My Fundraising Page

Sep 27, 2010

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Who am I kidding.


Welcome to the Team In Training ("TNT") page for Madame Letharge.


The Markleeville Death Ride is a test-piece for endurance cyclists who savor pain. At high elevation in the Sierras, the one-day course is 130 miles long , with 15,000 feet of climbing and time cut-offs. For about 15 hours I'll be pedalling on a thin bicycle seat, gasping for air, veins popping, as I haul my fat ass up five steep mountain passes, first in biting cold, later in searing heat.


This endeavor arises from grandiosity and wildly unrealistic goals. To say I'm a couch potato is to exaggerate my activity. I'm basically bedridden, except with no physical ailment. Nirvana is cuddling with the dogs and cats in bed.


TNT raises funds to cure leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood cancers. This year, I'm riding for Marty, my awesome cousin-in-law, now in his third round of chemo for leukemia. I lived with Marty and cousin Judy every summer throughout childhood and teens. Marty was a dedicated high-school teacher of Spanish and social studies. He and Judy took me to my first rock concert. They brought me into the Civil Rights, La Raza, and Gay Equality movements. They taught me to drive a stick. They nurtured my yearning for social and environmental justice and public service that infuses my life and career today.


I'm also riding for my friend Wendy, a fellow bleeding-heart public defender, animal lover, and cyclist. She's also a former TNT-er and AIDS rider. She's battling stage-4 metastasized breast cancer. My hope is that the research on blood cancers can apply to halting and reversing late-stage breast cancer.


Team-in-Training is a great organization. TNT's got one of the best athletic training programs. Amazing coaches, fantastic support, and hilarious team-mates.


With Marty and Wender-Woman as my inspiration, and with TNT's training and your contributions, I'll be in too deep to slack off on training.


Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission. Any amount welcome! If you donate online, you can include a snarky comment.

Make a Donation

We are no longer accepting donations for this event, however you can still make a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

My Fundraising Total

62%
62 %

Make a Donation

We are no longer accepting donations for this event, however you can still make a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

In Honor of

Marty Donabedian & Wendy Downing

My Thanks To

PAYCOR FULL TRANSFER... $1,550.00