RAGBRAI, Team LIVESTRONG, and Jim

Today is World Cancer Day. And the day after I learned my brother Jim was recently diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer.

Once again I'm registered to ride RAGBRAI (the weeklong bike ride across Iowa) this July with Team LIVESTRONG.  Riding with this group us an amazing experience. I'm honored to be a part of this team.  The LIVESTRONG Foundation provides support for cancer patients and their support team (family, friends, and professional care takers). To do its work, the Foundation relies on the support of donors ... like you. 

2013 Team LIVESTRONG

In the past, I've ridden RAGBRAI in memory of my sister, Julie, who was taken from us in 1982 when she was only 21. 

Julie

This year, I will again be riding in her memory. 

And in honor of my brother Jim. Jim is one of the nicest, most genuine, and incredible people I know. A Renaissance Man. Artist, Artisan. Iron worker, Computer programmer. Thinker, Doer. And, at age 57, cancer fighter.  



Jim

At the top of my blog page, there's a LIVESTRONG Foundation logo that is linked to my fundraising page. Please follow that link and donate to the Foundation. In Jim's honor. Or the honor or memory of a loved one. 

As for me, I plan on pedaling 418 miles across Iowa in July. Thinking of Julie. And Jim. Sharing their stories. And raising awareness of all that LIVESTRONG does. And donating as well. Until then, I'll be training. And fundraising.

Thanks in advance for your support.

Dairyland Dare

August 10th: The Dairyland Dare - Stage Three of the Wisconsin Triple Crown Series.  For serious riders, the Dare offers options up to 300km (nearly 200 mi).  Riders who are much more serious than I.  Evidence: this was my first ride since RAGBRAI.  So, I opted for the 100K route - or about 65 miles with 5,000' of climbing.

So many choices.

I woke up at 4:30 to get going.  It's an hour drive from home to Dodgeville.  The ride began and ended at the Lands End headquarters in town.  Nice facility.  Registration was well organized. 

If this isn't motivation, I'm not sure what is!

I rolled out with the 7:15 wave.  Riders left Lands End every fifteen minutes.  My plan was to do the 100K ride, finish about noon and head back home.  Ahhh, the best laid plans of mice and men....

Time to ride!

There were about 35-40 riders leaving when I did.  Most of the riders who had committed to the longer routes (200K +) had left in the earlier waves.  Our group was mostly 100 and 150K riders.

The 7:15 wave riding out of Dodgeville

The rider in the picture above #121_ is wearing a RAGBRAI jersey from this year.  He and I talked for a bit.  He was from Iowa City and took up cycling in 2010 because he was having knee issues and couldn't keep up with his running.  He rode the 150K.  I saw him later in the day, when the two routes crossed, riding strong.

The rolling countryside of SW WI.

The first 50K were mostly rolling hills, and lots of them.  The cue sheet listed nine separate hills.  It was, especially compared to the first two stages of the Triple Crown in Arcadia and Viroqua, relatively easy.

Must've been early when this photo was taken.  I still look like I could ride.

And then I had a little issue.  About 3-1/2 miles from the 50K finish (aka my half-way point).  I had passed a water stop by a couple miles when I started experiencing some difficulty shifting.  Then I couldn't shift at all.  So I turned around to head back to the water stop.  I was able to make most of the way back, but did have to walk up one hill.  (Side note, I was disappointed that only two riders had even asked if I was ok.  Most just rode past.)  There was a support truck there to call in for a SAG ride.  Within a couple minutes one was driving by as he got the call to pick me up.

Umm, I don't think this is right.  Anyone got duct tape or some super glue?  Busted shifter cable.

The SAG drove me about 10 miles to the next rest stop in Governor Dodge State Park, where there were two mechanics ready to help.  They had shifter cables and repaired my broken steed.  (I forgot the guy's name who worked on my bike for me.)  I was good to go again.

The ride into the Park was beautiful, but there was a steep hill about just before the rest stop.  I decided to make up most of the mileage I lost by getting SAG'd by riding the loop through the park, about 6 miles, from the rest stop to the entrance/exit and back to the rest stop.  In addition the two miles riding back to the water stop with the broken cable, I covered about 8 of those 10 miles.

