My Blog

Semester Done Christmas Almost

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:03:32 -0600

I finished my grades today for both of the classes I taught the fall semester. Most of the students did really well this semester. I am especially pleased with my new graduate students. They’ve done an exceptional job in all of their classes with each of their professors this semester. Tomorrow I will submit my grades in the computer systems and then I will take care of last-minute items related to Christmas. I’m sort of a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas. I do like giving gifts as a token of appreciation for those I work with and care about. But I am very uncomfortable with the over commercialization of Christmas in the emphasis on the happy holidays versus the real meaning of the season Merry Christmas and Jesus’s birth. This Christmas for my wife and I will be very quiet. After all the travel of the summer, we plan on making the holiday a very simple and relaxing one.

The other day we went to see the new movie Avatar. The 3-D special effects are difficult to describe. They are truly unbelievable in scope and how they change the total feel of the movie. While these special effects were exceptional, the storyline per se was old and not very imaginative. While I enjoyed the movie, I truly believe that the storyline was not on the same level of imagination as the special effects and should we say character costumes designed to enhance the effects. The basic storyline is this. A strong and powerful planet (Earth) is on a mission of a foreign planet. Under the disguise of a peaceful mission in which scientists are trying to study the planet’s environment and even their people, behind the scenes the military aspect of the mission is plotting to attack the planet so that they could steal valuable resources to help the earth. In my mind, this was just a simple story of European settlers coming to America to taking over the country of Native Americans. While that storyline itself does not bother me too much, it is the fact that the final 45 to 60 minutes of the story is about the battle, and there is no true mystical creativity that takes advantage of one key aspect highlighted earlier in the movie. During one of the previous segments of the movie, the lead scientist finds an interesting fact when she probes a very mystical tree in the forest which is actually the focal point of the upcoming attack. The tree roots are somehow connected to the tree roots of the other trees in the forest through some type of special electrical interconnection. The scientists are sure the planet has a very unique interconnection between one tree to another tree and one plant to another plant and the people on the planet understand and respect that about their environment. Similar to an ideal often put forth by the environmentalist movement we see today.

Thus, right before the final battle began the people of that planet plus the one earthling that was artificially one of them prayed that their connection with nature and their God protect them the evil attack. I was hoping throughout the ending of the movie that there would be some special true connection between the people of the planet and their climate surroundings that would help them overcome this foreign enemy-Earth people. The foreign ships were floating in the sky between floating Mountains and I kept hoping the mountains were not passively just sit there when the fight began but would begin collapsing on the warships keeping them from harming the people of the planet. It never happened. The closest thing that occurred to fill in my hopes of a different kind of sci-fi ending was that some of the creatures of the forest there were often pitted against the people of the forest are now on their side. But how cool would it have been if the special mystical planet in which the technology gave it a true sense of life that we’ve never seen in a movie before actually behaved and acted as if they were a character in the movie. For all of the creativity of Avatar’s director Bill Cameron, his storyline was very old, not up to the task of meeting the exceptional quality of the new technology used in this movie to tell the story. I find that extremely sad. To me it made me feel the movie was about using technology to give life to a weak story line! Very Disappointing! In the end, the movie in general was enjoyable, even good. It simply was an old Indian story told with fancy technology of how man takes over another culture and temporarily the culture fights back. If I was to rate this movie on technology alone I would give it four stars out of four stars. If I was to rate the story alone for this movie it would simply be one out of four stars and not worth the money or time to see. But combined my final rating leans towards the technology just a little and I give it 2 1/2 stars out of four. Is it worth seeing as the movie on the technology alone! Would I look at it again because it was a great movie? Absolutely not because the story is too stale and old even to watch with the exceptional technology the poor storyline is hidden witin.

Video Fooling

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:51:29 -0600

This weekend I spent a few minutes hooking up a midi keyboard to my mac. Wrote a background song and borrowed a song from an old Billy Cobham album. After doing that, I put the music to use with some of my video from the trip and I tried to visualize what the documentary might be structured like.

It is now posted on YouTube for your review and to help stimulate ideas for a direction on the documentary. I have always wanted the documentary to be like an aids disease blanket. I want the documentary to be a collection of ideas and thoughts from ovarian cancer survivors, family, and friends. I want the documentary to be a story about the survivors and non-survivors of the fight against a horrible disease that robs the world of so many beautiful lives!

Crash and Burn Day

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:41:16 -0600

Today was a cycling crash and burn day. It was an incredible day for bike riding in the Chicago area. By 10:30 AM today it was almost 55° outside on November 14 in Chicago. That was more than I could handle and I absolutely had to go out and ride super hard. I took a mountain bike that I've been testing the past week with 29 inch wheels. Up till now I've mostly used 26 inch wheeled mountain bikes and have been debating whether I should purchase a 29 inch or not. I think after today though I have my answer-I think I'm sticking with the 26 inch wheel set.

I went out to an area close to my house where there were several trails I could ride. I road a couple loops on the inner trails with brief segments of intervals. Everything was going great on the bike and didn't feel too bad although it felt a little sluggish in handling and seem to not hold the trail as well as I have been accustomed to on my 26 inch frames. Anyhow, I decided to try a loop that had some small down hills but was pretty rough with a few ridges in the trail. I was hammering extremely hard somewhere between 24 and 29 miles an hour on downhill segments at one point when I started to hit a really rough area. The first part of it had lots of mud and water to work through. Since I've never been shy about getting dirty it was fun. But then I came upon a small decline area as a couple cyclists were working their way up the hill. I tried to stay in a section of the course to make it easy for them to pass me while I still hammered hard down the hill. As I tried to move up into the area I wanted to be part of the mud and gravel I was riding over suddenly gave way. Before I knew it, my rear wheel was coming out from under me at about 25 miles an hour. There was no way that I could prevent the fall, I just had to fall safely. So down I went sliding on my left side for several yards. And as you can see from the pictures above and got a serious case of road rash on my left leg, left me, left shoulder, and ride along my left hip. Fortunately, I have no minor or major sprains or injuries-just a cycling ego injury by allowing myself to fall when I should've known better. I did totally run a pair SKINS cycling shorts that were basically brand new. My sponsors are going to love. I just sent in a clothing replacement request for about 9 items that I worn out this year! I guess it is going to be 10 items now.

Anyhow, despite the injuries, I continued to ride for another hour or so covering several more miles (38 total on the trails) bleeding away and having the time of my life enjoying the great weather. I'm back home all cleaned up, bandaged up with lots of Polysporin, and a few Tylenol keep the pain away. Well, time to go cook some pasta and make my famous oliva oil, garlic, basil, light cayenne pepper, and feta-parmesan sauce (the cheese part is very light but addds great flavor). Add a little red wine from Italy and I the pain from the road rash will be history. At least until I wake up tomorrow feeling sore and stiff probably. Still a great day of riding!

Winter Planning and Training

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 10:45:20 -0600

Boy did I get the ride surprise of my life in Chicago this weekend. Sixty to seventy degree weather. It was absolutely perfect riding weather with super clear skies. On Saturday, rode from North Naperville along the Elgin trial just shy of the Wisconsin border and back. A little under 90 miles all tow. Tonight, I tested out a friends mountain bike on a single track trail near my house. Great fun but a little challenging at night even with a great lighting system. Thus, lots of miles and tons of fun.

I also just finished my first installment of a 4 part series I am writing for the Ultra-marathon Cycling Association about my ride and the challenges I faced along the way. Great organization you should look into it. They are the group that sponsors RAAM type rides. I also have begun mapping out my New Zealand event. I have already road about 250 miles of the south island. There were tons of climbs the first 100 miles up to about 13.5% grade–tough on a trainer.

Finally, I am moving into serious weight training season which will include 2-3 times a week vibration training and weight vest training this year. If you are not familiar with either training tool. I have provided pictures and links above. Just click on the pictures and enjoy!

