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June 16, 2012

Hi all. A bit late getting this post-Tahoe report written. Besides the 100 miles ride for LLS on June 3, I am just getting home from approx 440 miles and 25k feet of climbing during Ride the Rockies. Hard to say which experience I enjoyed most – both were excellent – just different.

Friday morning found us gathering at DIA for the flight to Reno. The Southwest flight attendants announced to the rest of the passengers that we were sharing the flight with them and why. Big round of applause from our neighbors. The drive to Tahoe included a team ritual … stopping for lunch at an In-N-Out burger. I don’t get the mythology surrounding this burger chain but that’s ok. On Saturday we took a group check out ride to make sure that our bikes were in good order after the truck ride from Denver. The ride also included a chance to experience what would be our first significant climb on Sunday’s route. Saturday also included a sailing excursion on a catamaran followed by something billed as an ‘Inspiration Dinner’ that I did find very inspirational. Then after this event, our team met in our captains room to for another pre-ride ritual, drinking a cold Coors Light followed by attaching the empty can to our helmets. That way, no one on the ride will have any question where we are from … as we are climbing past them on the hills – lol!

Sunday June 3 was a perfect cycling day staring with a cool morning that turned into a comfortable afternoon with a very manageable headwind. Our team’s ride began with a ‘mission moment’ chronicling the story of a team friend lost to the disease a few years ago to remind us all why we put in the work to make the ride successful. As we pulled away from the starting line we all released purple balloons in memory of this fallen comrade. The biggest surprise for me was seeing one of our team coaches, Pete, dress in full Santa Claus regalia … including the ‘Silver Bullet’ can … ready to ride.

The rest of the morning was great with very little vehicle traffic and several thousand polite cyclists out for an enjoyable experience. I started at the back of our pack to share some of the experience with our rookies but once it became very obvious that they were each in their own zone and comfortable pace, I picked up the pace to try and join my stronger teammates. And yes, they were riding strong so I never did actually catch the front group although we did pass each other near the turnaround point at Truckee. That’s where my day changed as Santa Pete pulled into the Truckee aid station soon after me.

As I as preparing to climb back on my bike, I asked ‘Santa’ how he was doing with the wind given that his suit was a bit of a sail. He admitted that he could use some help. So at that point I became his reindeer for the remainder of the day and pulled him through 50 miles of afternoon winds and climbs. All I needed was a set of antlers to complete the scene. It is an understatement to say that he was the most visible rider of the day … the lunch stop, aid stations and all along the route became photo ops for dozens of cyclists who wanted to be photographed with Santa and even more cyclists and spectators along the way who said hi to Santa and cheered him on … even the ones we passed on the climbs – hah!

Zypher Cove is the traditional meeting spot for the team so that we could ride the last few miles as a group and cross the finish line together … after enjoying a little shade and a cold adult malt beverage of the kind adorning our helmets. After that last of our team arrived at Zepher, we had an interesting surprise as one of our teammates dropped to a knee in front of his long-time girlfriend and popped the question – complete with a ring he had been carrying all day. Smart phone cameras clicked all around to chronicle the proposal as well as the shock and glow on the soon to be bride’s face. It was quite the moment.

With a little emotional wind in our sails, we did mount up and headed to the finish. I’m sure we were a sight to behold with cyclists/reindeer riding two by two lead by our two cancer survivor teammates and followed at the end by Santa. The ovation from the spectators and other teams as we crossed the finish line was loud and appreciative.

What started on a snowy day in February ended successfully as our team - everyone - had completed the entire 100 mile route. I am especially proud of our cycling rookies who challenged themselves to achive this goal.

On a personal note, I am especially appreciative of all the friends and family who provided moral and financial support as I embarked on this adventure. Once I achieved the original goal of $4,500 right before leaving for Tahoe, I thought I might up the goal to $6,000 in honor of my upcoming 60th birthday, knowing of a few additional pledges that were to be made. Well, we’ve gone beyond that with a few checks I found in the mail after returning from Tahoe. And even more friends have asked if there is still time to pledge – which there is of course – so I anticipate the final number will be somewhere near $7.000. I am genuinely humbled by your support. And as I have noted in prior communications, the evidence is clear and compelling that the dollars invested in research achieve success. So, congratulate yourselves for making a measureable difference in the fight against these blood cancers.

