More TdP pictures, finally

Ok, so I promised some pictures by the weekend, and that would have been Oct 14-15. Clearly, that didn't happen, and I could rattle off some excuses, but why? Pictures it is then! A brief warning - there's a whole lotta spandex goin on...and pink, too! :)


Here we have the Colorado Crew - Kimber is a survivor and she and her husband made the trip from Highlands Ranch. I had the pleasure of riding with them a few times during the trip, and hope to see them again sometime either for a local ride or at next year's tour!




We got a chance to get our picture taken with the pros, too. On the left is Mari Holden (also in Colo Springs) and on the right is Dede Barry with her son, who endured several long days! Both of them were fantastic to have on the trip, very dedicated to the cause, very friendly, and as you might guess, amazing riders. The rainbow striping on the neck and sleeves of their jerseys is a traditional honor for those who have won World Championship titles. Looking ahead, I could always tell who they were because they didn't waste any motion - much less head bob and wavering left to right than the rest of us. Just straight forward and rock solid...sweet.... They had a knack for not falling, too, unlike yours truly... :) Mari was interested in doing some rides with Brent and me, hopefully that comes together sometime, too.


The last day of the tour featured a leisurely ride (by comparison) through some gently rolling Pennsylvania farmland, and Brent took some great pictures from the saddle. The remaining pictures are from our last rest stop before the final push, the ride along the way, and the crowd at Hershey's Chocolate World.



Lots of trees...except for a little bit in Jersey, we were a little early for fall color, but still beautiful. Lookit all that pink!








Some great camera work by Brent...over the helmet at the pack behind us.

Check out the motorcycle escort's pink ponytail! Little bit of turning leaves, too.

Getting closer....the pack in front

And here we are....big crowds, lots of cheering, and apparently a fantastic deal on TdP T-shirts! :) Pictures, of course, can't really convey the entire feeling, but they'll have to do I guess. It was a great road filled with wonderful people and a very rewarding experience. Good time spent with Brent and his family, too. It was definitely the most powerful charity event I've ever had the fortune to be a part of.

Hey, that's me...didn't notice that before now...

Several members of Brent and Sonia's family, decked out in pink, met us for the finish...it was great! After lunch, a trip through the Hershey's store, and some goodbyes to the people we met, it was time to pack it in until next year. Several friends in CO have already voiced their intent to join us in the 07 Tour de Pink...it was awesome! For more pics and info, visit http://www.youngsurvival.org/tour_de_pink/index.html

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After we left the tour, I went with the family to the Lancaster PA farm show, a lot of fun full of exhibits, animals, a tractor show, and homemade food... super yum....

Uncle Adam got some good time with Sophie, too. Very sweet... Check out the pink crocs!

And here's Brent showing Sophie a baby chick. They move, believe it or not!

And, of course, the Huge Pumpkin, always a Farm Show Hit....!

See ya next year!

The end of the Tour

10/9 - 10/10
Hard to believe that the Tour is over. It's been such a unique experience, unlike anything I've done before, and we're definitely planning on next year! We met so many wonderful people, and yet I realize that there are several riders that I didn't get to talk to much at all. Next year!

It's been a good growth experience for me. Lots of emotions shoot through me when hearing stories of brave survivors, people who have endured pain and fear and so much else in their sickness and have come out on top. The October after my wife Dee Jai died in Sep 04 was very difficult... celebrations of others' survival that were being told seemingly everywhere (and I know because I took a long road trip) aren't the best medicine when your (very literal) better half has suddenly gone home, and without even getting to fight the cancer head on. But this October is worlds better and it was my great honor to celebrate survival, acknowledge the fight that has gone on and lies ahead, and share in the hope with these tremendous women.

The last day of the ride was, again, awesome, and the reception at Hersheys was great. Several Hershey folks joined us for the last leg of the ride, and the crowds were like a sea of pink, clapping and cheering! I'll add some pictures to this entry in the next few days...my camera battery ist kaput und Brent has a bunch of over the helmet shots of the ride in progress that I want to include...so check back by the weekend or so.

Thanks for reading, and for your support.

10/8/06 - Sunshine! Booya!
Today was, very literally, the perfect day to ride a bike. Can't even say enough...amazing sunshine (of course I didn't wear sunscreen...pshhh, this is low altitude, right? heh...) and cool enough to be comfortable. I left the long pants on, but only because anything you don't wear, you carry in these little pockets on your back, and I didn't want to stretch out the borrowed CSU kit I wore today...that's right, today was dueling CU-CSU jersey day, with Brent in his Boulder stuff and me in the Fort Collins stuff.