Day Light Savings Time

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 09:19:29 -0600

it is always amazing to me how quickly our lives passes by us. One minute were involved in this or that project and then suddenly it is miles behind us. If I look back at my Bicycling for Ovarian Cancer ride this summer, it was exactly that way. The month before the trip when I arrived in Austin, there were so many things left to do that were truly mind-boggling. I needed to ramp up my training intensity, distances, and ride time. I needed to make sure all of my last-minute items and logistical needs were in place. Despite this being my only focus, my singular focus, the day seemed to be filled 24/7 just like a normal Chicago day with work and training. But, it was a good type of busy. It was the kind of busy you knew you were truly getting somewhere. Then suddenly, it was ride start day and more suddenly it was over! Absolutely mind boggling.

At the moment, I am still getting reorganized at home and work from being away 4.5 months. It has been beyond comprehension all of the things I need to do to get caught up. Combined with my normal busy schedule, it is almost more stressful and physically demanding than the ride was this summer. In a nutshell, it is not a good kind of busy. It is the kind of busy where you are checking off all things you’re doing but the list of items is not getting smaller, it seems to be growing by the minute. If there is any one learning experience I had this summer from my ride, it was the importance of trying to figure out how you can be the kind of busy you knew you were truly getting somewhere. For many people this type of busy never truly occurs in their life. They’re simply too busy being busy. They fill their lives with little moments of insignificance for this reason or that reason. But if they actually and honestly looked at their life on a given day, they would realize that most of their day had little positive impact on their own lives-and more importantly, on the lives of others.

As I continue to evaluate where this summer’s ride is going to take me in the future, I know one thing for sure. I will absolutely make sure that it is a very meaningful journey/ride. I will make sure that my life will not have a single wasted pedal stroke. I will make sure that with each new adventure I empower others! Time to go train on a sunny and chilly day in Chicago. Then off to grade graduate student midterm exams for their cardiovascular physiology class! That should be fun!

post ride update

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:08:06 -0500

Well, I finally have gotten around to updating you since the ride was completed. If you go to the ride stats you will find some new data updated with my overall summaries. I have much, much more data to share with you once I get a chance to analyze it over the Christmas holiday. I intend to write a case study paper regarding my trip, or at the very least, a white paper that we will publish online.

Since I last updated the blog many things have happened in a positive way for Bicycling for Ovarian Cancer. I've given two talks in the Chicago area that were very well received and several more scheduled. I will also be doing a talk sometime in the spring semester in the Minneapolis area in conjunction with St. Catherine's University. In addition, I have had preliminary discussions with the representative from the Sears Corporation. We will be discussing in late October how we could collaborate on future projects to improve the wellness and fitness of communities throughout the United States. We will in particularly focus on impoverished communities that have little or no wellness and/or preventive health options to offer residents.

Kay and I also attended an ovarian cancer event we were invited to via a Chicago area ovarian cancer group. It was a great event and we are planning on working jointly with them on subject recruitment for both our documentary and book.

And finally, I have already had some serious discussions with one of my sponsors on this possibility of me riding the perimeter of the two islands of New Zealand in the year 2012. I cannot express to you how excited I am about the possibility of such a ride. I had the fortune of bicycling in New Zealand-Queensland specifically a few years ago along the area where the movie the Lord of the Rings was filmed. The beauty of the terrain was nothing less than stunning. The whole time I was riding my mountain bike through this area I could not help to think about anything else but how awesome God's creations are.

I Landed on Time but.. Not The Support Vehicle

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:47:08 -0500

Well, I made it on time back to Mellow Johnny’s as planned. I cannot begin to put into words the emotions I went through as neared the bike shop. I actually found myself slowing down and taking my time getting back once I was within a mile or two. I wanted to taste the moment each little morsel. I wanted to savor the final mile all by myself in my thoughts. I thought about Kay and wished she could be at the end instead of back at work in Naperville. I thought about the people I met along the way that brought smiles to my face and often tears to my eyes. I thought about all the near misses of skirting major injury and sometimes near death. I thought about the rides in thunder storms, hot muggy rain or plain hot muggy weather. I thought about the week of food poisoning and still can not believe I made it through the week of riding and still caught up to land on time. I thought of Jeff my first driver who was bit my a rattle snake and was so glad he was OK! I thought about my students and friends back home that came to the half point fundraiser. I thought about my mom, dad, brother and his wife, and Kay’s family who all worked tirelessly to help us get the word out along the way and send calls and messages of encouragement. I thought about my California cousins and uncle who I reunited with after 20 plus years apart and wondered why it was so long? And right before I landed quietly by myself in the end at Mellow Johnnys, I started to cry a lot as I prayed to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ thanking Him for protecting me and giving me this opportunity to help others in need. I know I have referred to myself often as Joe Average during this event in news stories and TV shows. Deep down that is all I am. I have no special physical gift or mental ability that makes me more special than another except maybe one thing anyone can have if they open their heart to God. Absolutely everything I try to achieve I trust God completely to give me the strength to serve Him. I have never known any other way. Even when I was not truly a Christian, I believed everything in my life was a gift from God to get to know him better. Some people believe wealth or power is the key to happiness.Wealth and power without a true acknowledgement of God is hollow and empty. I am not one of those people. I believe the only way to true happiness is to live a life that purely honors our creator. My riches in life are the good I do for others. The aspect of my life I cherish most are the bonds and connections I make each day in my life. When I help someone feel better about themselves, I feel rich beyond comparison. Bill Gates and all his money has nothing on the richness I feel when I help someone smile or cope in their life. That is why it felt so good along the way to stay with my best friend from high school in NJ, a former TN student in Wilmington and see his success, another former student in Jacksonville FL from TN, one of best friends and colleague Lynn Panton in Tallahassee FL, and one of my best friends during my UT days before and after the trip, Joe Volpe.

And that is especially why when I showed up at Mellow Johnnys and saw my wife unexpectedly running to my arms out the back door of the store, I cried like a little boy who was lost and scared. I ran into her arms and I knew I needed no one else to be there at this very moment. As she has been for the last 25 years, Kay is my anchor and partner in life until I take my last breath.

I have a ton more to say and will share those words on the next page of the blog this weekend. But I must take the time now to thank all of my sponsors, Benedictine University for allowing me to do this trip, my friends, and all the people that help us along the way. Without the help of others, I would not have successfully completed this journey. I am not that strong alone. Through their help and God’s grace on this journey, WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY MADE IT AS PLANNED. As you will read in the next blog, this is not the end of this journey. It is truly the beginning of something very special that Kay and I will cherish for the rest of our lives. Thank you all for your support, love, and following. Forever I am in your debt. Just ask and I will do my best to return the favors!

"It Is Not Over Until It's Over"

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:16:19 -0500

Today I was riding on 90 west with a former student of a friend who teaches at Florida State. He had been following my ride since day 1. He really wanted to ride with me. Everything was going great until we turned away from 90 to get on a less busy road heading into Tallahassee FL. As I was about to turn right with him in the lead, he suddenly slowed down and hesitated on the turn. Because we were about to enter an area with cars coming up us, i was speeding up. Thus, slowing down and speeding up are not compatible when the lead bike is slowing down and the trailing bike is picking up steam. Consequently, by front tire hit is rear tire which always equal rider in the back goes down. This time as i hit his tire I also braked some and combined with the tire stop, I went directly over the handle bars in an eye blink. I hit the aero bars so hard with my thighs I cracked one of the rest pads and totally broke the other one. It is that leg (the right one) that is currently filled with a small swollen area even after icing it several times. There were a few other items broke on the bike but it was rideable. Thus, we went to a bike shop called Sunshine Cycles in Tallahassee, FL. The owner Ed stopped what he was doing and for two hours worked on my bike while I iced the legs, ate lunch, and set up interviews. Even though he had to repair and replace several parts, the end cost “ZERO!!!” Click on text for web link.He did not charge me a thing. Even with a late start 10 am and the 2 hr crash delay. I still hit 82 miles easily. We are leaving early tomorrow and it should be 120 mile day if possible. If we get a strong tail wind due to the hurricane storms, we may try for more miles.

Yesterday was great riding and I had an excellent time spending the night with Dr. Panton from Florida State who is one of my best professional friends in the whole world. We worked together for many years in TN and wish we could work together again often. I had not seen her kids since they were really young and they are so grown up (college and senior in high school) But, at the time they were young enough to accidentally spill coke in her computer keyboard, cover it up and not say anything until Lynn was working on stats that night really late and I had to go into the office to fix it (midnight call). We tried everything to fix it. When I suddenly lifted up the keyboard and turn it over to see if I could remove the back casing. At that point, coke started pouring out on the floor. Today it is funny, funny. But back then with an ACSM abstract deadline looming, it was far from funny. The kids were really young so it was just kids thinking they fixed the problem with the clean up.

