Bob Roll Shaves His Head for Team Fatty!

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

Slow going

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.

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

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!

We did it!

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

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