For the 6th time I will be riding in Americas Most Beautiful Bike Ride to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Three years ago my cousin and teammate Steve Gurnis passed away. His passing changed my life. Since then I have always ridden Tahoe with Steve at my back and doing his fundraising as well. For that reason I have set my goal at $10,000 ($5,000 for Steve and $5,000 for me).

Those who know me well know how important this mission is to me. For that reason I am starting early.

 

May 29, 2017

 

Each year around this time I feel it necessary to remind folks where Team in Training came from. Many of you know (or maybe you don’t) that Bruce Cleland of Harrison New York formed a team to run in the NYC marathon. This was in honor of his two year old daughter Georgia who was diagnosed with Leukemia. They called themselves TEAM IN TRAINING. Together they raised over $ 300,000 for the Leukemia Society of America.

 

Where did Bruce get his inspiration??? Say hello to Lucy Duffy!!

 

I am proud to call Lucy a friend and one of my heroes. She has inspired me every year to keep on doing what I do.

 

Below is the speech Lucy gave at AMBBR’s 2011 inspiration dinner. I could not make the ride that year as I was sidelined with afib. My cousin Steve met Lucy in the hallway of his hotel that year and described her in great detail.

 

I know this is a little longer than a TWEET but please take the time to read this. I hope it inspires you as much as it did me.

 

 

THE FIRE OF COMMITMENT

 

          I am honored to be able to speak to you today.  From my point of view of age, of having run the NY Marathon on my own as Lucy Against Leukemia in 1986, raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society when charity runners for marathons did not exist, from having been on the very first Team in Training event organized by Bruce Cleland in the New York Marathon in 1988 and from my participation in many TNT marathons, sprint triathlons and now my passion for the Triple Crown, I hope I have something to offer sharing the Fire of Commitment.

 

          When asked if anyone wanted to speak I volunteered. Such forthrightness is not my usual style.  Perhaps being 78 and having cancer myself makes me bold. I was diagnosed with breast Cancer in November of 2010, had a mastectomy in December followed by radiation in March/April.  I recovered in good order and as quickly as possible was on my beloved shiny red bike determined to catch up with our New England Team and get in shape for Tahoe. As a triathlete I have biked but never 100 miles so this is a new, challenging and exciting adventure. Since I live at sea level on Cape Cod, until recently I had never tackled a mountain.

 

          Perhaps, also, I am so bold because of being a victim of cancer and believing that research to fight blood related diseases is beneficial towards curing all cancers.

 

Perhaps it is because I have been so passionate about my involvement with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society since my husband died of acute myelogenous leukemia in 1986 at a time when there was practically no hope for survival.

 

          Perhaps it is because I have seen so much progress and so many survivors because of money raised for research over these 25 years.

 

          Perhaps it is because I have worked hard over the years to raise money, well over $200,000.

 

          Perhaps it is because I am committed to physical fitness and have seen how the involvement of athletes in sports is enhanced by the chance to become more than they were by helping others.

 

Life is always tenuous and I am emboldened by all of this.  I am told often in my association with young athletes of being an inspiration. I appreciate that and they, in turn, inspire me with their energy and commitment and our mutual respect for our fitness.  This interconnectedness of age and youth, of strength and common commitment and the sense of continuity beyond one’s self is very satisfying.  Perhaps immortality is inspiration shared by one generation to the next.

 

I am feeling the Fire of Commitment today which I am sure you feel or you

would not have trained so hard and raised so much money for the Cause.

 

These words from a hymn I sang recently in church have stayed with me:

 

When the fire of commitment sets our mind and soul ablaze.

When our hunger and our passion meet to call us on our way,

When we live with deep assurance of the flame that burns within,

Then our promise finds fulfillment and our future can begin.

 

That Fire of Commitment has sustained me and fired me up for many years and has been a guiding force in my life.  It is a passion within to try to be the best one can be physically and emotionally and to be able to give to others.

 

I wrote an essay: Running Through Grief as a personal necessity after my husband’s death. Keeping fit has sustained me through so many of life’s challenges.