I also did a full DEXA bone and body comp scan today. My current weight is now 159 lbs. I am looking really lean for me and it feels great climbing. I suspect I will hit my target prediction for the end of the ride which was about 156 lbs. That means I went from 172 lbs just 4 months ago to my prime cycling weight almost. Climbing is so much better at this lighter weight.

My Little Boopsie

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:43:15 -0500

I cannot imagine what this last 2 months would have been without my wife Kay (Little Boopsie) with me. She has been there for me each and every day this trip and of our marriage. Even when ovarian cancer changed our marriage and I was not sure I could handle those changes, Kay was always there. Always there and always giving her heart is how most people define Kay. Even with all my imperfections, she loves me unconditionally. I cannot always understand how that is possible since I have spent most of our marriage dedicated to my job as a professor working more 60-80 hr weeks than a normal work day. Combined with my cycling, most women would have not hung around for that at all. But, here we are about to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary in 11 days as this trip comes to end. We will be apart on that day for the first time ironically because Kay will need to be in Chicago for her job and me finishing up the trip in Texas. But in honor of my love for Kay, I want you all to share in the message I would have shared with her on that day. You have been on our journey and I think it is fitting you join us in our celebration of Kay’s 20th anniversary of live post ovarian cancer and 25 years of our marriage.

Kay I want you to know that you are the most special person in my life. I cannot remotely imagine life without you anymore. Today when I was cycling and you were taking your pictures along the road side, it hit me that in about 20 hrs you were getting on plane to head back to Chicago. It hit me so hard, I cycled and cried for a long while thinking about how much I missed you already! Ironically, today was the first the day I was not rained on in a very long while. Thus, it was only fitting that the reason my face was covered in water was from the tears of my love that poured out of my heart for you!

I love you with all my heart and soul. I look forward to many, many years of marriage together growing older and stronger in our love.

Forever,

Your Husband,

Big Boopsie (Craig)

The Tuff Stuff

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:43:59 -0500

I was suppose to leave for Savannah, GA this morning. It is 11 am and we are on hold. The food poisoning gave me problems all night. Had a good ride yesterday. I had good ride the day before until I pushed the last 3 miles of 102 miles and started getting cramps. Thus, I thought it would be a good idea for you all too see some of the tuff stuff. So here are some pictures of my harder adventures and some video. Beware it will load slowly as a result. In Myrtle Beach Tuesday’s stop we had relatives there. They are in nursing. Because Kay does not like to stick needles in me. They came over and helped set up the IV with saline solution so I could keep the cramps away. Food poisoning and bike any distance are not compatible.

We are almost back in Austin. Not sure how I feel about it coming to an end. Despite this being extremely physically and mentally hard on everyone helping. I do think in the end we are really glad to make the sacrifices. There are hundreds, probably thousands of pictures to process plus video. There are 100s of thank you notes. There are tons a sleep needed but the semester is about to start and I am also putting the final touches on MWACSM meeting needed with the assistance of our board. So it will not slow down at all that is for sure. At least for now I know, I eat, cycle, eat, bathroom, cycle, eat, cycle, interview, cycle, interview, cycle, crash, get massage, eat, crash.

In between I get rained on, fried in the sun, almost killed by a car. This is very literal. Yesterday, A driver going the wrong way on a highway trying to beat on coming traffic did not see me riding the shoulder. If I was not watching him prior to him starting this illegal driving move to get into his drive way 75-125 feet behind me, I would not have had a split second to go off the shoulder onto the grass and avoid getting hit by a Dodge Ram Truck smack in the face before it slammed its brake and skidded directly into me. This was the closests call. so far. Heart rate jumped from 95 bpm to near max in a eye blink. Kay was 1/2 mile up the road. How bad would that have been for her. They did not even have the consideration to stop once I got by them. They quickly moved away and slowly went into the drive way and hid in the car until I started riding again 60 seconds later. Anyhow here I am blogging and feel worse from the food poisoning hoping to start my ride in about 1 hour for the day. Another raining, muggy, southern day in the south. How fun!

So as you see, what I do on this trip is nothing like the pretty pictures and vacation you think I am having. It is hard work. Thank God I love pain like few people do and I have the inspiration of my Little Boopsie who even sometimes on this trip looks like a wet noodle (Picture above).

Hot and Muggy South!

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:57:23 -0500

Well, it has been an interesting 10 days. I have been in massive thunderstorms helping people clear trees getting chilled to the bone. I road a bike through NYC suburbs and over the George Washington Bridge during a week day in mid-day. Talk about a scary ride. Road down the Jersey coast where I was born. Cool. I saw my Uncle Henry (My father’s younger brother) for the first time in 40 years and we were comped a suite at Donald Trump’s Taj Mahal Hotel plus a 5 star dinner and felt like a celebrity thanks to my uncle. Seeing Uncle Henry was one of the more special moments of the trip. Saturday after riding 107 miles to New Bern, NC, I came down with food poisoning and was in bed all day on Sunday for a forced off day. I had chills, fever, and the usual. Felt like death for today’s ride. Kay has a death like picture of me on twitter (http://yfrog.com/413xjj). Not a pretty site. We had some great interviews and news shows along the way. Here is a great news show (http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/52803202.html#). Thanks Natalie for a great show.

The other day it was raining the entire ride so I could not listen to my iphone music. So I had plenty of time to think about the introductory chapter of our book about this ride and helping women survive ovarian cancer. Here is what I came up with the other day.

“Between the time we take our first breath and the time we take our last one, our lives seem like an eye blink compared to infinity. How long the vapor of our life lasts beyond our last breath depends not on how much money we earn, how many possessions we have, or how much power we gain during our life. The length of our life’s vapor is depended on how many people we empower to go forth beyond their own visions with equally pure intentions to help others.”

Well, I know it is not much but it is a start. Enjoy. Time for bed.

Link to More Kay Pictures. Great as always.

New York, New York and more!

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:24:05 -0500

Since leaving Naperville, IL on mid-trip break, it has been a very busy 2 weeks. We flew through Indiana and Ohio. Easy riding with wind to our back most of the time. But, NY was another story. No interstate riding. No true east to west riding. All the roads in west and northern NY go NE or SE. Thus, while the GPS says 50 miles to the next town, if you cannot take the interstate, it is more like 75-100 miles away in many cases. West northern NY is really hilly also. But, NY was very pretty and they really like their American Flags. Every town we passed had US flags flying all over. Also, lots of remembrances of 9-11. I hope we never forget that day and continue to protect our freedom and people. We also passed through the town of Friendship NY and they were having their summer town reunion weekend. The announcer met my wife as she took pictures of their pump truck fire trucker. Next think I know, we are on stage telling our story and getting donations like only a small town can do.

Once we left NY, Vermont and New Hampshire has been easy bike traveling. The roads are super smooth with wide shoulders. We stayed at a couple of great Bed and Breadkfast Inns in which the rooms were donated to us. Great to get away from make believe coffee and frosted flakes or raisin bran cereal and watered downed orange juice. We are currently in Dover, NH staying with a cyclist (Ron Bye) and his wife. He is 30 yr cancer survivor and is involved in an organization tied to Lance’s LiveStrong foundation (Cyclists Combating Cancer). He heard about story and event when they sent out the notice back in April. Too cool. Time for breakfast.

I’m back. Well, I am actually a little tired today because I woke earlier than expected. Looks like a nap day once the blog is updated. I road through a 5 hr rain storm last night before I landed in Dover. We road to about 9:20 pm and needed Kay to provide light with the car. But the roads were super smooth with a wide shoulder. So we road along between 19-22 mph the last 24 miles or so to finish off a 127 mile ride day.