The descent into Governor Dodge State Park.  The lake in ahead on the left.

Now, on to the second 50K.  There were five hills listed in the next section of the ride.  But they were much larger and more daunting than the rollers of the first half of the day.

A long descent. My kind of road!

After rolling out of Governor Dodge State Park, there was about six miles of relative flat riding until we hit the big hills.  First was a 400' descent, and then a climb back out of the valley.  Up 200' then a slight drop and then more climbing.  This part of the ride was turning out to be brutal.

Suffering up the Dyerson Rd hill. Not pretty ... in so many ways.

Especially for a guy carrying more than a few extra pounds.  They come in handy when going down hill, but it's like dragging an anchor going up. I am a SLOW climber.  I've since heard that each pound a rider is overweight cost him/her 15 seconds for every mile of climbing. If that's true, I lose about 5 minutes each mile going up. 


More of SW WI hills.  A little more severe in this part of the county.

The route was well supported, not only with the SAG support, but also with full stocked rest stops with mechanics, and also water/snack stops.  The route was well marked and the volunteers and staff were awesome!

Last stop, for us on the 100K route.  13 miles to beer!

After the last stop, there was one more hill (technically it was two) before the finish.  Not as severe or as long as the others.  But after fighting the others, it was no less challenging on my tired legs.  So I did what my jersey said - I fought head down.  (Jersey was our LIVESTRONG team jersey for RAGBRAI.)

Last hill of the day.  I can do this.  I will do this.  I did it!

Finally, after over six hours, I rolled back into the Lands End complex and finished the Dairyland Dare and the Wisconsin Triple Crown.

FIN!

And the reward!  A cold pint of Capital brew.  

A tasty reward to rehydrate with.

While I was enjoying my beer, someone called my name and was walking towards me. It turned out to be a teammate from 2011 Team LIVESTRONG, Amy.  We had talked about connecting at each of the stages of the Triple Crown, but never connected.  So, at the end of the last day, it was a little ironic that we actually were able to reconnect. 

 

Riders who complete the Triple Crown receive a personalized jersey commemorating all three stages on the back pocket.  You can select what you want it to say.  Mine will be "CRAWL UP - FLY DOWN" in honor of my great skills on the hills.

My Strava data from the ride. 

https://www.strava.com/activities/73677992

You'll note that straight line from mi 30 to just past 36. That's where I paused as I was getting SAG'd to the mechanic. I rode an extra loop thru Governor Didge State Park, which was gorgeous!) to make up for some of the list mileage. Still ride more than 100K (thanks to the loop).

100 Miles of Nowhere

I'm stealing an idea from another cycling blogger, albeit a more famous, humorous, and talented one. Several years ago, The Fat Cyclist (aka Fatty) started a fundraiser called 100 Miles of Nowhere. The idea was to ride a trainer, circle the neighborhood, go up and down a big hill (or mountain), all day until you ride 100 miles.

Crazy, huh?

Well, cyclists are kinda crazy. And this event is just another piece of evidence of that. To get in on the official 100MoN, you need to register the day it opens. There are only 500 spots, so it generally fills within a day. In return, you get to know that your reg fee goes to a great cause and you get some swag.  Like this shirt

Damn! That is a mighty fine shirt!

Then on June 1, you ride. And ride. And ride.

I missed this year's reg. It was full by the time I got to it. So I thought "Fuck it. I can still do this. And instead of Fatty's charity benefitting (a great cause, by the way, Camp Kesum, for children of cancer patients, survivors, or victims), I can do it to raise money for LIVESTRONG."

So, that's why I'm doing. I am riding around my neighborhood on Saturday, June 1st to raise money for LIVESTRONG. 100 laps. It is 1 mile per lap.


The red line is my route for the day.

So, here's the deal, if you're in the area and want to join me on the bike for a lap or more, please come by.

But what I need really need, and how you can really support me is by making a contribution to LIVESTRONG. You can also make a donation that day at my house. Or you go to my fundraising page on the LIVESTRONG website, either by donating on-line via credit/debit card or by printing a donation form and mailing it in with a check.