         

          I offer it to you now, a bit modified to suit the event. The message is rooted in running but it applies to the challenge we all face tomorrow.

         

          Running Through Grief

 

          Allen won’t be here to see me off for this Century Ride as he was when he drove me over the Verranzano Bridge to Staten Island to the start of the New York Marathon in 1986. Perhaps luckily so for he might think me totally mad climbing mountains at my age. My seventy eight year old body balks a bit while I train but I still yearn for the exhilaration of completing one more endurance event. For a Century, as with a marathon, to finish is to win. While struggling to keep up with my New England Team in the hills of Western Massachusetts on our last long training ride, I thought of the Marathon of 1986 when finishing was winning in a very special way.

 

          Allen survived to share that Marathon Day with me. He made it through the first horrible onslaught of chemotherapy after the diagnosis of leukemia in July of ‘85 when he was 54 years old.

 

          Running sustained me. I lived in Allen’s sterile hospital room that first summer of intense treatment. Wearing all white and face masks, the nurses and doctors and I struggled to help Allen. With ice rubs as tortuous to Allen as the raging fever, we tried to cool his burning body. The poison injected through the port in his chest to kill the cancer cells also destroyed his immunity to infection.

 

          Daily I ran.  I ran out through the hospital corridors into the streets of New Haven.  I ran and I gained strength.

 

          In September of ‘85 Allen came home from the hospital, a skeleton of himself and I ran. The school year began and I taught and I ran. The tension, the anxiety of Allen’s condition, and the prognosis were overwhelming. I left the house each day to pound the certainty of the earth, to absorb the changes of the seasons, to fill my lungs with the good air, to keep strong for my husband and my children and me, to exult in my ability to keep putting one foot in front of the other no matter what. Running kept me on course. I ran through that fall, that winter, that spring, that summer of ‘86 and the next fall and Allen ran with me in my heart.

 

          After a year and a half of hospitalization, chemotherapy, spontaneous bleeding, middle of the night emergency room visits, innumerable blood and platelet transfusions, bone marrow tests, and the daily anxiety of uncertain blood counts, Allen was in remission, having outlived his life sentence by a year.

 

          One day while I ran a thought came to me.  I would run the New York Marathon and raise money for the Leukemia Society of America.  I wrote a letter telling of my mission to friends and relatives thinking I might raise a couple hundred dollars. Allen was a bit embarrassed at first but when the notes and money began pouring in, he got into the spirit. The project mushroomed.  Allen became the accountant, totaling up the pledges and enjoying the accompanying notes of love and encouragement. Often confined to home with low blood levels, Allen savored the daily mail. He read and counted and I ran.

 

          It was marathon day in ‘86. Allen wasn’t feeling tip top, but he was well enough to go to New York with me.  Allen drove me over the Verrazano Bridge and he kissed me. I hopped out of the car to join the hordes of runners crowding onto Staten Island to prepare for the start. Allen looked pale and he was anxious that I would be all right. It is a long way, 26.2 miles. I was confident and imbued with my mission.

 

          I wore a shirt which said, LUCY AGAINST LEUKEMIA.  While I ran through all the boroughs of New York, I surveyed the crowd and handed out little self-made solicitations for our cause. I ran.  I flew.  I floated.  Nothing could stop me.

 

          At the 16 mile mark, just over the Queensborough Bridge on First Avenue and 65th Street, my family was waiting and I paused for hugs and kisses.  Two of my four sons joined me in Central Park to run the last two miles.  Allen watched the marathon on TV from a hotel room. We were both heroes that day.  He was alive and I finished the marathon and raised over 20,000 dollars to fight leukemia.

 

          Allen died a month later.

 

          A giant wave of loss kept catching up with me and enveloping me. I cried and I cried and I ran.

                  

          One day Bruce Cleland from Harrison, New York called me.  His two year old daughter, Georgia, had leukemia.  He and his wife Isobel organized a team of runners in the New York Marathon to raise money to fight leukemia called TEAM IN TRAINING.  I joined his effort.  We raised over $300,000 that year.  TEAM IN TRAINING is now a nationwide and international effort and has raised over a billion dollars since its inception. Bruce Cleland created something remarkable and I am proud to have been a part of it.

