheels today. After school, some of my colleagues met up at a local brewpub for a little happy hour social hour. The brewpub is a few miles from school so I ended up riding about 13 miles today, all in khakis and an aloha shirt.

One of the teachers at my school has a daughter in-law who had surgery to remove an operable portion of a brain tumor and do some work in her skull to allow the removal of a shunt for cerebrospinal fluid. She came out of anesthesia fine and completed a complex math problem to demonstrate to her husband her cognitive abilities are still intact. The road is long for her family and every victory, no matter how small, brings hope.

I read several blogs and news feeds every morning over a bowl of Special K Red Berries and milk. I dropped the spoon and read. And read. And read. I'll let you read for yourself. I've read the Fat Cyclist blog for a few months now and his post last night really got me. Based on the comments, it got quite a few others as well.

Cancer is such a cruel and indiscriminate attacker. I truly hope the work of all of us can help put an end to cancer's killer reign.

LIVESTRONG Day 2008

2008-04-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

LIVESTRONG Day is May 13, 2008. That's two weeks away. I'm putting out the call: Please take the time to donate to your favorite cancer charity (or mine - wink, wink) with time or money. Cancer affects all of us, either directly or indirectly, and needs to be dealt with as a national priority.

These are the folks I rode for last year. The list keeps growing and it's time to end that trend.

A break in the weather

2008-04-29T20:43:00.001-07:00

In an odd twist, our weeks have been rainy and the weekends have been reasonable. I rode three wet days to work since the last post and intended to get a couple good rides in last weekend.

Instead, I spent most of the day Saturday schlepping garbage to the dump from my aunt's house with my dad, grandpa, brother and brother's girlfriend. My sister and her fiance arrived in the afternoon to help finish the job. We got the outside of the house cleaned up but there is still a considerable amount of work inside the house. She has moved out already and I'm pretty sure the house will be torn down in the end. When I got home a little after four, I quick mowed the lawn in anticipation of rain that night.

Sunday was a moving day at my parents' house. My brother and I helped my dad and grandpa move a piano, washer and stove into storage. We got home in the afternoon and I spent some time troubleshooting the Klein. I think I've got some dry bearings in my bottom bracket as I cleaned and rebuilt the rear wheel and rear derailleur and tightened the headset and crankarms to kill a pop I'm getting about twice a revolution. I couldn't kill the pop and the bottom bracket is the only thing I didn't touch. It's a sealed cartridge bottom bracket so I'll probably have to just replace it.

Monday, the rain came in earnest and I was afraid the week would be lousy. I ended up with wet pants on the ride to school but by the end of the day, the sun was out. The wind was blowing mightily when I pushed up the hill and out of the neighborhood. I put in 26 miles and felt pretty good. The wind shifted all over the place and made things a bit interesting on the way back home but the route was pretty much traffic free. I'm feeling ready to put in some miles in the next few weeks and I'll need them.

L-A-Z-Y Weekend

2008-04-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

Last week was a very long short week. I was out of work Monday and Tuesday with sick girls and spent the next three days trying to catch up at work. My students are so far behind getting work done and turned in to me, I spent all three days after school tutoring kids until late so no riding happened. I'm going to pull the ride out for work despite the rain coming on Tuesday. It's a little sad, but I need to get rolling and if it happens three and half miles a day, so be it.

We got snow this weekend at our house. Not much riding outside for the big wimp. I've got to have a special mental state to tackle the biting snow on the bike and I just don't have it.

40 Not-So-Great Miles and Fountains of Vomit

2008-04-17T22:31:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I rode east through the valley farmlands toward the foothills. There is a small town with fine German heritage and a newly spruced up abbey sitting atop a small hill overlooking the town and the rest of the valley. Feeling good after Friday's ride, I decided I would ride all the way there, up to the top and back, about 40 miles.

I felt fine for a while and suffered a little on the short but steep climb up to the abbey. The weather was hot - 80 degrees - so I kept tanking water and grabbed some of the limited variety of ready-made pocket food I can eat with my allergies to keep fluid and energy levels up. I was riding into a little headwind for a few miles going home when it hit. The BONK.

I could not keep the pedals going. It wasn't long before I started cramping and I still had about 14 miles home. I feel a bit lame, but it was not fun. The good news was I felt fine the next day.