Donations will go towards my fundraising goal to ride RAGBRAI again this year with TeamLIVESTRONG.

And, yes, I do have Fatty's blessing.

My Space

No. Not a blog post about a dead social media site. (Oh! Sorry! MySpace is still operational?!? Why?!?)

No. Just a chance to show off a room in the house. We've been here for 6 mos. and finally got around to decorating it and moving some boxes that were in there into the storage room.

So, as you know, I've kind of gotten a little obsessive about cycling. (No, I'm not apologizing for it!). And over the last 3 years I've collected a few posters. That have sat in the tubes and flats they were mailed in.

This weekend a chain arts & crafts store had their poster frames on sale. So, I (finally) spent the money to get the frames. Got home, unpacked the prints, and put them in.

Finally, I cleaned out the room and hung the prints. What do you think?


Vive Le Tour - set of three prints by Adam Turman (adamturman.com).  He is an artist out of the Twin Cities and has a lot of great work, not all of it cycling related.  These were a Christmas gift from the kids.



These two prints represent my commitment to LIVESTRONG.  The print on the left is by Shepard Fairey (of the Obama HOPE poster fame).  This was something I received from the Foundation for being one of the top three fundraisers for the RAGBRAI TeamLIVESTRONG in 2010.  The print on the right is by Austin, TX artist Bobby Dix, available on ETSY under the name Kollective Fusion.  He also some some real cool non-cycling posters as well (BACON!)



RAGBRAI posters from 2010 and 2012, the two years that I completed the whole route.  I did save space on the wall for the 2013 poster, as I am planning or riding all week again this year.  (Registered and, yes, doing my fundraising for LIVESTRONG already - help me reach my goal.)

And yes, that's my bike up on the trainer. I have tried to ride some this winter.

Update: 4/19 - Just ordered these two prints from Mark Fairhurst.  Can't wait to get them!


Ahh, the Spring Classics.  Where bike racers ride across the ancient cobbled roads of northern Europe.

This one reminds me of both LeTour as well as (surprise!) RAGBRAI.



Stomach of Anger

You may have noticed the logo to the right that was added to my page layout not too long ago. It's actually a linked logo, so if you click on it, you'll go to the SOA website. Which I strongly advise, if you want to order some really cool cycling-themed t-shirts. (Full disclosure, I own four of them already.)

The reason that logo is there is that the guys at SOA have agreed to sponsor me on my big one-day rides this year. Yes, me, a middle-aged slightly over-weight weekend warrior cyclist just trying to carve out enough time to ride so that my body can actually withstand the rigors of a timed 100-mi ride. Pretty cool, huh?

So the deal is, SOA is sending me a kit (that's what they call the jersey and shorts together) to wear at these events (the Ironman Ride MN, the Wisconsin Triple Crown, the UPAF Ride for the Arts (MKE) and the iGranFondo). I wear the kit and promote the brand (and hopefully don't embarrass myself or them with my performances).

And, while they haven't asked me to, I will be sharing information about any promos they're running, etc. Which, btw, they have right now: $12.00 t-shirts for 2011 & 2012 designs. Click on the link and happy shopping!

Maybe next year, I can get them to pay my entry fees to these rides, too.

You, too, can sponsor me. By clicking on the LIVESTRONG logo at the top of the page, you can donate to the Foundation and support my fundraising efforts to ride with the TeamLIVESTRONG on RAGBRAI again this summer. The Foundation does great work supporting patients and their loved ones at the start of their fight against cancer. Educational materials, connecting patients to clinical trials, assistance with insurance issues, etc. LIVESTRONG is there, in te corner for patients, when things are the craziest as they're just learning what hey are up against.

My goal this year is is to raise $5.00 for every mile of this year's RAGBRAI, or just over $2000. I appreciate your support!

World Cancer Day

 

Today is World Cancer Day. Seems to be an appropriate day to begin in earnest my fundraising efforts for LIVESTRONG as I prepare to join about 100 teammates and 20,000 other cyclists for a week long ride across Iowa this July.