         

          Tomorrow I will try again, moving more slowly now, but keeping pedaling one foot in front of the other. I will ride in honor of Bennett Hartley , a courageous seven year old boy from my community struggling with leukemia. For good luck I am carrying a baseball signed by Bennett.

 

          I will keep moving, running, biking, swimming and I will survive also.  The joy of the ride, the joy that is life, continues.

 

           I wish you all the best tomorrow with that Fire of Commitment in your hearts, your souls and your legs.

 

          Lucy DeVries Duffy, Copyright: May 2011

 

May 18, 2017

Hey guys, this is my last posting before I head out to Lake Tahoe. So far we are up to $7,500. A special thanks to Alex Cunngham for his second donation to get the number up to that :-).

 

Progress to date: 1,134 miles total for 2017. Not bad considering we only road 3 days/96 miles in March (We got more miles in February!). A blizzard in March will do that to you!!!

 

Thanks to my friend Jim and his nasty mid-week rides, we were able to get in 540 miles in April and are on target to hit that number in May.

 

I am totally in awe and proud of TEAM REMISSION. Together as a team we have raised $ 33,312. To show the dedication of this group, they all showed up for our 80 mile ride on Tuesday (Our weekend was a total washout). It’s this type of dedication that makes me believe we will find a cure soon. Two of our members are in their 70’s, two in their 60’s, one in his 50’s, and one kid!! (Sorry Dan….I don’t know how old you are).

 

As you can see, none of us are elite athletes but between all of us combined we have circled the lake 50+ times….over 5,000 miles!!! And while I don’t have the exact $$, I think we have raised close to $ 500,000. Not bad for a bunch of old guys and one kid!!

 

It ain’t that hard to get ready for this ride…..but it ain’t that easy either. The hills seem to get a little steeper, the speed gets a little slower, and the nature breaks are a little more frequent each year.  We do it because we are all relentless to find a cure. All of us together can make a difference.

 

So now it’s your turn. Our first fundraising cut-off date is May 23^rd.  $500 would put us at $ 8,000…a good place to be before our flight out.

 

When I get out to Tahoe you know I will be bothering you again!!

 

For those of you who gave, THANK YOU. For those who were planning to donate, now is a good time :-). And for everyone else, please give what you can. No donation is too small. All of them together will help get us:

 

100 MILES CLOSER TO A CURE!!!

 

 

 

May 8, 2017

I can’t believe it’s only four weeks until we will be in Lake Tahoe riding 100 miles for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Even though this will be my 6^th time, each trip is still quite emotional. It is hard to explain what you feel when you see a packed banquet hall filled with people who are all there for the same reason: To Fight Cancer. Everyone is cheering, laughing, crying, and honored to be there. So many of the folks there have gone outside their comfort zone not only from a physical standpoint but also from a fundraising standpoint.

 

Team in Training challenges us all in so many ways. You come through this 13 week program a much better person than you were at the start. If you are lucky you will make some friends you will have for life. I’ve lucky enough to make quite a few. Imagine a miracle in only 13 weeks !

 

Many of you have been so generous this year with your donations. Some have even given twice. Some of you I know really can’t afford it but feel as strong about this mission as I do. I hold them quite dear to my heart.

 

We are approaching our first fundraising deadline of May 23^rd. This is when LLS hopes to get the close to final count. At present we are $ 3,242 shy of our $ 10,000 goal. I have no doubt that will your help we will get there.  I would really like to see us at $ 8,000 by May 23^rd.  (Only $ 1,242).

Please click DONATE NOW. Your help will go a long way.

 

80 mile ride this week, then 100 KM the week after, and then the bikes ship out!!

Very soon we will be 100 miles closer to a cure.

 

April 23, 2017

 

60 miles yesterday with a lot of climbing. OK we were ready for it. Our longest ride so far this season and the weather was supposed to be starting out cloudy and 50 degrees warming to 60 and partly sunny. Perfect for this time of year!