What’s next for me? Well, after already putting in over 600 miles on my bike seat during the month of June, and nearly 1,500 more between January and June 1, I think I’ll find something shaped a bit more comfortably to sit on for a few days – before I climb back in the saddle next weekend to prepare August 4th’s Copper Triangle bike tour. And I think I’ll work on my golf game, too

May 26, 2012 - Time to pack.

An excellent reminder today that a good night's sleep and proper nutrition/hydration are essential to a successful ride. Celebrated the birthday of a friend last night and although it was a very fun evening it included the wrong blend of food, the wrong balance of fluids and not nearly enough sleep. Ok, for someone 25 but that age is way back in my rearview mirror. But I'm all about the team so I was up early for our final team training ride. Big group today that included not only the Denver and Colorado Springs contingents for Tahoe but also the group that is just beginning to train for the Moab Century in September.

Started with a fast spin along the Platte followed by the rolling hills at Chatfield Reservoir and then the grind up Deer Creek Canyon. It's exciting to see how much many of my rookie teammates have preogressed since we started this training in February. I'd say at this point that almost everyone is ready for this adventure in Tahoe, physically. The challenge for the newbies will be to overcome the mental anxiety associated with riding their first century. Can't coach that piece.

We ended the day by dropping our bikes off at the LLS office for truck transport to Tahoe. All that's left now is to pack and catch a plane....and of course....ride 100 miles next Sunday - lol.

Team Rocky Mountain is ready to go - thanks for your support!

May 21, 2012 - Breaking training

After commuting 100 miles between Regis and home last week along with the 80+ miles last Saturday, my legs were pretty fatigued. So, no rides this weekend but I did climb up and down some pretty steep hills and put in several miles on my own two feet instead. Back in to training mode tomorrow with racquetball followed by a 25 mile ride home. Less than two weeks until the ride.

May 13, 2012 - Time to get serious about fundraising!

As much as I have enjoyed the TNT experience and sharing some fun rides with new friends, I haven't lost sight that this is primarily a fundraising activity to support the work of LLS. As a result of my initial solicitaions to a few friends and family in February my total of online donations, checks and team fundraising activities achieved $1,984, Hmm, should I be concerned about that number - lol. That's 55% of the minimum fundraising requirment for the event and 44% of my personal fundraisng committment of $4,500. So, now it's time to fill the gap.

If you are reading this blog for the first time, you have no doubt just found an email solicitaion from me in your inbox. Please be generous so that together we can help LLS continue their excellent work in moving towards the eradication of blood cancers. It's like I have said often in my long association with MS, all the dollars we raise not only help the families fighting whichever disease is impacting them, we also help peel away the layers of the onion that will allow us to eventually find the causes of these diseases.

Together we will and do make a difference!

May 12, 2012 - Tour d' Clouds

Last big training push was today - 85 miles that linked quite a few of our earlier Denver area training rides. Forecast was for rain but it never materialized - but the bonus was a cloudy, cool and mostly windless day. Most visually interesting experience of the day was the climb of Lookout Mountain in Golden. At the time we started the ascent, the big stone 'M' signifying Colorado School of Mines, almost always visible in the valley, was hidden by low cloud cover. The higher we climbed the thicker the clouds became and by the time we summitted visibility could be measured in not too many feet. Sureal for sure. Despite or perhaps because of the weather, a few of us summitted in around 30 minutes. The first leg of the descent off the back was even more thriling since instead of climbing at a gravity controlled 8-10 mph we were hurtling through the thick clouds at 20+. Wow - what a ride!

Rest of the day was a mixture of rolling terrain and short climbs. And as always, the wind did finally kick in around mile 60 and stayed in our faces for most of the way back to our starting spot. I'm feeling pretty well ready to go despite losing all that time in March.

Tahoe in 3 weeks!

May 5, 2012 - Ani'mel's and flats

Back to Boulder County this morning for 75 more miles of spinning, wind and climbing. Most of the team joined today since we are literally one month away from our Tahoe adventure. From our usual starting spot in Superior the route took us north and west near Hygiene and then over to Lyons for the climbing segments. And that's also where we began experiencing the first in a series of flat tires - 7 of them in all - by our team this day. Luckily for me, I was not among the casulaties - but it was certainlly good tube changing practice for several teammates.