For 41 years now, RAGBRAI has crossed Iowa from the Missouri to the Mississippi. This will be my third year of riding the whole week (I also rode the last two days in 2011). In that time, colleagues, co-workers, friends and family have generously donated more than $10,000 to the LIVESTRONG Foundation. This year, I am at it again, and am asking you to join my team in the fight against cancer.

I’ve been asked a few times about the impact of the Lance news on LIVESTRONG. My short answer is that LIVESTRONG is not about Lance – yes, it was his foundation, but he’s stepped away from it now – it’s about providing services and resources to cancer patients and their support teams (friends, family, loved ones) during their fig...ht. LIVESTRONG does not fund research for a cure – important work that others are doing, but work that doesn’t fit its mission of helping people now. (My long answer appears on this post from November (before the Oprah interview).)

I would greatly appreciate your support. You can donate on-line on my fundraising page.

If, however, you feel that you cannot support LIVESTRONG because of Lance, I understand. I only ask that you consider donating to another organization fighting the cancer war instead.

Thank you for your consideration!

RAGBRAI D6: Best Day Ever?

Maybe not, but it was a lot of fun. Of course, when you take 8-1/2 hrs to ride 42 miles, you better be having fun!

D6 actually began the night before. It was the RAGBRAI 40th Anniversary celebration in downtown Cedar Rapids. The evening was a celebration of RAGBRAI. and included honoring the seven riders who have done ALL FORTY RIDES(!).

Then it was time for the Counting Crows. Team LIVESTRONG was represented up front at the concert. There were at least a dozen of us in the front of the audience. It was a lot of fun. Thanks again to Marty for arranging for the bus to get us back to camp (on his yard).

Counting Crows in Cedar Rapids on Thursday night. Great show!

Knowing it was a short day the next day, we planned on "sleeping in" and hitting the road at about 9 on Friday. (And if the teammates who weren't out until 1am would have gotten that message, we would have slept in at least past 7.)  That morning we were treated to a pancake breakfast prepared by Drew's family. Drew's grandfather has a mobile kitchen he brought over. The pancakes were delicious. Thank you!  (For more about Drew and Marty, or more specifically, Marty's son Jack, see my D5 post.)

A group of about 12 of us on Team LIVESTRONG rolled out together this morning, including the LIVESTRONG intern Eliza. I'm not convinced that she had been on a bike before. "There's a seat in my shorts!"

Eliza though did have "Super Dave" with her as her personal escort. Dave volunteers as the team mechanic and is a former pro racer. And was in the peleton with Lance. Great guy and served as a great guide/chaperone/body guard for Eliza.

It was a good thing, too, as we lost Eliza and Dave before we even got out of downtown Cedar Rapids. But they caught up to us at the first stop, a place called "The Rut."  I'm sure a bunch of lycra clad cyclists are not the usual clientele at The Rut (a place named after the mating season for deer), but they treated us great!

While we were enjoying bloody Mary's and other beverages, Eliza was introduced to Team Spin.  

 

Eliza meets Team Spin. << It's a conspiracy, Eliza! Runa away! << Too late!

 
Eliza gets spun. << And she sticks the dismount! <<  

She's all smiles. Hmmm. How did all those stickers get on her? And look at the placement! Now, we know why she is smiling!

Welcome to RAGBRAI, Eliza!

This was the theme of the day - ride a way then stop and have fun. We rode to Mt Vernon and ate breakfast and ducked into a bar for a beer.

We rode on, fighting a strong headwind out of the north, to Springview where we grabbed lunch ... and ... a beer.

You get the idea. This was not a day for challenging yourself. It was a day to enjoy the experience of RAGBRAI and the comraderie of the team. I had a fantastic day riding with Barb, Tina, Deren, Eric, Allen, Eliza, Dave, Gene, Don and Cindy. (I know I'm missing someone! Sorry!)

Rather than heading into the overnight town, Anamosa, in the last few miles, we turned left and went off route to the party in Stone City. Stone City sits in a valley, surrounded by hills on all sides. It was fun riding into. We had dinner and a beverage or two there. They had a bluegrass band playing there too.