A story of kindness to make you cry. Kay and I stopped in Bay Village, OH near Cleveland so I could get food and drink. A lady named Connie came up to us to ask about the car and what we were doing. It turns out she is a cancer survivor two times (breast and throat cancer) and is about to have surgery a third time for mouth cancer. Well, she made us wait so she could donate to our cause. But then the skies turned black and a big thunder storm was about to hit. She asked us to come into her house for shelter and dinner. At dinner, we said Grace and honored God, then ate with her and husband. Here is the part that will make you cry. We found out over dinner her husband (Warren) has been unemployed since February from his project manager position when his company was taken over by another company. They are donating and feeding us while he is unemployed and she is about to have expensive cancer surgery (They are in lead picture above). Please share the kindness on our behalf if you can (Warren and Connie Remein, 23717 Russell Road, Bay Village OH 44140.

FInally, a new set of Kay pictures. ENJOY!

HOME AND GONE TOO QUICKLY Part 2

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:25:38 -0500

I also found out that cows in WI are really friendly and they like to participate in special cow athletic events (Chip Throwing Contests). I was riding along out of Black River Falls when suddenly a cow looked at me, I said hello like I always do. “Hey there mister cow do you want run along with me.” He did not run along with me (done I have asked have run yet... neither do horse outside of Texas who like to run with bikes. Or the wolf that ran through the forest with me for about 1/2 mile in South Dakota). But, this cow just came right over to me. So I stopped to take his picture. As soon as I I started pointing my camera at the first cow, all the other cows turn to me and immediately came over for a family picture. After taking several pictures and videos, I went on my way. I came along another small group of cows and asked if they wanted a family portrait like there buddies down the road. In a matter of seconds, guess what? You got it. They came to get a picture. Too crazy but it helped make the last 30 miles easier to do as I laughed at the cows.

If you do not know what a chip throwing contests is, you must be a city yankee like me. When I found out it was cow dong throwing, I could not figure out what person in their right mind would want to be the cow shit throwing champ. The only reason I know about this was it is a big event in WI. We saw big billboards on several roadways. As a sports performance and ergogenic aid researcher, I starting thinking about the comedy skit I could come up about a farmer getting banded for life from the contest for feeding small iron pellets to his cows so his shit chips were denser and heavier. I thought about how the guy would get caught when his chip went so far it broke a judges car window.

As you can see, I had a ton of fun. Riding with the wind tomorrow so I expect to make between 120 and 150 miles into Ohio (In Ohio now as I proof this blog). Kay has a ton of new pictures to share. Hopefully you will see them in the next couple of days.

HOME AND GONE TOO QUICKLY Part 1

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:16:45 -0500

Tough, Tough wind in my face days add in w/video.

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 23:41:16 -0500

Great ride day 120 plus miles with my first west wind. Did two interviews and one major equipment stop. less than 6 hrs of riding. Tomorrow if the wind shifts WNW we are going to try for 200 miles to Minneapolis, MN We are 20 miles into MN. To give you an idea how hard the wind blew yesterday that caused me to ride only 9.8 MPH versus plus 20 mph today with the last 2.5 hrs at 23.5 mph. Take a look at the video included!

Tough, Tough wind in my face days!

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 23:47:10 -0500

I have had absolutely no luck with the wind. Since the last blog, every day I have had winds in my face from 6 to 20 mph. Thus, it has been tough riding. I have been averaging 9.25 to 10.25 mph which means long, long days on the road to get 75 to 100 miles per day. It is predicted for us to have west winds tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed. I will give you new video and pictures then. I have some neat wind videos to give you an idea how much wind I have had to ride in for 8-12 hrs per day. Crazy. Time for bed. Should be in Fargo, ND tomorrow. If the wind is coming out of the west, may get in MN before stopping tomorrow night.

Sorry about not much writing or insights. Too tired and not enough time.

Arrive in Billings, MT With A Trip Personal Record (PR)

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 12:36:40 -0500

Despite needing to shut riding down completely 90 mins. yesterday due a hurricane like thunder storm, I set a trip personal record! After averaging about 12.5 mph for the first 2-3 hrs of the ride with short steep 3-6% climbs and cross-winds, I finally hit the flat land with mild side and tail winds but 90° degree temps. I used SKINS ice long sleeve clothing as I did in the desert and it worked like a dream. 90° degree cycling never felt so cool. Every time an 18-wheeler passed me by instead of the air feeling hot like usual, it was simply a cool free air-conditioning breeze across my body despite the fact I was pushing to make it from Bozeman to Billings, MT in one shot. I drank about one bottle of PureSport drink every 30-45 mins and riding was cool, hydrated, and very comfortable. I actually was really cold when I stopped on breaks when stayed in the shade for more than a couple of minutes. How cool is that?

Because Billings was a scheduled rest day we decided to take the rest day and use it to celebrate my 55th birthday which is tomorrow (7/2). Also one newspaper and 2 TV stations wanted to do interviews. However, that may not happen. Just as I am writing this blog, the Billings sheriff died. Bigger story to cover. Anyhow, it is scary to think about the fact I am heading to 60 yrs old in just 5 years. Especially, when it seems like yesterday I was laughing and starting to love bike riding for the first time as I rode my bike to Sandy Hook, NJ beach (about 12 miles one way) as a 13-14 yr old on my Schwinn mean machine bike. Anyhow, because I knew the road would go flat early in the ride, I set in my mind I was not getting off the bike until I landed in Billings. Thus, I kept my breaks really short 5-10 mins at most. Ate on the road basically like a tour rider. I kicked up the speed to 15-21 mph for most of the next 4-5 hrs of riding. Felt great despite tired legs as usual. Then about 5 pm mountain time, the clouds grew really dark. So we changed in to upper body rain gear. I did not get a chance to ride but 30 more mins or so when the winds picked up so strong I was blown about 5 feet up across the road suddenly towards I90 passing traffic. Fortunately, the support vehicle was just a couple hundred yards ahead. I struggled to get to them as the wind starting tossing me around like a piece of paper (scary a little since it was in the direction of the traffic unlike the mountain wind at the start of the ride). By the time I reached the car Brad and Kay were out of the car and the three of us were fighting the wind and rain to get the bike up and us safely in the car. We made it and head down the road for cover. That lasted about 90 mins or so. After that we drove back to the spot we stopped, I put on long tights and rain gear because it was still raining a little and looked like it might continue. That was about 8:00 pm and after riding 80 miles already, we were still 65 miles away from Billings. We decided to see how close I could get in the next 2 hrs which maxed out available light up here this time of the year. Well, about 90 mins into the ride I decided we could make it, So we put on the night gear and off I went into the dark. I kicked up the speed even more now averaging 19-22 mph for the remainder of the trip and we landed at our hotel at midnight!! I completed 142 miles today and felt great. Not great like great legs physically. But great because I accomplished something beyond my expectations for the day once the rain storm hit. I felt great because despite tired legs and really, really sore saddle rump, I found a reserve behind the pain. I did not let myself down. It was like winning a stage in a big race. Your tired and spent to the max but feel so good about the victory. So at 1:00 am in the morning eating dinner at Denny’s having my first beer in a while felt perfect!

To my cancer survivors, please don’t give up even when all hope seems lost. In relative terms, small victories like I had today, will seem monumental to you and your family. You will never realize how keeping your spirit and courage up helps others gain strength. That is why Lance is Lance the icon of cancer survival. He refused to let cancer take away his dreams as a cyclist. For me, whenever my cycling gets tough, I play the song “PROUD” from the Biggest Loser TV show on repeat play. Thus, I hear the question over and over again, “What have you done today to make yourself feel proud?” It reminds me that self-pride comes with self accomplishment. It is not something you inherit from your parents or is given to you by a friend. You have to earn it by what you accomplish in life. For me, yesterday’s ride was such a day. My prayer for you my friends is that every day your accomplishments make you proud and inspire others like I hope I am doing during this event in your honor.

For my students, I hope you realize and begin to understand why I keep pushing you so hard to learn everything I throw at you. The more knowledge you have inside of you the more opportunities you will have to make a difference. I am talking about real knowledge -not remember for the test knowledge but real knowledge for a lifetime. The more knowledge you have the more clearly you will understand what it takes to have real self pride from real self accomplishments. With real knowledge of the highest quality inside, your future opportunities will be vast and your accomplishments will make the world a much a better place!