The bad news is the girls, all three of them ended up puking this weekend. I think my youngest brought it home Friday. Momma and oldest were hit Saturday night and I spent the next two days trying to mop up the aftermath and am still trying to catch back up with the work I missed Monday and Tuesday. There is truly nothing more disgusting than a child who's just tall enough to get some distance with no concept of the vomit reflex wandering around. Thank goodness for laminate flooring.

Time to get going again...

2008-04-11T21:58:00.001-07:00

I've been off.

I finally got to get outside and ride on the first really nice day since October. Now let me be absolutely clear: I love the crisp, clear winter day as much as anyone and I can get a fun ride in on those clear days, but 45 degrees makes for either a very short ride or very numb, well, everything. It hit 67 degrees and the sun was allowing all the high school spring sports to get a game in today so there was only one thing to do after a really long, really stressful week - pull down the Klein from it's winter hibernation and go crank out a few miles.

I've been very occasionally riding to work (3.4 miles daily) over the winter with only a sprinkling of real rides in the mix. I find I have a hard time committing to riding during the school year. Work becomes all consuming and I feel guilty taking off when I could be entertained by my girls. They're growing so fast it's hard to want to take off for another few hours when I'm already gone so much at work. I think I may have to change that if I'm going to be ready to ride at the end of June.

Today's ride was 25 miles winding out into the hop fields north of home with a stop at my friend and colleague's house on my way back home. The hop fields are dusted white and workers were stringing the lines for the hops to grow up. It should be a banner year for those growers with the worldwide hop shortage.

My friend, Jackie, just had a double mastectomy Tuesday morning. This is her second go fighting cancer. She looks great and was in good spirits and commented about the drains around her abdomen. We talked shop a bit and I relayed the exciting fight nobody got to see in my neighbor's classroom. She said she's been trying to be up and about and walked to the mailbox in her pajamas and slippers just because she felt up to it. She's got quite a road ahead but the doctors were feeling positive about the surgery. The test results and post-op are next week. Keep your fingers crossed and spare a thought or prayer for her.

It's On!

2008-01-16T22:43:00.000-08:00

The LIVESTRONG Challenge Portland 2008 is on and I think I'm in. It's scheduled for June 29.

Join in the fun or donate.

Last big ride of the season

2007-10-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

The Harvest Century was last Sunday. I survived.

The morning started a little slow. I got to Champoeg a little later than I had intended, picked up my packet and layered up to take off in the cool morning. In the half-hour I was poking around the park, the temperature rose quite a bit. I peeled layers off and set off as one of the last group of 100-mile riders out.

The route wound around to the Canby Ferry, where the first rest stop was conveniently located for the long wait at the ferry. About 30 minutes later, I was across the river and off again. All the stops were well stocked with excellent food and drink so I was able to remain nice and full.

Lunch was at mile 45 and was excellent. The stretch of the route near lunch was the route for the 70-mile LIVESTRONG Challenge last weekend. Knowing the route ahead, I rocked it pretty hard, but had no draft.

The wind picked up on Saturday and got worse on Sunday. Battling the headwind brought me down to 10-12 mph for the last 45 miles or so. I wasn't the only one suffering and several people were calling spouses at the last rest stop to let them know we were all running much later than anticipated. I got in after 4:00 p.m., meaning I was on route for over seven hours. I was pretty exhausted but feeling pretty good at the accomplishment. Three big rides in three Sundays, two were full centuries. I'm ready to wind down for the season.

The Challenge is over!

2007-09-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

The rain came early and stayed late at the Portland LIVESTRONG Challenge. The usual Oregon soaking drizzle greeted us as we got out early this morning. Mark, Greg, Rick and I rode from the hotel to the Nike Campus at about 7:00 a.m. We got separated when I went to check a bag and they started queueing everyone for the start. I got stuck in the 40-mile group and had to hoof it across a grassy hill to join the "100-milers", much to the chagrin of the organizers.

All the 100 riders were told yesterday we would be doing the 70-mile route as the ride up and down Bald Peak would be too dangerous. I happen to agree with the organizers' assessment because there are an awful lot of very inexperienced cyclists who do this event as what it is meant to be: a challenge to improve your own life and the lives of others.