One of TNT members new to the sport is a rocket scientist/engineer named Melanie or Mel for short. She has been an excellent student as we have learned new skills, changed terrains and increased distances each week. Mel has gotten completely comfortable with spinning in higher gears on flats as well as climbs instead of trying to muscle her way through the challenging parts of the ride. She put these newly acquired skill on display today on the climb up St. Vrain Canyon and was not very far behind a group of our strongest cyclists at the top of the climb. As she arrived at our aid station in Lyons she acquired a new nickname - Ani'mel'!

April 28, 2012 - Up hill both ways into the wind.

Out of town today on the back end of a business trip. But it's a driving trip through southern and southwestern Colorado so my trusty Trek joined me. What a day! Thought I would put my TNT training to the test by trying to ride a century solo. My route started in Cortez continued north and east through Dolores and after 3,000 feet of climbing, the first 50 miles ended in theminign town of Rico. I had done parts of this route durng other trips to Cortez Nice morning to ride with a slight headwind to keep the morning cool with scenery reminding me of the Taylor River areas from Almont to the Taylor Reservoir between Crested Butte and Buena Vista.

Took a break at Rico and ended up meeting a couple who had just completed a 400+ mile self-supported mountain bike race from the south end of Arizona to the north end including 20+ miles of carrying their bikes through the Grand Canyon segment of the course. Total body fat between them was about zero - hah.

When it was time for me turn around and head back to Cortez, the wind shifted as well. So I enjoyed an afternoon of strong / steady / gusty headwinds as I retraced my morning's path. It's just not fair to have to pedal to maintain 15-20 mph - downhill. I also got my annual hydration reminder to drink before I'm thirsty. Pretended to be a camel for awhile and around mile 85 bonked. Off the bike, hydrated for a few minutes and then pushed on in to Dolores for a real break. Last climb out of Dolores was followed by a wind free glide back into Cortez to complete the 100 miles.

April 21, 2012 - On the Old Stage

I'm really liking the variety of routes on which we train. At the choice of our team mentor, we went back to Boulder County for a warm and windy training day. Some our our usual route from the start up through Hygiene and then west into some of my favorite roads in the hills north of Boulder. Up Old Stage and out Lee Hill. Pretty steady and steeper than most of our recent outings. Couple of folks had to staop part way up and we also had to deal with a couple of flat tires. But overall, the team continues to get stronger.

April 14, 2012 - Cycling through the Forest and Garden

I was expecting a 50 mile day in 63 degree weather but ended up being a 63 mile day in 50 degree weather - lol! But what a fun day to ride with new friends from the Colorado Springs TNT contingent. I hadn't been had a chance to cycle in that area since a long ago MS 150 event so it was great to be there again. We began with a climb up into the Black Forest area just north and east of town. Funny how a little fitness can change one's perspective. I remember my first bike ride in that area in 1995 and how challenging that climb seemed at the time. Not so much now.

Our first rest stop was at the home of of host and COS team coach Ben. No energy bars and gatorade here - this was all about the breakfast burritos. Now that's a great early in the day rest stop treat. Next up (literally) was a climb up the never ending Woodman Road. This was our alternate route since the Air Force Academy was hosting a cycling race event at the time.

Favorite part of the day - besides actually getting off the bike - was a circuit through Garden of the Gods. SPECTACULAR and challenging as always! Nice that it was a cool day.

April 7, 2012 - Lookout Mountain

Ah, GREAT to be back with the team and back on the bike. Today was little 50+ mile jaunt from Confluence Park that included a loop through Lakewood and Morrison. Highlight was a climb of Lookout Mountain. That was a stage in last years US Pro Cycling Tour and a favorite of local cyclists. I felt surprisingly strong and was thrilled to see how much many of the rookies on our team have progressed in my absence.

March 31, 2012 - Business gets in the way.

Missed todays team training ride due to a business trip. Tahoe's getting closer and I am getting further behind - yikes! Good thing the hotel had a fitness center which allowed me to get some saddle time - although with pretty boring scenery - lol.

March 24, 2012 - Back in the saddle - finally!.

Dang, whatever resperatory thing that got ahold of me in late Feb hit me full force right after the last post. Most of my physical activity in the past two weeks has been coughing, sneezing and blowing my nose. Even after 2 rounds of Z-pack antibiotics, I am only now beginning to improve. It was a pretty day and I really needed to ride. So, i gave it a go for a quick up and down Deer Creek Canyon, one of the local favorite routes. Actually did pretty well considering. maybe it was all the pent up need for activity but I think I set a PR or close to it for the route.

March 3, 2012 - March comes in like a lion!