Great Food and Friends in Missoula MT

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:41:55 -0500

Well, here we are hanging out in Bozeman, MT. after a long ride up the continental divide. We will have a really long day tomorrow as I try to get as close as possible to Billings, MT which is 134 miles away. I suspect it will be a 8-10 hr day in the saddle. It is predicted to me warm to moderately hot with scatter showers. Hopefully the wind will be favorable. Once we land in Billings it is a rest day scheduled. I am still debating the rest day. But most likely we will take it.

When we were in Missoula, MT we had a great food at The Iron Horse Brew Pub. We especially would like to say Thank you for one of the best meals we have had on the trip. Great Food, drink, and Friends. Thank you Lisa Kapicak for introduction us to your nephew, Todd Engel, Head Cheif. If any of our followers get to Missoula please stop in and tell Todd that the BFOC sent you. The food is worth the drive!

Riding weather has been great the last few days. I have felt great some days and then other days, I do not want to ride at all I am so tired. But I think about Kay and people like Carol who emailed to tell me she is 1.5 year survivor. In her words she told me, “I am in Carson City, NV and that would have been the closest place for me on your route. Hearing that your wife is a 20 year survivor is just about the best medicine that many of us will ever receive!” So that is why I ride when I have nothing left to give. There are so many people that need hope that some really, really cares they live to share their talents with us.

Despite the tough days mostly now, I am really glad to me doing this event. All of the people I have met and places I have seen will be a part of me until my last breath. Seeing my ACSM friend Chuck in Missoula with his 5 month old son was special. To see life just entering into this world which is the opposite of cancer gives me hope that I am doing something worthwhile for others. I am also really glad that it is not easy in any way. That it is really beyond my personal abilities and I must trust God each step of the way to give me the strength to succeed and endure. For those following us, thank you. Your comments also help to keep me going!

From Green Mountains to Washington Deserts - What a surprise!

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:05:30 -0500

First of all, check out these new pictures from Kay (Photo Album 6/26/09). They are really good. Comment please. Currently, I am working really hard. Over the last 4 days, I have averaged about 114 miles a day. Even did 107 miles after 2 huge climbs getting out of Seattle. My legs a tired at the start of every day along with my head and eyes. The blogs are coming slower because we are camping more... no internet or cell phone. No quality sleep two nights. But no bike problems just one major flat in which glass cut through a brand new rear tire designed not to do that... manufacturer will remain unnamed. Otherwise the tires are much better than gatorskins I was using. We may have secured sponsorship from two hotel chains Best Western and Baymount Inns. I will know in a couple of days. Real Cool.

In Montana the next couple of days. May skip rest day if possible to help make up more time since we will loose a couple of hours of time with the time zone changes coming up. We’ll play it by ear and see how I feel. Considering I am on the road 10-12 hrs every day. I am holding up good. I am about to check my weight again. I think I am holding weight pretty well but I suspect I weigh a couple pounds less. Guess what, I weigh less again despite eating everyting in site. My current weight is now 163 pounds. In my prime, I weighed 154 & 5-6% body fat. I may get there again after this trip.

Seattle Today

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 01:24:54 -0500

First of all, TV studios are very busy places even on off days. Police, fire, and emergency 911 scanners are constantly on. With my hearing aids in, it was noise every where. There are tons of monitors every where show sports of all kinds (great for me), world news, local stations etc. If I worked in a TV station for a living, I might not even own a TV in the end. I would have TV monitoring over-load for sure. Today, we spent about 2 hours getting pictures and video exchanges done for a 2-3 min tape to be air during our interview. Kay and I both will be on live TV doing our interview that will start at 8:20 am tomorrow. It will be about 5 mins long with the video section. After that we will back to the hotel to pack up and I head out of town up north to interstate 2 and then east away from the wind for our next stop in Spokane WA.

We celebrated the rest day with a 2 hr walk along the pier after a 45 min parking place search. Then we went to Salty’s for world famous Seattle seafood. Shared a meal with one home brew beer each from Salty’s. Hope you are all had a great father’s day. Spoke with dad and wished him well during dinner tonight!

In Portland on to Seattle for In-Studio TV Show!

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:28:47 -0500

Until we arrived in Portland, OR we were having a great ride day. After a few medium and one large climb, I was covering flat land for the first time since leaving the desert. I had a side to light head wind and was able to ride at 17 to 23 mph for a majority of the time. Cool. Once in Portland we called FOX news as they asked us to do. Instead of doing our interview, we simply waited around for a couple of hours to find out they could not do it. Man that hurt because I could have used the extra 30 plus miles in the bin behind us. We have an in-studio Good Morning Settle TV interview schedule for Monday. We are about 143 miles from Settle currently after riding to about 8 pm tonight. it would have been really nice to be 30 miles closer. But, we have to weave and dodge our way up there. So I really have about 179 to 192 miles left. Hoping to arrive Saturday night. Have Sunday a rest day. Do the TV show on Monday and head out east with the wind to my back hopefully for an extended period of time.

Major ITEM.... this one makes me really mad. Usually when I update my Garmin Software, it does not erase my history. THIS TIME IT DID!!! I did not transfer it to my spread sheet. So we now do not have GARMIN data saved from 6/8/09 till 6/19/09. After checking yesterday, my last totals I can remember are about 214 hours in saddle, 202,000 kcals expended, and 2,726 miles.n Fortunately I have receipts to show where we traveled through for the Ultra Endurance Cycle records I am submitting at the end of the ride to verify stops and miles. Talking about starting the day on a bad note and really, really mad inside!!! This update better work correctly since the last one was not working correctly. Saving data to lap only after the first week. I feel better if the data gets saved properly from here on out.

No shower spills tonight

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:24:43 -0500

Ok I did not fall in the shower tonight. It is time for bed already but here are some highlights of the last two days. Had a great cycling day yesterday hitting 109 miles. Today was a hard wind in your face day. But, still managed to squeeze out 78 miles even with some really large climbs. Had to quit early because we needed to take Brad to the airport in Eugene to get a plane back to IL for driving school. Yes, my driver needs to go to driving school. College kids - go figure. He will back next Monday. The weather was sunny and clear but cold today. I wore long tights and several upper layers. The Red Wood Harley Rally that we passed this past weekend brought some cool meetings like the couple who had two dogs that like to ride motorcycles with glasses and all. Crazy! The TV show in Eureka, Ca really helped a lot because the weekend producer and anchor forwarded her tape to other TV stations. We now have interviews lined up in Eugene for Fox News/CBS, NBC in Portland, OR. And an in studio NBC morning show in Seattle when we arrive. We have a magazine interview just outside of Portland to do. Also, the author of one of our previous articles is submitting a piece about the event to BICYCLING magazine. With a little luck Lance and I will be in the same issue. By the way I have completed one Tour De France distance already as we approach 2400 plus miles so far and I am working on the Tour of California distance at the moment.

Finally, a couple came up to Kay, Brad, and I today at lunch. They stopped in one of those huge RVs to see the view as we were taking my lunch break. They wanted to know if I was the person riding around the perimeter of US to raise money for ovarian cancer. I said, “Yes.” as they gave us donation. Then I asked, “if they knew about my ride because of the TV show in Eureka along with the Toyota sponsored vehicle with all of the sponsors listed on it near where we were eating?” They said, “no.” But then proceeded to tell us they saw some video on “GOOD MORNING AMERICA” this morning that was aired today! How cool is that? Well, time for bed and dreaming about Oprah to call in the next couple days to set up a visit on her show when pass back through home in Chicago in July! More Kay pictures in the next few days. Also, high def video coming soon. Checking my weight tomorrow morning. Update on that soon also.

No WORDS NEEDED! View and ENJOY Kay's Pictures!

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:32:02 -0500

Whoops!