 

½ hour into the ride the showers started and didn’t really end for about four hours. Wiping the water off my computer I noticed the temperature was at 44 degrees and never really budged all day.  We were all waiting for the first climb to warm us up. It came, it went and by the time we went down again we were back to being cold !

 

At mile 30 or so we stopped in Durham, CT to get some water and fuel after riding 3 miles in a steady rain. As we filled up our water bottles the joking started along with the funny pictures. I have been riding a lot of years with these guys. For all of us it is much more than a ride. It is a mission……a battle…..a search.

Ed, Billy, and Paul

Ed, Paul, Billy, Dan, and Jim

Ed, Nat, and Paul

 

As hard as this ride was it was nothing compared to what our heroes go through. I remember my friends Art saying to me once when we were soaked to the bone: “You know Billy….Chemo was harder”. And Art would know.

 

We are lucky to be doing what we are doing. For people we love, have lost, and for those we have not met.

 

Cancer has taken a lot from many of us but my friend Louise pointed out what cancer cannot take from us”:

 

What cancer cannot do……

It cannot cripple love                                                     It cannot kill friendship

It cannot shatter hope                                                   It cannot shut out memories

It cannot corrode faith                                                  It cannot silence courage

It cannot eat away peace                                             It cannot reduce eternal life

It cannot destroy confidence                                     It cannot quench the spirit

 

Louise and her husband are fighting their own battle with cancer. Every day is a new beginning. Please send them some positive energy their way.

 

You can help with the fight by clicking on DONATE NOW. Together we can make a difference.

 

April 14, 2017

 

It looks like spring has finally arrived. No rain this week and have so far managed to get in three outdoor rides. With a 56 ride tomorrow that should make 160 miles for the week. A good start at least.

 

I was lucky to ride two rides with my friend Jim Kimball. I met Jim in 2009 at the Tour of the Litchfield Hills. I had just bought a rode bike but was riding the 35 mile route on my hybrid. We discussed Tahoe at the first rest stop and talked about the training the team goes through. I told him I would be riding in Tahoe with them in 2010. He sort of looked down at my hybrid bike as if to ask “You weren’t planning on riding that….were you?” I quickly said I just bought a road bike. Since that time Jim has become a my coach, mentor, good friend, and most of all a true inspiration.

Jim and I at the top of Spooner Hill, 2010. Mile 88.....12 to go !!

Jim got involved about 19 years ago when his sister Nan passed away from Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). To date he has ridden thousands of mile, climbed thousands of feet, and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help in the fight against blood cancers.

 

This will be Jim’s 19^th year riding Tahoe and I am honored to be riding with him as a member of Team in training. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will be losing an amazing volunteer. But through his inspiration, there are a few of us who will try and pick up the torch. I will try and be one of them.

 

That said, I need your help. Thanks to many of you we have raised $6,163 towards a goal of $10,000. I am looking to close this gap by the end of April. I can then devote my time to getting ready for the ride and help others to fundraise.

 

To those who have donated I say thank you. To those who have not, please give what you can. No amount is too small (or too big!!)

 

Please click DONATE NOW. Your gift will be put to good use.

 

For those who celebrate, Happy Easter!! 

 

And to everyone, God Bless You.

 

April 2, 2017

 

April is here!!!! Now maybe he weather will finally cooperate. March was a tough month as we were only able to get out about three times for a total of 96 miles. We have a lot of catching up to do. Today we will be heading out for about 40 miles and some hills.

 

I thought this would be a good time to update everyone on Cole. Better yet, I will let his Mom tell you:

 

"Since the news is already spreading (yet anyone who knows my oldest brother Chris please don't say anything as I was unable to reach him...) Coles scan results are: AWESOME!!! All the fluid is gone, all the cancerous tumors on and around his lungs are gone and the main cancerous tumor in his abdomen has significantly shrunk!!!

He is not out of the woods yet, and he is not "cured", but this is a huge step in the right direction Keep the prayers, positive vibes and love coming. This news comes 6 months to the day from his initial cancer diagnosis!"