Sidebar: My brother Tom plays in a bluegrass band as well (The Cosmobilly Band).  As I listened to the music, I wondered if he knew these guys.  He lives not too far from where we were.  I found out a week or so later that not only a) does he know the guys in that band, but b) his bassist was playing for them; c) he was there... when I was... less than 50' away from me!; and d) he and his band (including his son Lakota) played at a farm where a couple teams were staying just outside of town that night!  If I had only turned my head to the right, I would have seen him - he was probably the only one there in bib overalls rather than lycra shorts!  And I would have been able to listen to him play that night, too. Such is life, I suppose.

Climbing out of Stone City was advertized as brutally steep.  The party organizers had arranged rides in trucks and ATVs for riders who didn't want to climb the hill.  I took it as a challenge. So, when it came to head to camp for our team meeting, I saddled up, along with a handful of others - including ELIZA!  I actually thought the hill wasn't that bad.  It wasn't any steeper than the two on the Karras Loop (see D3 post - yet to come) nor the longer one out of Lehigh that same day.  As I tapped out the climb, I heard my chain starting to slip.  I tried changing gears to move the deraileur, but it kept slipping.  Finally, just as the climb started to flatten out, the chain dropped.  Damn.  At least it wasn't on the steepest part.  I got the chain back on and pressed on.  We all made it to the top (Chapeau, Eliza! Well done!) and rode the final few miles into town.

Entering in to Anamosa on the scheduled route, riders passed under a gate celebrating the city's role in state corrections.  Having gone through Stone City, we didn't come past the gate.  I did however hear about it. 

Riding into Anamosa (home of a large state prison).  (photo from: summerofandy.com)

That evening, the team meeting was especially emotional. Dave and Gina shared the story of the loss of one of their boys to cancer when he was a teenager.  Gina also shared how, when her other son was a counselor in Vail one summer, Lance Armstrong approached him to ask about his story - why was he wearing the yellow bracelet.  As the brother shared, he said that Lance should talk to his mom.  So Lance had the brother call Gina right then and took the time to listen and talk to her and offer her some words of support.

Next, Eric spoke.  Eric is in his early to mid 20s ... about the same age as Gina and Dave's son.  He just recently opened up to his friends that he is a cancer survivor, having been diagnosed as a teen.  Now he was sharing his story with a group of 75 strangers who are now part of his family.  Needless to say, there were tears and Eric, Gina and Dave spent some time talking and bonding.

Eric and Gina hug near the end of the evening's team meeting.

This was to be our last night in camp together.  The next morning, we would saddle up for the last time this year and ride to Clinton.  Once in Clinton, we would gather together to ride in formation to the official ending spot of RAGBRAI - the dip in site on the Mississippi River.  But that's for another post.

It was an incredible day.  It was fun.  It was challenging.  It was emotional.  It was supportive.  It was LIVESTRONG on RAGBRAI.

Thanks for reading.  Comments welcome below!

RAGBRAI D5: Jack & Drew

Admittedly, this post is out of order.  But that's because this is the most important post.  So, here it is.

Today (D5 -Th, 7/26) was about Drew and Jack.  These two young men are incredibly inspiring with their resilience, their resolve, their humor, their spirit, their aliveness.  While fighting cancer.

The morning began like most in camp - finding a back tag and dedicating the day's ride. This was my backtag for July 26. 

For the ride, we started in Marshalltown and ended almost 85 miles later in Cedar Rapids.  Unless you rode the Karras Loop, this was the longest day of the ride this year.  Passing through Garwin, Clutier, Garrison, Vinton, and Shellsburg, the day's ride was "nice" compared to the first four days of the week.  A storm blew through Marshalltown the night before and temps dropped out of the high 90s and l00s and peaked at 89 for the day.

Another RAGBRAI pass-thru town invaded by tens of thousands of cyclists.

For breakfast today, about two hours into the day I stopped in Clutier.  There I found the Iowa Pork Council had set up shop with a grill and were selling barbecued ribs slathered in sauce.

YUMBO!!! Breakfast of Champions!