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:14:29 -0500

Tonight our BFOC adventure almost end prematurely. We had been camping the last the few nights and in one case with no hot water. So we decided to stay at a hotel so we could all feel clean. The hotel we stayed at was new and well kept. But the showers did not have protective painting in the tub. The mat was left away from the tub on top of the toilet tank. I started to get in the shower when I realized there was no mat. I was just about to get out and get it when the water hit my feet and I hit a major ice patch. I immediately fell backwards out of the tub. Hit my butt on the tub edge, then the floor and then the back of my head on the toilet. Fortunately, I am a better than usual male when it comes to putting down the toilet seat. I had just used the toilet and put the lid down. As a result, I hit my head on a cheap plastic lid which bounced me back up immediately. That alone sounded like a shot-gun fire. Kay was in the bathroom before I realized I hit my head almost. If I had not done the put the seat down event, I would have hit my head on the hard toilet edge and would not have been writing this blog at all probably. In an eye blink and just 45 mins after my latest NBC TV interview in Eureka, CA I could have had my trip ended just like that naked out cold on bathroom floor or dead. There would have been a David Carridine like autopsy and suspicions about death would be running rampant as the NBC TV show aired tomorrow with the opening heading “Cyclists makes it to Eureka, CA in 3 weeks from Lance Armstrong’s bike shop in Austin, TX on a bicycle for ovarian cancer awareness through heavy traffic, heat, winds and rains. But dies taking a shower in Eureka motel.” Good thing I live a life that is at peace with who I am and how I treat others. Life can be so short. In an eye blink we are graduating high school, college, getting married, having kids and grand kids. Then suddenly it is our time to die. Don’t mean to sound so morbid. But, there is a lesson in all of this. In my university research, we are doing BIGGEST LOSERS weight loss projects and we often use the song PROUD with our videos. When I need inspiration from music, I play that going up a big hill over and over again. There is a line in this song that is a part of the lesson I want to share with you. It is “What have you done today to make yourself feel proud?” In the end fortunately, I only have a slightly sore neck and my bald head is a little lop-sided on one side in the back, but I survived to cycle another day. But, if I died tonight in the shower, I know that God was proud of me because for each and every pedal stroke (867,000 pedal strokes so far based on 172 hrs of cycling with an 85 RPM average) I have given God my very best. No cheap pedals or hold backs. The best pedaling I could possible do.

The pictures of the day are some I took with my iphone that last couple of days. I experimented with my special effects on the phone taking some pictures in black and white. The difference in the feel of the picture is something else. Enjoy! In a short while, I will post some high quality pictures Kay has taken with her high-end professional quality cameras and lenses. She is putting together 10-12 pictures for us as I work on this blog. She is processing and re-processing them so they are her kind of perfect. My pictures are true raw in the sense that is what I saw and that is what the iphone saw! Kay’s raw is in mega pixels and information that she post process. You will really love her pictures. They are exceptional!!!!

Big Sur to Monterey to Santa Cruz to San Fran

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 17:24:13 -0500

Well I saw my wife at last. Six weeks ago was the last time we saw each other and it was great to see her and feel her next me as I fell asleep. Today is my official second rest day. It feels good to be clean for most of the day. No rain, no wind, no sweat, great food, and plenty of rest. Boring actually but needed. Met a second woman yesterday who will be in the documentary that had ovarian cancer at 13 years old! Makes the pain of the trip worth doing. More on that later below. We are saying at my cousin Karen’s house. She has an absolutely gorgeous house on the bay in San Francisco. We are talking about post card perfect with views that are nothing short of exceptional! The pictures to the right are from her view of the bay high upon the hill she lives. Enjoy.

Now about the pain of the trip. As with any major undertaking, you try to prepare well and train hard. I think I did both extremely well. But, you can never prepare for everything. For example, based on my trial training site visit preps, I was expecting off shore wind and slightly south to north this time of the year in California. Instead, the wind is all heavy north off shore which is typically in June. I trained in July and August previously. Whoops. Thus, there has not been a single day since I turned west to California and then up the coast that I have not had to cycle into strong head winds. Although I have tuffy filled tubes, tuffy inserts, and high end touring type tires, we are up to about 9 flats so far. I have worn out 3 tires already completely. One tire sidewall blow out, one tire sharp object puncture, and one tire...just old and tired already after about 2000 miles of use. Other items like vibration head tube crack, lost bolt on left cycle shoe, and no place to sleep 2 nights ago all add to the adventure and stress of meeting our timeline!

So the question is am I having fun yet? First of all, there is nothing about this trip that was designed about having fun. Yes you are seeing very beautiful pictures. But what you are not seeing is that each picture is taken in a brief 3 sec stop or by my driver. I am trucking away 7-12 hrs a day on a bike into winds and hills that I would not ever do if I was not doing this trip. And even if I did train going into the wind up these big hills over and over again, eventually I would be going down that same hills with the wind to my back. So far, there is none of that going on. I try to remind myself that is how it is when someone tries to survive cancer. There are many days and sometimes months of wind in a person’s face as they try to live a full life while chemo, radiation and the fear of the next doctor’s visit eats away at their spirit and will to live. I try to remember this trip is about helping ovarian cancer survivors getting their due acknowledgement and the needed awareness to save their lives. I have done 5 TV shows, 4 newspaper interviews and see progress at creating awareness. I have watched our web site go from 200 hits to over 5,000 viewers in just 2.5 weeks. But no matter what, the riding is really hard right now for me. It is always reminding me how little control I really have in my own life. How weak we are as humans compared to the forces of nature or diseases like cancer. There are times I am climbing up a 8-12% grade hill for 3-4 miles into the wind while dying of heat going up and then freezing on the down hill. I change cloths several times a day to stay warm or get cool or get out of wet clothing. My head is literally striped like a STAR TREK movie character (Pictures coming soon so you can get a great laugh!). My legs are tired most of the morning, wake up 3-4 hours after starting to cycling, and my butt is really tired of sitting when the cycle clock hits 7-9 hrs in the saddle and I still have 2-4 hours of sun light left to ride. But, with all that said, I cannot imagine not doing what I am doing this very moment. I set a goal and I will do my best to keep moving forward. There are some climbs I want to quit for sure and then I just pray to God for the strength and think about Kay’s frail body in the hospital fighting to stay alive. I remember seeing her barely 100 pounds when her natural weight was 130 lbs. I think about David the aids patient I spoke about who cooked us cookiies when he could no longer walk as a result of full blown aids. I think about the the 2 girls I met on this trip who were 13 and 14 when they were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and how lucky they were to get their cancer diagnosed correctly. And finally, I think of my father, mother, brother, along with my students and friends watching me and expecting me to be strong because that is who I seem to be to them. Crazy and strong willed. Deep down I know I am not that strong. It is God doing his work in me. I am really a frail person inside with many insecurities. But, because of my deep, deep trust in God, I know that if I trust him, I will be able to find peace in each moment of this trip, even my failures.

I have also learned that a trip like this opens up your soul and mind to a new view of the world. I have met some incredible people who have lent out a hand, a donation, a meal, and a place to stay because they see someone sacrificing self for others. I wish I could express to you how much better your life will feel if your life is sometimes in pain for others. It is natural for us to stay in the comfort of our homes and personal worlds. But, I know from this experience so far, my life will be so much more rewarding with each new mile I sacrifice for others as I ride my bike around the US. I will never take back a single painful moment of this trip for the smiles I am seeing along the way. Thank you all for following us. Keep passing on the word to your friends and family. Enjoy the pictures and movie clips.

Ventura to Big Sur - Big Climbs and Beautiful Coastal Views

Sun, 7 Jun 2009 10:42:46 -0500

Started the day really tired. The coast weather this time of the year is really chilly at times. Thus, I was constantly changing clothing. If I was just standing in the sun, it would be great. But moving on a bike into the wind off the ocean, it can be really cold at times. Going up the big climbs you are really hot. Going down, you are freezing. This goes back and forth over and over again. For example, I ascented about 4800 feet total yesterday but only reached about 650 feet max above see level. Thus, I was going up and down all day. With the wind in my face, this is a very challenging segment for my tired legs. But, I am just 110 miles from San Francisco and seeing Kay (Alias Little Boopsie) for the first time in 6 weeks. Every time I felt too tired to climb up another 5-10% grade hill, I just thought of her and all of the people I am trying to help. But, it was still very hard. There were times when cars were passing by close and I could barely keep the bike straight, I just stayed focused on the task and forgot about the hurting. But, I did have doubts a few seconds here and there. With God’s strength I constantly asked for during this trip, I pedaled slowly forward sometimes as slow as 5 mph up the big hills. As you can see from the opening picture, my visual rewards helped a ton!