Brent actually was a hero rider today, hanging up front with the fast crowd, which reportedly went all kinds of ludicrouspeed and didn't know why...several in that group told me later that they were looking at each other and going, "what're we doin'? this is nuts!" but kept pushing anyway on what Brent said was the fastest ride he ever went on. I started with that group, but on the first couple hills they stomped me and I fell back and rode solo for a while. Joe and Jim, both with Hershey's and strong riders, caught me and let me tag along, and then the three of us caught Ted who had hung with the demons o' speed a while longer, and the four of us pulled into the rest stop together.

But enough with the jibber jabber and on to some pictures! I mentioned our moto support once before, and here's a shot of our BMW riding crew that literally stops traffic wherever they go. Scott, second from the right, kept me safe for a section today while I was solo, and this team is fantastic.

From one of the rest stops, I pedaled with Ryan and Kimber - also from Colorado! - and Tim, pictured below. He's out here with two other guys that are representing a bike and ski shop in Troy. Tim's a brand new father and in to any sort of cause that would protect or serve his daughter or his wife. Cool guy!

Other pics here are of our lunch rest stop today...a gaggle of riders breaking for lunch, and a rider getting a sports massage from...er, someone who does sports massage. I didn't see even one horse drawn buggy today (or painted, or sculpted...), though the fast group saw bunches of them. I did see several signs for "horse drawn buggies crossing," and loads of horse dookie in the road, but none of the real thing. I'm hoping there's somewhere important for the Amish to go tomorrow morning before we leave Amish country.

At right, some geeking out on the sidewalk outside the hotel while our rooms are getting readied. On the left is Michelle, a survivor with the YSC, and Virginia in the center is the YSC webmaster. YSC's website (that I put a linky in for yesterday) has tags over to all the individual rider blogs like mine. Tim (shown above) is even including his GPS data so you can check our route in excrutiating detail and monitor his heart rate as we all keel over on the hills-- check it out at http://fatmantraining.blogspot.com/! Featured in this picture is my ginormous left arm. Yes, it is that big...enjoy.

Tonight we met Sonia's family for dinner: parents & two sisters & family, plus Sophie, out at Isaac's, a cool little deli restaurant across the street from the hotel that, completely against the rest of the atmosphere, softly plays 80s hair band rock through the building. All the sandwiches are named after birds. I had a finch sandwich...it contained no actual finch, but was quite tasty nonetheless. Super rich chocolate pie dessert, too. A great visit!

Tomorrow is the last day of riding, and soon this tour will be over. That's going to be a sad time, but first there will be more chocolate in Hershey. Consume mass quantities!

10/7/06 - The hill day!
This was listed as the hardest day, and part of me hopes that’s true. That would be the part of me that has anything to do with pedaling, sitting on, or holding the handlebars of a bicycle. Gads. We started on a hard packed dirt path for 20 miles or so, which I would bet my left knee was smoother than the roads in Trenton, but nonetheless kinda bumpy with some gravel, mud, puddles, and holes. Not bad, and the environment with the tree canopy all over us and the river to our right more than made up for it, but there were a few tire casualties and at least one wholesale wipeout. I was nervous enough that I didn’t drink much until the rest stop for fear of sliding out and taking someone with me. After that it was 47 more miles to go! The last 15 miles or so was a real leg burner, and the knees are complaining some. In particular, there was a steep sweeping downhill through the woods, and a hill came out of nowhere like a wall - wrong gear, completely surprised, but that weird sort of fun that is part of cycling. Beautiful as ever, with trees and green everywhere, just like Colorado in someone's inaccurate dream!

This morning, the group was presented with a Proclaimation of Profound Coolness from the Mayor of Trenton, who declared today Tour de Pink Day in honor of all the survivors we ride for and represent. Anyway, from the left are Dede Barry, Mari Holden, Lisa Frank, Matt Purdue (the other co-organizer of the event), and Someone the Mayor Sent, I believe the Secretary of Health, but I can't remember her name. We met some more neat people today, including conversations with the two pros (and world champions!) that are doing this ride with us, Dede and Mari, but that's all I'm going to write for now...tired n stuff, and it's 11. Here's a quick pic of us with the Mavic support cars - the bikes up top and in the back are worth more than the cars... I'm kinda reluctant about pictures with celebrities, but there might be opportunities for that too. g'night...