The rest of the crew was way ahead once Lance got his seat adjusted and they let us all take off together. The streets were closed much further than I remember in 2005, which was really nice as I was juicing it to try to catch the rest of the crew. Mark was the first I caught and he was feeling a bit sketched out by the big group and the rain. He wasn't feeling like gassing it in the group so I charged on ahead to try to catch Rick and Greg, not really expecting to. I stopped at the first rest area to make a deposit and remove the leg sails, er, I mean rain pants. I was already wet inside rain gear anyway, so I figured it wouldn't hurt, I caught Mark again just a little bit beyond the rest area.

Mark and I rode together past the next rest area (still under construction) but separated as we hit the rollers on the way to Haag Lake. I stopped into the third rest stop for food and drink. Pirates greeted us complete with a pistol salute. Eddie, a teacher who I work with, pulled in as I was getting the fenders adjusted so I waited for him to fuel up and Mark swung in shortly after. I was going to try to wait for him but started shivering pretty bad so I decided to get pedaling to warm up.

Eddie and I rode together the rest of the way around Haag Lake and down the hill toward rest area 2/5. Eddie told me to take off if I found a group I wanted to join so I did a little while later. It was a fairly big pack of about a dozen riders that stuck together for about 20 miles or so. I broke away from the group a little before the last rest stop when the pace slackened a bit because I really had to make a pit stop.

I rode solo for a while before settling in with a guy who had been leap-frogging with me most of the ride. We rode the last 8 miles or so through town together and up to the finish. Being soaked and cold, I made a beeline to the bike corral.

As I pulled into the bike corral, Lindsay called and wanted to know where I was because she was waiting at the finish. Of course, I was done about 10 or 15 minutes before. She felt bad but secretly it's nice to finish before she thought I would. I picked up my bag and started shedding the wet gear as Linds and Jana came back to meet me.

Once I was changed, we grabbed food and beer and hung out at the post-ride party for a while. The girls started to get tired at about 2:00 p.m. so we said goodbye to Team Knucklehead 2 and took off to go home.

The girls didn't end up going on the 5K because of the rain. It was probably better not to have two soaking wet girls under the age of two for Momma's sanity. They had a good time in the Kid's Zone anyway. It was fun to share the experience with the whole family and I really look forward to next year.

One more day...

2007-09-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, we go to the LIVESTRONG Village to pick up registration. The weather looks questionable but the crew is all set and the bike is ready to rock. I've raised over $1200 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and I'll carry the names of friends and family touched by cancer on my back.

One down... Two to go

2007-09-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

I made the decision a few weeks ago I would ride three century (100+ miles) rides in three weekends. I have never done more than one big event ride in any summer. I did do the Seattle-to-Portland (STP) ride in two days in high school but that was quite a while ago. The Salem Bicycle Club hosted the Peach of a Century yesterday. My goal was to finish and not put myself in too much difficulty in the interest of recovering for the big LIVESTRONG Challenge next weekend.

I tried to get out as early as I could and was on the road before 8:00 a.m. The morning was very cold and warmth did not really come until much later in the day. Despite making earsicles, fingersicles and toesicles early, I had a good pace going despite being solo most of the ride. At the second stop, I ate either too much or the wrong food and went sluggish for the next hour or so (miles 55-75). It didn't help that I was heading into the only real hilly stretch of road on the route. Once I got the lead out, I was riding well into the third and final stop. The guys from Portland Velo were nice enough to invite me to join them as they caught me heading back into town. I managed to hang with them to the outskirts of town but pooped out and pulled out of line to cruise in a few minutes back.

I finished in 6:10 total time and 5:41:12 rolling time. I'm pleased with my fitness level, especially now that I am into the day after, when the body really starts complaining. I have a little soreness in the tendons behind my right knee and climbing does not seem to be my strong suit right now. All in all, I think next weekend will go well, especially if I can find a group to hang with a bit more than I did yesterday.

Kirkland Triathlon Success

2007-09-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

My wife made it through her triathlon on Sunday. She was doing quite well until the run. She was missing the bottles of sports drink she left in the freezer. She still was second in her age group. Pretty awesome for a woman who gave birth just three and a half months ago.