 

I big smile came to my face considering in February his Mom was getting ready to say goodbye to him. New treatments are being developed daily. This is the reason we ride so many stupid miles. Getting ready for Tahoe we typically will ride anywhere between 1,200 to 1,500 miles. That’s like riding from Connecticut to Florida. I know folks who don’t like driving their car that far……… lol.

 

Right now I’m at about 60% of my $10,000 goal. I just need $ 4,000 more. If everyone on this email list kicks in $10 we will be well over the top. Of course you are welcome to donate more. :-)

 

Please give what you can by clicking on DONATE NOW. See you on the road.!!

 

March 18, 2017

 

I was reminded that many of you work for corporations who have matching donation programs. Nga Do I just got your match.....THANK YOU !!!! :)

Check with your HR Department and see if The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is on the list (It should be). For those of you who have donated or are planning to donate please forward any matching donation paperwork to me. I will be happy to forward it on: Billy Dudjoc
180 Wooster Street
New Britain, CT 06052

Tailwinds,

Billy

 

March 16, 2017

Well……Mother Nature is not helping us this year. I am sitting here waiting for the blizzard to hit bringing us 18 inches of snow on March 14^th…………….OH BOY!!!!!

 

Outside rides have been a real challenge with cold weekends and March snow. I know, I have runner friends who say they run in this weather. Well….you guys are not generating a 20 MPH wind chill!!!

 

So spin classes and trainers are the answer for now. Not as much fun but necessary.

 

I was on an LLS conference call on Monday that was very exciting. It  was bout Acute Myeloid  Leukemia (AML) This has to be the worst blood cancer we deal with and usually has a dismal prognosis

 

.               20,830 new U.S. cases diagnosed annually

.               10,460 deaths estimated in 2015

.               Average patient age is 67 years old

.               5 year survival rate for patients 60+ is 20% or less

 

                Standard of care has not changed since the 1960s

 

This year LLS is leading groundbreaking medicine approach to improving cancer treatment. This is the first time a non profit organization will be heading up a clinical trial. The reason being all of our work over the years.

 

 

We have YOU to thank for this. All of this was made possible by your support and donations.

I have three friends who are AML survivors. All are grateful to be with us today and are big supporters of LLS.

Now more than ever we need your help. Please Give what you can.

Click on the DONATE NOW link to make your tax deductible donation. For those who do not wish to donate on line, make a check out to LLS and mail it to:

Billy Dudjoc
180 Wooster Street
New Britain, CT 06052

Don't forget, any donation gets you a 2017 AMBBR team remission purple wrist band!!!!

God Bless and Tailwinds,

Billy
 

March 2, 2017

Natasha and I 2014, Bedminster, NJ

 

The following has been rattling around in my head for the past week…..Time to let it out.

 

 Several years ago, my friend Natasha wrote this in a posting:

 

Whether for the good or the bad, Lance Armstrong has given us many reasons to remember him by. And before that sentence launches a diatribe of bad reasons, I want to say that the best thing I remember him for and the one that I always hold near and dear to my heart is his simple statement “It’s not about the bike.”

 

In 2008 after quitting smoking I took the money I would have spent on cigarettes and bought a bicycle for riding the rails to trails. The goal was to see if I could get into better shape and reverse some of the effects of the noble weed on my body. Along the way I heard aboutTeam in Training, a fundraising arm of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

 

My cousin Janet was now two years in remission from Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and I wanted to do something special to try and support her recovery. I got an email from Team in Training talking about cycling 100 miles in Lake Tahoe and fundraising  to cure cancer.

100 miles?....In one day?......at high altitude?...ARE YOU ALL NUTS??

I guess I was just as nuts because in August of 2009, with the money I saved from not smoking, I bought a road bike.

I fumbled around with this oversized monster with this skinny and painful seat for a few months, put it away in the winter. I then attended my first Team ride in March and heard Coach Jim say something that has stayed with me since then: “There is no “I” in TEAM”

We were here not to race around Lake Tahoe but to ride, together, to share our strengths, our weaknesses, our love, our hope, our caring. We are here as a team to find a cure.

We started riding as a group of folks who knew nothing about each other. We ended up riding as a Team with one common goal: To Cure Cancer.