By the way, the YSC's update page for the ride is http://www.youngsurvival.org/news-and-events/in-living-pink/tour-de-pink-2006-daily-updates/ . They are loads more likely to pay the fees for internet access if we don't have it free at the hotels.

10/6 - First riding day!
What a fantastic route…the trees are awesome out here…not much fall color yet, but the route took us through some great wooded areas. Pretty flat today, not too hard, but then there was the weather. It rained all day. Started pretty hard, even looking like snow after we got off the ferry, but it quieted down and we only noticed the cold when we were stopped at the well-staffed and snack-laden rest stops. I thought I was going to soak all the way through and freeze, but it really wasn't too bad except for the feet. Those bootie things must work.

It’s a really well organized event, and we’re really impressed. The logistics is put on by the company that organizes all the big cycling events in the US, and tech support is by the people who provide neutral support to all teams in all the big races around the world. Motorcycle escorts, vans, police escort into Trenton today, slick stuff.

The coolest part is meeting other riders, and though we’ve only met a few so far, they all have some story for why they’re involved in a ride like this. Brit is only 21 and a breast cancer survivor that traveled from Oregon to take part in the ride. Brent and I got a picture with her on the ferry ride between NYC and The Highlands. Then there’s Eldon from Oklahoma that races cyclocross…his wife’s best friend is a survivor, and she just got married in Central Park days before the ride. She and her new husband are accompanying the Tour as part of their honeymoon.

True to my road biking form, I fell twice. There were a number of metal-grated bridges to cross, and the rain coupled with the wind and my relative inexperience had absolutely nothing to do with either of them. The bridges just had a nice way of raising the adrenaline level in the "eminent doom" sort of way and not in the "wow, this’ll be fun" sort of way. One guy, Ted, fell on one of these bridges and broke a finger or two…he’s riding tomorrow anyway and is generally regarded as the alpha stud-monkey. No, my falls were less dramatic and far less called for: I just don’t always leave enough time to snap out of my pedals. Toppled over with amazing grace and beauty, exactly like a stack of dishes would if it were sheathed from top to bottom in plastic and lycra.

This ride is a great thing, and we're glad we're here.
Lisa Frank is one of the co-founders of the YSC and the ride, a survivor herself, and amazingly full of energy and encouragement for everyone. Besides that, she’s got the plan and keeps us all organized. I don't know who #23 is behind us, but I'm going to find her and shake her hand because that expression is just that awesome.

10/5/06 NYC, traveling still...stayed the night at Sonia's parents' place near Lancaster, which is incredible with great hosts, and slept like a rock. A very tired rock. We'll see them again on Sunday. After breakfast, we reassembled the bikes, said goodbye to a breakfast-eating and extremely content Sophie, and loaded up for NYC. Eric, Sonia's brother-in-law, was nice enough to brave the traffic and get us to the Park Central Hotel, two blocks from Central Park. We did some walking around there and took a subway ride down to ground zero-- I hadn't seen the WTC site ever, before or after there were buildings there.

Rebuilding has begun, mostly to the subway system. It is a powerful scene, just a large somber place amisdst the bustle of Manhattan.

10/4 No Free Internet Access! Brilliant!

10/4
The hotels charge for internet access on the east coast, or at least the nice hotels we’ve been in do. This is fun and all, but not $10 a night fun, so all the updating may have to wait until I get back. Heartbroken, I know you are, but you’ve had a few days to deal by now. First chance I get, I'll post these up in some sort of order and catch you up. Don't hold your breath too long!




This was our travel day…long, but Sophie was a trooper and endured a bunch of delays in Chicago (surprise!). The second flight she (and Brent) slept the whole way. Bikes made it through the baggage chain, arrived with us, and even looked like bikes when we got them back. Some others, we would learn later, were not so fortunate. What can brown do for me? Not pretzel my bike, for one…

Pictured at left is Sophie's milk sippy cup. It is not, after careful scrutiny by our TSA (as in, they X-Rayed it), a bomb. Rest easy, America, your TSA is on the job-- by ensuring liquids are benign with X-Rays. Plus, Brent and Sonia's future grandchildren will glow in the dark.

my, what a nice heap of bike parts you have

Tonight was packing night, so we disassembled our bikes, pretzled them up a bit, added a healthy dose of bubble wrap, and shoehorned them into boxes that were entirely too small. Actually, since my bike is still new, I kept my original box, and the whole process really wasn't that bad. And there's room in the boxes for things like shoes, gloves, pants, helmet, and all the drugs we're smuggling. Here's a picture of Brent during the breakdown packing of my bike in his garage.