See you soon Little Boopsie!!! Although slowly, I coming I will be there soon!!! As the old Dean Martin song says, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” has a special meaning this time for me, it is where Kay is and that is where my love and heart is always!

Just stayed at a Best Western in Santa Cruz and met my second young woman with ovarian cancer as a teenage. This time she was 13 years old and was really excited about what we are doing. Head to my San Fran in about 90 mins. Cannot wait to land for sure.

Eloy AZ and Encinitas CA Story Pictures and Links

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 10:53:20 -0500

Here are the pictures from the story that was done in Eloy, AZ and Encinitas CA. The author Robby Gal and Wehtahnah Tucker did very good stories for us. Enjoy!

Riding in the cold and rain all day it looks like. YUK!!!!

Misdirection to Finally on Course

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 00:33:14 -0500

Yesterday and today’s rides were filled with many misdirections. While I covered a lot of miles 192 miles all toll, I lost about 20-25 miles going back and forth to get to the roads I needed for my south to north end point. As a result, I am about 2.5 days from San Fran instead of 2 days. The routes had tons of climbing again and that really took a toll. But, after 2 Red Bulls and 8 FRS chews this afternoon, I finally hit my stride for the day and the last 48 miles was really easy even with a 2 mile climb up really steep grades 4-8%. I would have hit 108 miles today but I flatted going about 32 mph down a mountain road. Since I had about 20 mins of light left, we canned it and drove to the hotel. Thus, you get a blog early versus camping out. Tomorrow a 51% chance of rain all day. Dang. I just dried off from the last rain day! The sign picture is in honor of Jeff, Snake Bite, Brinker. He and I got a laugh earlier when I emailed it to him. He is doing much better and back to his usual activities.

Beach riding... mostly good some crazy drivers and traffic!

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 23:14:47 -0500

Riding the California coast compared to the mountains and desert was like riding in air conditioning... I will have more to say on that next time once I get the video and pictures processed later tonight or tomorrow night.

-57 to + 5010 feet

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 10:28:11 -0500

The last two days was some incredible riding days. I went from Yuma, AZ where they did a very good NBC news show on to Escondido, CA (Eventually, landing at my brother in Encinitas, CA 17 miles away by car.) The ride included climbing repeatedly over mountains. My total ascents for the two days exceeded 9000 feet along 4-10% grades for most climbs and winds that stopped hitting me in the face. On the 30th, after leaving Yuma, I was trying to get over the main summit of the mountain 4300 feet on I-8 before we stopped (That’s correct from -57 feet below sea level in YUMA TO 4300 feet above into the wind). Although I was told it was OK to ride I-8 several days earlier. One state patrolman (He really was nice.. donated) did not get the word and followed the rules. But, instead of making me get off at the next exit and riding up to I-8 again through 98 (You can only cross the mountain on I-5), he made me go backwards 6.8 miles SE. The result an additional 20-30 miles to my route that day. As a result, I hit the mountain when the night winds were the worse they could be at 20-35 mph or more gusts. Also, because of the extra riding time into the wind, I was stuck climbing the mountain in the complete dark (I had lights but trust me at this dark and windy, it was a very dangerous event). I literally was blown 4-8 feet sideways and sometimes a couple inches off the ground as I road. On one occasion, I was trying with all my might to steer the bike straight, but the wind literally blew me 6 feet sideways and into a 12 foot protective barrier. I cannot tell you how lucky that was. Most of the shoulders of the road did not have the barrier and the drops range from 12 feet to 100 feet or more!. If that happened in one of those places, more than likely, I would not be writing this blog. It was so windy we decided it was safer to get on my folding bike so I had less to fall and it was easier to get on and off of because there were several long bridges with very narrow sides that I simply walked the bike with scary names Deadmans Cove 1 (especially when the wind was hollowing and you could hear water thrashing below that you could not see even if you shined 700 lumen light over the protective fence). For some reason, I remained focused and not scared. I was highly guarded but it was the kind of night better left to God’s protection. I prayed to Him several times to protect me from harm. I put 100% trust into my Lord and Savior, Jesus. The video you see above was taken by Brad my driver who stayed within several hundred feet of me at all times. It is video of me trying to ride up the mountain in the wind. You will notice that I look like I am about to get a maximum DWI ticket on a bike. Trust me, this is not fake. It was literally that hard to stay straight. I could only muster 2-3 MPH up 7% grades into these massive winds.

Yesterday was also a very hard riding day with about 8-12 climbs varying up and down from 3200 ft to the mountain peak 5000 ft. Into the wind a ton, but the rewards off the top of the mountain was 40 MPH plus downhills on bike through incredible views. See below. ENJOY! Much more video and pics to come. Once we get the 720 video charged we will update! Tons of pics etc.

Talk about hot!

Fri, 29 May 2009 19:27:20 -0500

After my rest day in Tucson, AZ. We headed up Interstate 10 west early on 5/27/09. Because we started out early, it was easy to head up 10 through the city. Then I road on the access road all the way to interstate 8. But I had some interesting experiences along the way. We switched back to air based tires because the vibrations were killing me. Also, it was leading to bike problems. I lost the spring on my spring-loaded airo bars. Had to get them rebuilt and went for non-spring loaded airo-pads. Felt better and more stable to ride on it. On the tires, we went with 28mm Gator skins with tuffy liners. This allowed us a softer ride with better flat protection. SO FAR IT IS WORKING BETTER!

A main effect exemplified by the heavy vibrations besides the airo bar problems. I went to take a picture of a rock in the middle of the desert. See twitter. When I went to get my left foot out of the pedal, it was locked in really. What happen was the left shoe cleat bottle came out and thus I could not take my shoe out. I had to take my foot out of the shoe. Then I was able to get the shoe cleat out of the pedal and re-bolt it. After that, it was smooth sailing for the day.

We stayed at some really tough areas. Like the picture to right at Dateland, AZ. They actually locked the bathroom facility on us by about 8:30 am with no access code. Talk about being left in the desert with no options. All and all we are holding up pretty good though. But we keep having little things go side ways. Like leaving a pair of cycling shorts Casa Granda. Need to call SKINS and beg or pay. I have not gone a day without their shorts. Just too tired to keep a perfect pattern. Today was my best cycling 58 mile section yet though. Averaged 17.6 miles per hour for the entire segment with a side and front wind including a 3-4 mile climb up on average 5% grade up on the monitor. I am currently resting as the 100 plus degree days cools down a little waiting to see my Yuma, AZ TV show air at 6 pm and 10 pm tonight. In between, at 7 to 9:30 pm I will ride west for another 90 mins or more to get another 20-25 miles done for the day and officially get into California today!

On the 10th day we rested!!

Tue, 26 May 2009 14:59:26 -0500

Well I have made it to Tucson on schedule. I am resting today. But rest includes getting caught up on bills, receipt audits, getting my bike over-hauled at TRISPORTS in Tucson, AZ (www.trisport.com), doing my second NBC TV interview that will air tonight on the 5 pm news (NBC/KVOA channel 4), doing wash, and updating the blog. The last three days of riding have reminded me valuable lessons that I already knew. For anything you want to accomplish of great significance, you must be willing to stay focused despite the elements around you and the obstacles in your way. You need to be willing to keep going no matter how slow things are moving towards your goal. You also need to realize that what you think is not very important like a simple hello or thank you are all critical to your success. Like my encounter at Wilcos, AZ with Philip and here in Tucson with the night desk clerk Mariel Sanchez and her general manager Silvia Portillo whom made Bradley and I feel special. They made us feel like it was their honor to have us stay at their hotel when I felt privileged for the generous donation. They gave us a friend and family rate for our rooms. Made sure we had all of our needs well taken care of when needed. If you ever want a very clean and friendly place to stay make you reservation at the Fairfield Inn off of I-10/Butterfield Business Park in Tucson, AZ (520-747-7474). Also, AJO Bikes gave us a great deal on new tires and spares with a 50% discount on tires (ajobikes.com)

TOUGH TWO DAYS

Sun, 24 May 2009 21:47:15 -0500

I knew once I turned west towards California riding would get tougher going through New Mexico and Arizona. It clearly has done that for sure. Last night we landed in Deming, NM which was a town that saw much better days. We camped at a KOA facility there and it was the first camp site we had to pay. The owner clearly had no desire to donate space. We even had to pay an extra two dollars for electricity. This was in complete contrast to our staying accommodations in Wilcox, AZ. Philip the night manager at the Super 8 motel did an excellent job giving us a fair rate. I also signed an autograph for him, Jamie and Amira, his wife and daughter. I wish to personally thank him very much for his kindness.