This journey was NOT about the bike. This was about a group of strangers who came together for a common goal. The simple act of riding 100 miles will not find a cure. Your donations and joining us on the journey will.

As of right now your donations have put me at a little over $ 57,000 for my lifetime fundraising goal.  If you can help me hit $ 10,000 this year I will be well on my way to $ 60,000.

You can make a difference with just one “CLICK”. Please click on DONATE NOW so that someday instead of riding for a cure we can ride in celebration of finding one.

 

February 13, 2017

Cole

 

I have been with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) as a volunteer  since 2006. We hear every day of the great strides we are making to cure cancer. We hear about the 90% survival rate for kids with leukemia (Which used to be a death sentence in the 60’s). We always surround ourselves with survivors who we claim as out honored heroes.  They are sometimes our friends, sometimes our teammates, and always our inspiration.

 

Well……..Not all of our heroes are going to make it. Last January my friend Tressy told me about her friend Cole Paquette, a young man fighting a rare form of cancer (I wrote about him in my January 25^th blog entry). We just found out that Cole has lost the fight. The following is his Mom’s blog:

 

https://colescancer.wordpress.com/2017/02/11/apparently-the-break-we-so-desperately-needed-is-not-going-to-happen/

 

“In the next few days I will need to say my last goodbyes to Cole because I don’t want to lose him and not tell him everything. Although I’m certain I have said it all by now I just need him to hear it from me again. That bringing him into this world was one of the happiest days of my life. That I’m so extremely proud of all he has accomplished and the young man he has become. That his continued selflessness when he has every right to be selfish is astounding. I am proud at how strong he has been the last 4.5 months and I can only hope I can be as strong as him going forward.  That I am so very sorry I couldn’t fix this for him. That he has people in heaven who will meet him (family he has never met) that will greet him. And most importantly  that I love him more than life itself and I always will. And one day we will all be together again.”

 

I am not a parent and can never truly feel the pain Cole’s Mom is going through. But every time I re-read her blog I answer the question as to why we keep riding every year.

 

WHY DO WE RIDE?

Because our sweat

Is nothing compared to their tears.

Because our challenge

Is nothing compared to their fight.

Because we are all on one journey,

With one destination,

One goal………………….. to conquer cancer.

As close as we get to a cure, it does not make the loss of even one of our heroes any easier.  We all pray for the day when we no longer ride in search of a cure but are able to ride in celebration of one.

Please help make TODAY that day. Click on "DONATE NOW" and give from your heart.

 

 

 

February 7, 2017

Team Remission, Ragnar Relay, 2010, New Haven to Boston

Team Remission was born seven years ago. My friend Alfredo was one year in remission from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when he and eleven friends and family member thought they would run the Ragnar Relay from New Haven, CT to Boston, MA. This was a celebration of life, love, and friendship. Alfie also ran the NYC marathon that year in 4 hours and 15 minutes.

Alfredo 2010

Between the two events he raised over $ 10,000 for Team in Training/ Leukemia & Lymphoma society. The autologous stem cell transplant he received (Partially funded by LLS) is what sent him into remission.

 

I asked Alfie in we could use Team Remission’s name for the Tahoe ride and he was more than honored to let us…..He even gave his blessing to the NEW logo.

 

So folks have asked me what do I get for my donation. You get to see Alfredo grow up and have a family. Seems like a pretty good deal to me!!

 

The mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

 

Your donation, however big or small, will help us complete this mission. From a very selfish standpoint you have already helped save the lives of my cousin Janet, my friends Art, Kenny, Natasha, Dominique, Peggy, and Michele. All of whom are blood cancer survivors. There are thousands more out there who need your help.

Click on “DONATE NOW” to make your tax deductible today. Remember once you have donated, you won’t get these annoying emails anymore lol. J

 

January 10, 2017

 

Steve Gurnis - 3/5/51 - 9/22/13     R.I.P. My Brother

 

WHY DO WE RIDE?

Because our sweat

Is nothing compared to their tears.

Because our challenge

Is nothing compared to their fight.

Because we are all on one journey,

With one destination,

One goal………………….. to conquer cancer.