Brent's got a Fuji box for his bike. Told me the story of some guy that worked for Qwest for 30 years and as his parting retirement gift received like Fuji's bottom o the barrell mountain bike. The box, however, is outstanding, and will conceal the fact that he has a killer cool bike in there. Too bad thieves read blogs.

Also, I need to thank the CSU cycling club, and Airn in particular, for getting me set up with a CSU jersey for this ride. I learned during this whole transaction with Airn that real cyclists (as in, those who have logged more than 150 miles total) call this jersey stuff "kit." Apparently the team is between sponsors so the new kit isn't available yet, and the old kit is long since sold out. But Airn found one for me to borrow and shipped it pronto-like, so I'll look all cool sportin' the Ram pride. This was especially needed since Brent got one of his pieces of paper from CU and will be wearing some buffalo chip kit on one of the Tour days. All I know is two things: 1) I'm thankful to the CSU club, and 2) I'm going to say "hey dude, that's some sweet kit" as often as possible.

Time to pack...tomorrow we fly! In closing, here's a quick pic of Brent's wife Sonia and their daughter Sophie. Soph is two and will be joining us on the flying portion of the trip, staying with grandma and grandpa while Brent and I pedal through the countryside and reflect on how horrible CU is.

cheers!

Doin' the Tour de Pink!

[this is a repost, mostly, of a 2 Oct myspace blog entry. maybe I'll spew on that sometime...]

Well, so here’s my blog. I’ll try to use this space to give updates and maybe some pictures of our Tour de Pink bike trip -- “try” is the key word here…I’ll bring the laptop, wireless card, and cable, and we’ll see what the hotels have. I’m guessing they’ll have free stuff; they’re pretty swank hotels. It also depends on how completely wiped out I am. Honestly, if I have to choose between a hot tub and updating a blog, it doesn’t look good for the blog. :)

If you haven't heard of the Tour de Pink, or wandered in here by accident, you can check it out here: http://www.youngsurvival.org/tour_de_pink/index.html Essentially, it is a network for women with breast cancer that does tons of good for the women who suffer from this disease.

If you want to donate/sponsor me (which would be super ridiculously awesome), you can go here: http://www.active.com/donate/yorktourdepink/pinkARogers It is a fantastic cause, and I'm currently a bit behind in my fundraising - each rider is responsible for a $2500 donation. The deadline for donations is 1 Dec 06.

One thing I really need to do is thank Brent for both the invitation/idea to do this, and for doing so much planning and plotting with regards to our not-completely-simple travel arrangements (rental car, train-arrgh, bike shipping, etc…) We're also taking Sophie, Brent's two year old daughter, with us on the trip so there's a little extra traveling to set her up with grandma and grandpa while we do our biking thing. I've never flown with small children before, so this will be new and hopefully not too exciting...

Here’s a snapshot of the itinerary once we arrive:

Day 0 – 5 Oct
Arrival from Harrisburg (thanks to Brent's brother in law!!) to NYC, bike assembly, meetings and stuff from 6-9 PM.
Park Central Hotel, NYC

Day 1 – 6 Oct -- NYC to Trenton, NJ, 53 miles
Plan – Hershey Times Square Store to load up on chocolate frosted sugar bombs before riding…yeah…! Actually, it looks like we’ll get bused out of there and then take the Sea Streak Ferry at 34th Street and then start the actual pedaling from The Highlands to Trenton, NJ. Staying at Marriott in Trenton. Do Mormons believe in free high speed internet? Let’s hope so….

Day 2 – 7 Oct -- Trenton to Valley Forge PA via Bucks County, 67 miles
This is touted as the hardest day, and Brent did some mapquesting and thinks that this route could be as long as 88 miles. Bit o difference there, so we’ll see. Staying at (get this!) Crowne Plaza in Valley Forge. Whoa…

Day 3 – 8 Oct – Valley Forge to Lancaster, PA, 57 miles
This is the day I’m expecting to bonk, so let’s keep the fingers crossed, yes? We’ll get to visit Brent’s inlaws on this evening, so that should be super cool and Sophie will be there to boost Uncle Adam’s ego a couple notches. Could be staying at either the Fairfield Inn or the Hilton Garden Inn in Lancaster.

Day 4 – 9 Oct – Lancaster to Hershey, PA, 25 miles
This is the big finish day at Chocolate World…oh yeah!

Day 5 – 10 Oct – My mom’s birthday! Woohooo! Fly back home out of Harrisburg PA, happy, sore, and with two bikes and the Sophster.

Thanks for reading....