The girls and I made it down to the waterfront a little after the transition to the bike and got a chance to cheer Mom as she came in from the ride and transition to the run. Pictures were out of the question as toddler was running all over and infant was screaming. We met my wife's godfather and his wife to watch the finish and I was very happy to have a little help.

Riding has been intentionally limited and not too stressful this week as the first hundred miler of three in three weekends is Sunday. I'll go out for a couple hours tomorrow and put in an hour to an hour and a half Friday and Saturday to make sure the legs are loose. I'm feeling like I'm ready.

Triathlon for the wife this weekend

2007-09-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

I have been pushing this weekend to get another hard week of training before I begin to lighten the load next week. I'm in for the Peach of Century hosted by the Salem Bicycle Club. The hope is I will be able to recover adequately for the LIVESTRONG Challenge in Portland the following weekend. I'm still in the air for the Harvest Century for the weekend after that.

I really cranked into a stiff wind on Tuesday at the group ride. No sleep that night due to sick kids meant just a commute yesterday. I toted heavy bags around town from appointment to appointment in the rain. I'm hoping to get the front wheel back for my favorite bike tomorrow and do some hill repeats in Mt. Angel tomorrow.

This weekend, however, I'll not be riding at all. I'm the support crew and kid-watcher for my wife's first triathlon since having our second daughter. Actually, it's the first since college. It's a short tri with a 400M swim, 20K bike and 5K run. She should be fine as long as she stays within herself and avoids the adrenaline surge of lining up with another 1299 athletes.

The girls and I will hang out near the transition to cheer on Momma bright and early Sunday morning. Translation: even less sleep for Dad this weekend. :-)

Bike Commute Challenge

2007-09-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! It's been a hectic couple of days at work as I have been working about nonstop. Thankfully, I had a good weekend of riding to separate them.

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance puts together the Bike Commute Challenge every September. I go back to work the last week in August and have now commuted to work by bike six out of eight work days. We've only got four people registered right now, but I hope to add a few more. It's a good way to make sure I get on the bike almost every day.

58-mile Training Ride

2007-09-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today I took off on a training ride with the local bike club when the girls all headed off to church. Yesterday was a really windy day so some of the guys were pretty fatigued after the club ride yesterday. I did not particpate in that ride as I was playing with the girls at a new indoor kids playground.

Feeling pretty good but fighting the wind, I spent the first hour trying to hang back a bit to pull for the guys. I'd get comfortably cruising at about 20 mph and they'd just get ripped off my wheel in the crosswind. I felt bad because I knew they were struggling but I went ahead and took off about 25 miles into the ride. At 30 miles in, I passed the fast group going the opposite direction. They usually take a modified version of the group route. I rolled back in to pass a couple of the fastest on my way back home in the car. (I don't like driving to go ride my bike, but I was late due to playing with the girls before I left.)

I'm a bit tired but feeling very good about finishing 58 miles in 3:10. I feel like I'm physically ready to go. I think I'll send in my registration for the Peach of a Century Ride the weekend before the Challenge.

T-Minus 3 weeks

2007-09-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

I'm incredibly late in even starting this blog. The LIVESTRONG Challenge Portland is three short weeks away. I'm riding the 100-mile course and I expect it will push me to the limit like it did in 2005.

I'm feeling physically ready. I rode quite a few big mileage rides this summer, many more than previous summers. I am spending fewer days on the bike with the little girls around than I did in the past. Fatherhood brings adjustments to life, whether you want them or not.

Last Saturday, I rode an 86-mile club ride with a small group in 4.5 hours, doing a fair amount of pulling, which means I'm getting faster. I rode a "recovery" ride the next day with the local racers, rocketing up to sustained efforts in the 28-30 mph range. I've never been able to cling to someone's wheel at 25 mph on the flat, let alone 28-30 mph on small rollers. I was feeling pretty good about being able to hang on but I know I can improve upon that for next year.

The girls are all set for the 5K event at the Challenge with a friend and my folks. It's a family affair in support of my aunt who fought ovarian cancer last winter and is officially cancer-free as of June.

Cancer is such an invasive disease and such an indescriminate killer. We support the Lance Armstrong Foundation and its mission to make cancer a national priority. Please join me and my family in supporting the Lance Armstrong Foundation through the LIVESTRONG Challenge Portland.