Back outside today with the team. A balmy 38 degrees when we started this morning with strong gusty winds out of the west/northwest. Even so, we had almost 100% attendance from the team. The out and back route from Superior to Hygiene is one I have ridden parts of during several MS 150's back in the day. The rolling hills were still the same as I recall - but the wind - holy s@#t! It was hard to stay upright from some of the gusts and anytime we actually turned into the teeth of the wind just added to the fun. I admire the tenacity and good humor with which our less experienced teammates tackled this challenge.It will pay off for them in June at Tahoe. I spent the majority of the day riding with a young 25 year old teammate named Roger. He is a a very experienced cyclist, mostly fast sprints on flat roads. We hammered it as hard as we could (or at least as hard as I could) for most of the 36 miles averaging around 15 mph. I pulled him up the hills and he pulled me through the flats. Some day soon I may actually tell him my age - I think he'll be surprised that this older dude can still hang with the kids.

I am grateful that a few pledges started coming in from the snail mail letter I sent earlier in the week. Thanks to both of the Julie's in my life for their generosity to jump start my fundraiaing effort. An e-blast will be in the rest of your inboxes soon ;)

February 25, 2012 - Uh, oh.....

No outside training ride for me today. Sinuses mutinied mid-week and forced me back indoors for several butt-kicking spin classes. Missed being out with my TNT teammates but heard that is was a successful ride despite another 'light dusting' of what ended up being 5 or 6 inches on new powder in the 'hood late in the week.

February 18, 2012 - Glad you stopped by this website today.

Today we moved the team training ride outdoors. I thought we might have to cancel after a mid week snow but not with this group. Although it was a chilly 30 degrees when we converged on our starting place, I'm pleased to report that everyone arrived with the right cold weather gear and anxious to ride. We encountered some icy spots on the route but almost no wind. I enjoyed the opportunity to chat with my teammates and hear why it is that they have joined this adventure. Everyone has a compelling personal story about a friend or loved one touched by these diseases. And in a few cases, they are riding for themselves as survivors of one of the blood cancer variants. Watching the efforts each of them put into what at this point is only a training ride inspired me not only to push hard on my bike but to be more intentional in my fundraising. Of course, I was not especially surprised to figure out that I am the seasoned citizen member of the team. But it looks like I will hold my own on the bike with these whippersnappers (what the heck is a whippersnapper, anyway). All in all another fine day to be on my bike.

February 12, 2012

Yesterday, I enjoyed a fabulous experience on my bike and yes, it’s February and snowing in Colorado! Despite the weather, I had a chance to ride - indoors - with a group of new acquaintances who I am certain will become very close friends over the next 4 months. Together we comprise Team in Training (TNT) and we are preparing together to ride 100 miles around Lake Tahoe on Sunday, June 3, 2012. TNT is a program of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) that combines coaches, mentors, event participants and staff devoted to one mission - the eradication of blood cancers. I have heard about this particular ride and its fantastic organization for many years and have several friends who have successfully completed this event. Now, it is my turn.

In my typical spirit of leveraging time in the saddle for the benefit of others, I am asking for your support in this latest cycling adventure.

My personal fundraising commitment for this event is $4,500 and as is my approach to this sort of effort, I’ll start by making my own pledge of $1,000 to be fulfilled with regular contributions between now . Please help me achieve the rest of my goal through your personal generosity to LLS. The process is simple and by being on this page, you are almost there. See that 'make a donation' section on the right side of this page. Just fill in an amount and hit the 'donate now' button. You have moved us that many dollars closer to a cure.

Blood cancers are awful! My connection to this disease goes back to my youth in Texas. Gary was the first person whom I considered to be my ‘best friend’. He succumbed to Leukemia when we were 6. It was my first experience with the death of someone close. To this day, I can recall the sadness that surrounded this loss. That was in the 1950’s when Leukemia was considered 100% fatal. As life has progressed, I have encountered others whose lives have been touched by one or more of these related diseases. I’ll bet that yours has, too. Thanks to the work of LLS and its TNT program these stories are having more positive outcomes. But the fight is not over and I want to do my part to make a difference!

I sincerely appreciate your financial pledge to this effort and promise to do my part to ensure I earn your support. In the next 112 days I will train by riding approximately 1,500 miles. It reflects my commitment to help end these diseases. With your help, I will make it.

Indeed, 1,500 miles is a long way so I’d better get to it. I think I have just enough time now to put in a few more miles on the wind trainer before calling it a day.

Thanks for your support!