 

So many folks have asked me “Why are you raising $ 10,000 when the fundraising minimum is only $ 3,800?” Well, there are several reasons.

 

I have always tried to raise at least $5,000. It’s a nice round number and sounds a lot better than $3,800.

 

My cousin Steve in New Jersey kind of felt the same way. Steve was one of those cousins who you used to see maybe once a year at a family picnic. We were never that close because he was 4 years older than me. In the 70’s that was a lifetime!!

 

Thanks to Facebook, we reconnected in 2010 right after I did my first ride in Tahoe. I found out he was also a cyclist and pushed him into Team in Training. I became his Mentor in 2011 and he hit his $5,000 goal before he even started training. He sad part that year was I was sidelined with A-fib and could not ride with him.

 

Each year Steve and I would compete to see who could hit $5,000 first. It really didn’t matter who won…It was an excuse to talk to each other. I kind of found the brother I never had.

 

On September 22, 2013I spoke to Steve on the way to work. He was home recovering from a knee replacement. In pain,  but still jealous that I was still riding. Happy he had the operation in September so he could ride Tahoe in 2014.

 

I got a call later that evening from Steve’s sister Jeanne that he had died from a heart attack that afternoon. I lost my brother.

 

That year I signed up with the New Jersey Chapter of Team in Training so I could ride in Steve’s place. I also committed to doing his fundraising. I also brought his ashes out to scatter them on the lake and some of them on my second trip up Spooner Hill…So he rode with me for about 80 miles.

 

Anytime I do Tahoe now I commit to the $ 10,000….For me and Steve.

 

 

So this is the “OFFICIAL” start to my fundraising. Those of you who know me realize that this is not my only email. If you want the emails to stop coming you have to do one of two things:  1) Make a donation or 2) Ask me to stop sending emails J. I will accept ether response but would prefer the donation !!! LOL.

 

Please step up and donate in my name and in Steve’s. He has pretty much been my guardian angel the last few years.

 

Click on the links above and below or if you do not wish to donate on line, make the check out to LLS and mail to: Billy Dudjoc, 180 Wooster Street, New Britain, CT 06052

God Bless & Tailwinds,

Billy

 

January 25, 2017

 

Cole Paquette

 

So last week marked the unofficial/official start to training…at least for some of us. Started off with a Monday and Wednesday indoor cycling class with Elmer at L.A. Fitness. It’s listed as a “Spin” class but not really. High resistance climbs, endurance riding, seated and standing breakaways, and intervals. Good cardio and good pain for 45mins. I think I am getting better as I only wanted to throw up once.

 

Now tack on a great east of the river ride on Thursday with Coach John Ambrose. At one point we played who could drop whom. Not a smart move as it was after a coffee stop to get rid of some of the chill. Little bit of a breathing problem at the top of the hill lol !!! 23 miles and felt good to be out. Most important the roads are safe for now.

 

Saturday ended up 4 + 1. We started out with 4 but ended up adopting a “Kid” along the way. Larry is only 47 and could have easily dropped us all….but didn’t. A beautiful ride up to the Barkhampstead Reservoir.

 

The good news to all of this is that I can actually feel muscle growth in the quads!!! The other news is we have a long way to go….But we will get there one hill at a time.

 

The great feeling of riding together was that we are all in this together. The pain we are going through is nothing compared to going through chemo. The people we ride for would give anything to trade places with us.

 

This year one of my heroes will be Cole Paquette, a young man who has been diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Carcinoma, a very rare form of cancer. Cole is a tough young man and is fighting the hell out of this. A photo of him will be in my jersey pocket as I circle the lake. I know he will help me up the hills!! Stay with me Cole !!!!

 

As of today I am running about 20% of my $ 10,000 goal. I know it looks like plenty of time but last year I seem to remember being at about 50% by the end of January. It sure would be nice to be there by the end of the month.

 

Please step up and give what you can. Anyone donating will become an honorary member of TEAM REMISSION and get one of these cool bracelets!!

 

 

Please click on the DONATE NOW button above and give from your heart. More updates will come as we start to do more stupid things on the road!!!!

 

Tailwinds,

 

Billy