Thank you for contributing to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society though the vehicle of my crazy bike ride. I finished the 122 mile ride 651st out of the 659 who finished the ride. About 2500 people started, but most diverted after the first hard climb with the temperature over 85 at 10:30 in the morning. By the end of the day it was over 100 degrees. I feel pretty good about being ahead of all the people who dropped out - a victory of perseverance!

I feel like I was in the top category though - men over 50 who finished the ride without needing medical attention!

While I may have been int he bottom ten riders who finished the ride, thanks to you I was in the top ten nationally in fundraising, with over $7,000 raised. Over 1500 of the riders at this event were there through Team in Training, and we raised a total of over $1.5 million. This money will go to improve research on blood cancers and to improve the lives of those suffering from Leukemia and Lymphoma.

Thank you again!

Ross

My training group rode a little over 80 miles, including about 4000' of elevation gain on Saturday as part of our training regime. I averaged over 15 MPH for the ride, and it turns out that I CAN now ride 20 MPH for a period of time, even though I could not in June. I'm looking forward to 120 miles with about the same elevation gain in 3 weeks in Las Vegas, though not to the temperature which will be 15-20 degrees warmer.

I'm tracking these training rides through www.endomondo.com, at least as long as I can remember to keep the phone's GPS tracking the ride. I took a call at Seward Park on Sat and missed the last 7 miles or so of the ride. Oh well - technology.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through my ride - we've raised almost $5000 so far, and forced me to up the goal to $7500. If we hit that, I'll raise it again...

Ross

I rode 40 miles on Sat (June 16), with only the last two in a torrential downpour. This was my first training ride with the Team in Training people, and I was pleased to (almost) be able to ride with the fast group. It turns out that I can't quite ride 20 miles an hour in a paceline for longer than a couple of miles. Who knew?

Thank you for your support of my efforts - the LLS does great work in supporting cancer research, patient care, and endurance training for aging ex-athletes.

As you most likely know I was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma about 6 years ago. In 2007 I underwent a stem-cell trnsplant at the Fed Hutchison Cancer Research Center and the UW Hospital as part of a research study. This summer I celebrate 5 years of remission.

Seattle is the epicenter for research on my particular cancer and treatment, and without "The Hutch" and the research they do I would possibly not be here today. I'm kinda fond of the place and the entire staff.

In order to further the research that they do (and keep my blood pressure under control) I’m participating in a 120 mile bike ride this fall as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training. Like the other members of TNT, I will be raising funds to help find cures and better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma.

With your support, I can help improve the quality of life for other patients and their families and further lifesaving research. Please make a donation in support of my efforts with Team In Training and help advance the research for cures.