But today wasn't about the miles.  Or the stops.  Or the food.  Today was about Jack and Drew.  Two young men, courageously, inspirationally, and tenaciously fighting cancer.

Today's ride ended in Cedar Rapids, home to Jack's family.  Jack's dad, Marty, has ridden with the team for several years.  And when the route was announced with an overnight in their town, Marty told his wife that he wanted to host the team for the night.  Jen agreed - with the caveat that she was not going be anywhere near!  It was incredibly generous of Jack's family to make their home available for the team.  In addition, they prepared an awesome meal for us this evening.  Marty also arranged for the team to shuttle from his house to the Catholic HS in town.  The school agreed to make their locker rooms available to Team LIVESTRONG.  It was glorious! No rush, no lines, no crowds, no shower trucks!  And that night, Marty set up a bus to take us downtown to the main RAGBRAI party and Counting Crows concert. 

I'm not sure I can sufficiently describe Marty's, et al, generosity and hospitality nor adequately express my gratitude. Except to simply say "Thank You!". And I look forward to riding with you Marty in future RAGBRAIs.

Unfortunately, Marty was not able to join us on the ride this year.  Jack, had had some complications, including near continuous seizures.  Just prior to the start of the ride, Jack underwent brain surgery to end the seizures.  He was in recovery while we were camping in his family's yard.

To get to know Jack, see this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF1j95WLJSo.  You can also follow Jack's progress via this blog maintained by Marty and Jen (Jack's mom).  If you want to be inspired by a true fighter, get to know Jack.

After dinner, during our team meeting, we had the opportunity to hear from Marty.  He shared Jack's story and the family's story.  LIVESTRONG has been an important part of their fight.  Hearing their story was inspirational and affirming.

Jack's Dad (and our generous host) sharing the family's story.

After Marty spoke, we got to hear from Drew.  Drew just finished his freshman year of high school with a 4.0+ GPA (weighted grading) and was spending his summer taking summer school and working to get ahead in school so that he wouldn't fall behind when it came time for treatments.  And unfortunately, those treatments would be restarting soon.  The day before, Drew was diagnosed with a new metastasized lump. 

When Drew was first diagnosed, he was given two surgical treatment options - 1) remove the lump and with it have to replace the bone with a cadaver bone or 2) amputate the leg.  Drew made a decision that he wanted to live life to the fullest.  For him that meant option 2.  He golfs, plays basketball, and (yes!) rides a bike.  A cadaver bone would be too brittle to allow him to be engaged in the activities he wanted to participate in.

Drew had all of our attention.  Eloquent and articulate young man.

In addition to being an active teenager, Drew is also an engaged community member.  He testified before the state legislature in support of a bill that would require insurers to cover the full cost of prosthetics.  He was invited to stand behind the governor when the bill was signed into law.

Drew passed his leg around we could look at it.  This is Tina examining it, and Matt next to her.

Finally, to cap an emotional evening, we had a birthday cake to celebrate what would have been the 18th birthday of the daughter of one our teammates, Tina.  It was a celebration of the all to brief life that Katie had lived.

We also celebrated Tina's daughter's 18th birthday. It sucks that Katie wasn't here to celebrate it. (#EffCancer!)

More than any other team meeting or any other day, July 26 really reaffirmed why I support LIVESTRONG.  It's not about the ride. Or the yellow bracelets.  Or me.  Or even Lance.  It's about the 28 million Jacks, Drews, and Katie's out there.  It's about developing and providing the resources that the Lance Armstrong Foundation shares with cancer patients and their support teams.  If you want to donate to LIVESTRONG, you still can over on my fundraising page here.

Overview of a Week in Iowa

8 Days. 600+ miles. 55 Iowa towns, villages, and cities. 1 Tweep. 75 Teammates. $225,000.

What an incredible week and a day.

Ready to roll!

After driving west across the state of Iowa,from Dubuque to Sioux City, with my little brother (Thanks, Ron!), I arrived in the start town for the iGranFondo. This ride, a new event created by the Sioux City visitors' bureau (or maybe by the city), was scheduled to ride from Sioux City to the RAGBRAI start town. This year, that town is Sioux Center, about 60 miles from Sioux City.

