Hill Repeats & A New Compact…
My Silly Putty Cyclist…
Just for fun:
She’s Always Been There…
This post is a pause from my cycling training, my cycling fundraising and my overall cycling obsession. Why? Because without a very important person in my life… much of this wouldn’t be what it is!
I want to recognize my wife, Janice. She’s been there for it all. She was there for my first duathlons, triathlons, the mountain centuries and even 24 hour cancer fundraisers. She’s been there on training routes to pass me cold water bottles and food.
She’s been on almost every course pushing me and at almost every finish to cheer me home. She’s made “Allez, Allez Daddy” signs with our sons and taught them how to ring the cow bell. She’s followed along 100 plus mile courses through the mountains making sure she could check on me and cheer me through six hours of pedaling.
She, along with our oldest son, would be cheering me on if only for a few seconds as I pedaled by. They would jump back in the car and find their way around the race route to another cheering stop. I remember a few points in tough rides where I thought I was drained.
In fact, at one point, I had to stop to see them. I quickly gained an amazing amount of drive after a reassuring… “You’re still strong honey!” … and a quick hug.
Through lots of love, prayers, smiles, cheers and even some tears… I’ve made it through every mile with the help of my biggest fan. I’m not quite sure what I’m striving for on the bike mile after mile, year after year… but I can’t thank her enough for sticking with me in this journey.
And as I continue to mash the pedals for the next cycling challenge, I’m comforted knowing this: She’s that extra hit of hydration, that additional nibble of nutrition, that supplemental surge in my legs and the ” I have it all” in my heart.
I have an immense amount of gratitude and love for all that she is and all that she does.
She’s always been there and I can’t thank her enough!
Another Great Opportunity To Pedal With A Purpose!
Ride for Relief: Benefiting Those Suffering In Haiti
This Sunday, February 28th, the Tricyclists Bicycle Racing Club will be hosting a benefit bike ride for people suffering in Haiti. The minimum donation will be $10.00, collected on the day of the event. The ride will begin at 9:00AM from the Open Eye Café in Carrboro. Check in will begin at 8:00AM. They’ll be riding to Saxapahaw and back to Carrboro with one rest stop at the Sawapahaw General Store for light snacks and bottle refills. Although some riders may ride at a faster pace than others, organizers stress this is NOT a race. They also ask cyclists to please ride at your own ability.
The Open Eye Café in Carrboro will host this event, staging pre-ride activities and welcoming the cyclists for post-ride refreshments. There are two ride options: 24 or 50 miles. The 24 mile ride leaves Carrboro, heads to the Dairyland area and returns. The 50 mile ride leaves Carrboro, goes to Saxapahaw and back. The Saxapahaw General Store will provide the opportunity for snacks and water bottle refills. Cyclists of all abilities are welcome to participate. Participants are encouraged to follow the rules of the road. All participants will be required to sign a waiver prior to participation. Again, a minimum $10.00 donation is requested.
All donations will support the Red Cross Haiti effort.
Make My Friend Pay!
Just when you think your friends have gone above and beyond helping out… they do more.
Ian, also known as Pedalman, is a good friend an avid cyclist in Toronto.
He’s ready to ante up for my fundraiser and he’s written about it on his cycling blog: Pedalman’s View.
I’ve joined Team In Training to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This June I’ll be pedaling in the Fletcher Flyer. It’s a 100 mile event in Asheville, NC.
So, by ante up, I mean he really wants you to make him pay! I want you to make him pay!
For EVERY DOLLAR his blog/twitter audience donates, he will match it up to a total of $400. Yep, THAT’S RIGHT! You donate $25, and he’ll donate $25.
You can click here to make a quick on-line donation: Donald’s Team In Training
You should then send an email that confirms your LLS donation to pedalman100@gmail.com and he’ll match it within 24hrs.
Again, he’ll keep matching until he hits $400. That’s a total of $800 going to help those who really need it.
Like Charlie! He’s the son of a good friend I’ve known since high school. I’ll be pedaling in his honor. Charlie was five years old when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on April 12, 2007. After ten days of chemotherapy at UNC, Charlie went home to begin his three year fight against this disease. Here’s the best part.
When I pedal the 100 miles in June, Charlie will be celebrating the end of his treatment just a couple of weeks after.
In fact, his treatment and others are the result of just some of the groundbreaking research funded by people like you.
I am also completing this 100 mile ride in memory of our friends’ daughter, Macie Ann McCloud. She became an angel on August 5th, 2005 after a courageous battle against acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Thank you again for taking the time to read about my involvement with LLS and Team In Training.
Ian and I look forward to you making him fork over his hard earned cash for such a great cause!