But I'm ahead of myself and getting too deep into details for this post. I'll do posts with the detes about the riding in the coming days/weeks.

So, Friday night, I met up with a cycling pal I got to know via Twitter, Krissy (aka @futuremrschaps), a librarian from Omaha, was also riding the iGranFondo and has family in Sioux City. We stayed at her grandmother (Lois)'s house - they even had a room for me in the basement. And her grandmother took us out to the Olive Garden for dinner (carbo loading!).

Saturday morning, we headed to Riverside Park to start the ride. We both had signed up for the 100-mile ride (aka a "Century") so we chose to ride together so we could support each other on what was sure to be a tough day. And we needed each other. About halfway through Krissy was struggling. At the end of the ride, it was me. But we finished, together. It ended up being closer to 107 miles.

107 miles later, we finished the iGranFondo!

It was a tough ride to Sioux Center. But we made it. And, thanks to her family, so did my gear! Her dad and uncle delivered it from Lois's house. I can't say enough about the generosity and kindness of Krissy and her family. THANK YOU!

We rolled over to the middle school in Sioux Center, where Team LIVESTRONG was setting up camp.  I got to meet up with some people that I met last year on my abbreviated ride and, over the course of the week, got to meet a number of new people.  

Team LIVESTRONG

It was with these folks that I’d spend the next seven days, riding and camping … and eating and drinking. Everyone on this team was committed to giving the finger to cancer.  Collectively, the 75 of us raised over $225,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. With your support, I was able to raise over $2500 of that. (The team's top fundraiser, Laurey M, who raised over $25,000!, was not able to join us on the ride, unfortunately.  She was recently diagnosed with a relapse of cancer and had to start treatments right away.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Laurey!  And FUCK YOU, CANCER!)  There is still time to contribute to the Foundation if you want to add to that - just go to my donation page here. The Foundation exists to provide support and education to cancer patients and their support team – friends and family.  Our team includes survivors, family members of survivors and of those who have passed, as well as those that just want to support LIVESTRONG. 

SURVIVORS!

Over the next seven days, we pedaled from Sioux Center to Clinton,covering over 470 miles (plus another 23 for those crazy enough to do “TheLoop”).  We would spend the nights in Cherokee, Lake View,Webster City, Marshalltown, Cedar Rapids, and Anamosa.  We would ride in groups, large or small, or ride solo.  We would ride hard, cranking out the miles, or go easy making many stops along the way.  

RAGBRAI comes through one of the many small towns in Iowa on the 2012 route.

It was a great week. I met up with Krissy and her dad later in the week (while we were all doing "The Loop").  I also met and rode with the husband of someone who went to high school with my little brother, as well as another guy from the Madison area who it turn out is going to sell his tandem bike once he gets back home.  (Hello! If Olivia wants to do RAGBRAI withme, it will be on a tandem for the first year or two.  Hmmmm.)

So, I’ll be writing up posts for each of the days and about some of my many new friends.  I hope you find them readable, enjoyable, inspirational, and encouraging.  One thing about RAGBRAI is that it never lacks for providing material for many, many stories.  I hope I do the stories justice. 

A personal greeting just for me!

As always, your comments and feedback is more than welcome.

  

RAGBRAI 2012 - It's ON!

I am now signed up for this year's ride across Iowa and will again be joining Team LIVESTRONG, fundraising for the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF).

I'm really looking forward to being able to ride the full week again this year, having only ridden two days last year. RAGBRAI is a fun and challenging way to push myself to be healthier and stronger than I have ever been. (For example, my Cycling For Life post documents the improvements in my health since I started riding in 2010.)

RAGBRAI
The Des Moines Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa is a week-long adventure. This year, the 40th edition, is scheduled for 477 miles from Sioux Center in the NW corner of the state to Clinton on the Mississippi. The week looks to be challenging with three long days (75+ miles each) sandwiched between two shorter days to start and to end the week. And then, there's the Karras Loop, an optional loop of additional miles to bring one of the days up to about 100 miles. The reward for completing the Loop is ... a patch. But well worth it!

But really, it isn't as daunting as it sounds. The key, I think, it not think of it as a 60, 70 or 80 mile day, but rather 10 or 15 miles to the next town. And the next town always has at least two things: PIE! and BEER! And while the beer is not always the best, the pie always is!

This year, there is a new event to coincide with RAGBRAI. There is a Gran Fondo ride from Sioux City to Sioux Center the day before. The feature ride is a 100 mile timed ride. This would be a fantastic way to kick off the week. (And will likely result in the first day or two of RAGBRAI being ridden at a more leisurely pace.)

If you are interested in RAGBRAI, I encourage you to check it out. The website is http://ragbrai.com/. Info about the Iowa Gran Fondo can be found at http://igranfondo.com/.

Fundrsaising for the LIVESTRONG.org
And, as in the past, I am using this opportunity to fund raise for the LAF. In the last two years, thanks to the generous support of my family, friends, colleagues, and readers, I've raised over $7500. These funds are used to support programs and services dedicated to serving cancer patients and their loved ones as they fight like hell against this scourge.

As you likely know, the reason that supporting efforts to fight cancer and support patients fighting cancer is important to me is that my sister died at age 21 of cancer. Hard to believe but it will be 30 years ago this summer - not long after I finish this year's ride.

The reason I chose LAF was easy - it was an obvious connection between cycling and fighting cancer. Only after I signed up in 2010 for the ride did I learn that there was a team of riders from across the country doing the same thing.

I'm proud to be associated with LAF and be a member of Team LIVESTRONG. After camping with the team for the days I did ride last year, I know that the work LAF does is helping people. And that's what it's all about. (You can read more about my experiences with the team last year in this post, scroll down to the "Camp Life" section.)

If you want to support my fundraising efforts and support the work of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, you can make a donation on my fundraising page, here. Thanks!

Goals for 2012

Well, it's been a few months since I last wrote here Things have been pretty quiet on the bicycle front since September. Olivia kept riding into the fall and will still occasionally pull her bike out to ride to a friend's house.

The winter has been very mild so far (*knock on wood*) with very little snow. With a few layers, commuting on my bike has not been a problem. I was averaging probably 3 days/week in Nov and Dec. Days I didn't ride was usually because of appointments or meetings out of the office that necessitated taking the car.

This is the last day of the first week of the year. While it started out nasty (cold and very windy), I made up for it by mounting my road bike on the trainer in the basement and riding that on the 1st and 2nd.

The wind died down and the temps started climbing for the four-day work week. I commuted by bike all four days. Tuesday morning it was 10°F out. The only thing that got cold were my toes for the last couple miles. (It's about a 10.5 mi commute.) Yesterday riding home, it was over 50°! And today is supposed to get into the upper 40s. Hard to believe it's January in Wisconsin.

My cycling goals for the year:
> Ride at least 250 days, either commute rides, road rides, or on the trainer;
> Commute by bike at least 175 days (that's only 2 of every 3 work days, not accounting for days off);
> I would like to complete my second Centruy (100 mi) ride;
> I would LOVE to ride RAGBRAI again this year with Team Livestrong. Hope to make that work;
> Ride a few other organized rides:
>>> "Feed the Need" Ride (late April),
>>> Minnesota Gran Fondo (early May),
>>> Milwaukee Ride for the Arts (Early June),
>>> Ride for Boys & Girls Club of Dane Co (July), and/or
>>> Centurion Ride WI (early August).
(Note: these are rides I am interested in, but don't think I can fit them all into my schedule, especially if I ride RAGBRAI in late July.)

There you have it. My cycle goals for 2012.

I do have goals for Olivia too. She is outgrowing her 20" single speed bike. Looking for a road bike for her. My LBS (local bike store) has a kids road bike by Schwinn that would be a great starter.

Then perhaps she can graduate to this women's GT road bike (it comes in size XS).

If we get her a road bike, we can start doing longer rides together. Then, maybe, be ready to ride RAGBRAI together in 2013!

So, there you have it. What are your goals for the new year?