Traded My Suit For A Cycling Jersey…
On Sunday night, I joined my co-worker, Penn Holderness, on the Olympic Zone. It’s a show where Penn talks about our area’s connection to the athletes taking part in the Winter Olympics. We also had a great story about pediatric cancer patients at a local hospital where they were able to enjoy the escape of participating in some fun Olympic related games. A perfect connection to why I was pedaling my road bike on a trainer in the studio. It gave me a chance to share the story of joining “Team In Training” to help the Leukemia Lymphoma Society fight blood cancers. Here’s the segment below as well as a small clip from the end of the show. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to spread the word on this great cause and drum up some more support for my fundraising.
I hope you too will help out. To read more and make a donation, please click here: Donald’s Team In Training .
Your gift will help us cross that ultimate finish line… a cure! Thanks so much for your support!!!
The Man Cave is feeling like a cave… COLD!
A
s you warm up and really get to mashing the pedals on an indoor trainer it really starts to get warm. Many of us need towels because the sweat really starts dripping and that’s with a fan blowing in your face.
But these days, I’m going without the fan. Yes, it’s that cold in the “man cave” (garage). On this session, I started pedaling with a long sleeve shirt over my jersey as well as a hoodie. It was just that cold. It felt like my 
warm up was going to take twice as long.
I started thinking I might as well have been out on the open road. But a few minutes in, I started peeling off the layers.
I remained comfortable through the Power Intervals but my feet did not. I had cold toes all the way to the end.
It better warm up soon because I’m going to look really funny wearing booties in the man cave!
Pedaling With A Purpose…
UPDATE: Thanks so much for watching! Please click here: “Team In Training” to make a donation.
Thank you so much for your support!
Best, Donald
It’s that time again to pedal with a purpose! I love being able to use my energy to mash the pedals for a great cause like cancer research. So many of you have supported my effort over the past couple of years by donating to my 24 Hours of Booty cancer fund. I’ll be pedaling in the Booty again this year but I’ve also taken on another challenge.
This year I’ve joined “Team In Training” with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. In June, I’ll be pedaling in the “Fletcher Flyer,” a 100 mile event in Asheville, NC.
I’m cycling this century for family members, good friends and the hundreds of thousands who have faced or will face the fight against cancer.
Over the weekend, we held our first Cycling Team training session. We had some solid spinning time… as well as some great core strengthening exercises thanks to Coach Courtney. This is just the beginning of our training together.
We all can’t wait for better weather to get out on the open road. Who knows what kind of pain Coach Courtney will put us through. We do know this: No matter what we experience on the bike it will never come close to what those who have taken on cancer have endured!
Please consider supporting this great cause! You can CLICK HERE to visit my fundraising page and make a donation in support of my participation in Team In Training… helping advance LLS’s mission.
You’ll also be able to read about two very special children who are prime examples of the Real Heroes on our Team!
Thank you so much! We need your support to cross the ultimate finish line – a cure!
Snow Good for Pedaling…
The sledding was a blast. This picture displays the Joneses in Triple Decker form making for a much faster ride.
But consider this: The first significant snow of the winter… a new cyclocross bike… and the urge to pedal.
You already know the result. I was out the door as quickly as I could layer on the lycra.
It was 22*, sleeting and the wind was making it feel like 12*. But my Canadian cycling buddies would call that comfy.
Still, being a “southerner”, I think they would give me a few points for giving it a go.
I was also looking forward to getting a feel for some new Pearl Izumi Cyclone Gloves and Shimano MTB shoes.
There was something about maneuvering through these snowy conditions… testing handling skills… and getting a feel for the balance of the new bike.
Just the feel and the sound of the snow crunching under my tires had me craving for more.
The shoes were just what I wanted and the gloves worked well for a while. Then the cold got to my fingertips… frozen fingertips. The gloves are really nice. I just don’t think they’re rated for temps in the teens.
The good news is the forecast is calling for full sun and a high in the 30’s. That’s down right balmy for my Canadian pals. They’ll be glad to know I’m heading back out. I need to feel the snow under my tires.
Came across another ROOTR…
You read right. It’s a ROOTR (as in Roto). We all have them and maybe as cyclists we tend to think about them a little more than others.
You know how your mind can wander like the long road ahead. So a ROOTR is a Random Observation On The Road. Sometimes… it jumps out at you. Sometimes… it may take multiple rides on that route to notice.
On this particular ride, I approached a small bridge on a back road in Wake County and I came across one of those ROOTR(s).
It was a sign that immediately had me questioning: How can a Truck, Tractor, Semitrailer cross the bridge weighing as much as 31 Tons but a Singe Vehicle can only weigh as much as 21 Tons?
Two words: Weight Limit.
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