The last two days riding was clear, hot, sunny, windy, and slightly up hill. It killed me literally. I tried to stay in my comfort zone on both days. It was impossible. I am really need my rest day. I am due to land in Tucson tomorrow, The next day is a complete rest day, I will probably sleep the whole day. Just think, it is about 600 more miles of riding into the wind coming. This much character building in one riding segment is a bit too much. Time for sleep.

Week 2 - What A Start!

Fri, 22 May 2009 21:46:33 -0500

First the good news. I am about 200 miles from Tucson, AZ. That means I will arrive in Tucson one day ahead of schedule and give me time to do interviews and possibly visit one of the local cancer hospitals to encourage patients to keep up their spirits and LIVESTRONG for life! Today was a really tough psychologically challenging day from the very start. The top picture on the left is a sample of the weather I road in most of the day. Every where I turned I saw heavy rain and winds. I wanted to stop from the start. But, I kept focusing on the struggles of chemo, radiation, and cancer set backs of patients with real challenges. I even remembered my wife’s tough days long ago. Today was cold and tough. But, the power of remembering the struggles of my wife and other gallant cancer survivors like Randy Pausch (The Last Lecture) would not allow me to stop until I literal had a flat 4 miles from the end point with a giant storm over head!. I wanted to fix it and continue but I accidentally pack 650C tubes for a 700C tires. So I walked to the pick up point with my bike. I have attached some video for you. Enjoy. We ended in Deming, NM. It seems like a town that once was something special but is seeing hard times. We will be Arizona tomorrow. I may be doing an interview with a reporter in Wilcox, AZ with same last name. She wants to know if we are related is some way. Now wouldn’t that be something very special.

First Week Done

Fri, 22 May 2009 08:55:05 -0500

My first week of this adventure is done. I am in Las Cruces, NM. Well, it has been interesting to say the least. Jeff’s rattle snake bite, my main bike getting so much rain on it I needed to replace to head tube bearings, my second driver and I getting into sync, driving through road and driver hell last night in El Paso etc. Met tons of great people. State troopers have been exceptional in Texas. Now we are about to ride through NM to Tucson and I have some really big climbs... 7,800 feet and 7,200 feet coming up today and/or tomorrow depending on how well I ride today. Had my first 8 hr sleep night since the ride started. Feel good over-all. Have no idea what my weight is right now. I am going to check it soon. Time for breakfast and figuring out the ride coordination needs. PURE SPORT drink is exceptional! Works like a dream at keeping cramps away... not a single cramp even on 100 mile plus days. FRS chews with the garauna and caffeine help for extra energy when needed. Met tons of nice people like Rose at an El Paso bank who wanted my autograph. Finally, if you ever need a great bike repair in El Paso, ask for Robert at VINCIBIKE. Have a great day everyone!

Monday Tuesday Updates

Wed, 20 May 2009 10:36:13 -0500

First, the good news, Jeff my driver should be leaving the hospital today or tomorrow. The bad news is that Jeff cannot return to the support crew as expected. He is on bed rest for two more weeks and needs to keep his foot elevated. He will be rejoining us after he finished his summer semester . He will be coming back for our Florida to Texas section. So he will be there in Austin for the end of ride celebration, our 25th anniversary party (which is the ending date of the ride), and the premier of the opening documentary song I am writing along with a musician from California.

Riding is going well. Training data is now up to date. Road yesterday from 10 am to 10 pm straight with just bathroom and fuel breaks. Felt exceptional! I need to get on the road, but I think these pictures say it all!! ENJOY!!! May never want to sit at desk again after this job!!!! Sorry Allison!

Day Three - Started Up Hill... Ended Way Down Hill

Sun, 17 May 2009 21:38:53 -0500

At about 30 miles into my ride today, Jeff, my driver was bit by a rattle snake. He was standing on the side of the road for a nature call. He wondered too far off the road into the Texas sagebrush area (although he was warned not to do that the day before) and was bit immediately. He is currently in the hospital for an over-night stay in stable condition after getting anti-venom treatments at 4 grand a shot with a shot coming every 2 hrs until it takes hold. To my knowledge, he had at least 2 shots so far. The local hospital staff and police chief have been exceptional Sonora, TX. While I am about to go to bed, Jarratt the chief of police is 60 miles away in San Angelo picking up Jeff’s mom and my new driver Bradley at this very moment. Tryi getting that kind of service in Chicago! Nothing you would find in any big city! Believe it or not, we have pictures and video of event. I will share them later when Jeff rejoins the support team.

I was about 28 miles ahead of schedule after yesterday. Since I could not continue today, I am now about 72 miles behind schedule. The winds and temps are predicted to stay cool and from the east. Although I have a ton of climbing, so big hills day after tomorrow hit 7800 feet twice, I should be able to handle 125 to 150 miles if I pace myself well with support for a couple of days.

Tomorrow I will be starting out on the road about 5 am. Light is about 7 pm here, so it will be a couple of hours of night ride on I-10 west. It will be about 50° also so I will have to layer a little.

End of Day Two

Sat, 16 May 2009 20:52:46 -0500

Well day two’s riding is done. Over all everything is going well. The cycling part is the easiest so far. Keeping coordinated with the support team was a little rough yesterday. But, today, it was perfect. Last night we stayed in LLano RV park on the LLano river in Mason, TX. I arrived ahead of the support vehicle by about 75 mins and missed my CHO-Protein refuel optimum window at within 30 mins post exercise. So I made sure I increased the dosage a little. Yesterday it was a great ride out of Austin. Just when I reach one of the highest points out Bee Cave Road towards Lake Travis area, the sun peeked through the colds. At that moment, the song “I just called to say I love came on the iPOD.” Thus, I pulled over and called my wife to tell her I loved her!! Later in the day it hit mid 90s and was hot. But I was using my Skins ICE cycle gear short sleeve top which worked like a dream. I could feel the cooling encapsulation all day. With proper hydration, 90 plus heat felt not much different than 80.

Today, my ride started out in the rain. But it was only light and moderate. Tried out my new waterproof sock, with Skins shorts, the ice top under my bicycle shirt, and a rain jacket. Worked great, felt just the right temp, was totally dry. Later in the day it stopped raining by I climbed a little bit thus with clouds it was cool. So I switched to the Skins long black top. Worked well until the sun hit high 80s again and I switch to the ICE short sleeve top for the last 30 miles.

One last closing thought, with light training this week Sunday to Saturday I burned 14,339 kcals of cycling! according to my power meter and kcal out monitoring. That is a lot of BIG MACS!

Check out Jeff’s great document pictures. His high Def video coming soon!

Final Austin Days Ride Starts Tomorrow!!!

Thu, 14 May 2009 07:46:56 -0500

What can I say that I did say in my last blog. In approximately 20 hours, I will be on the road heading to Mason, Texas starting my first 100 mile day. I am pre-game anxious. But, in an excited, childlike way. I am a little scared, a little unsure. But, not in a bad way, a preventive cautious way. I feel good. Below are some of the pictures and video we took last days in Austin before our start. ENJOY!!!

Ride Thoughts and Training Update!

Mon, 11 May 2009 21:54:16 -0500

Overall training went really well this past week. I did mostly 40-75 mile rides. All rides went well except one on a really humid day. Feeling really good physically and mentally at the moment. Had one major problem today when my GARMIN went out again. They are overnighting a new one. The Garmin will not go into mass storage mode. Thus, I cannot get it to upload and download data. Thus, besides the new one they are sending. I will buy a second one later today. ouch at $500-600 a pop! Finally, thanks Laura from AT & T for helping with my BLUETOOTH Headset! They can hear me now!

Monday Training Day Perfect

Mon, 4 May 2009 19:01:54 -0500

As I write my blog, I am about to eat dinner at an Austin landmark restaurant - Kirby Lane Cafe. It is famous for great breakfast and healthy choices. I am actually getting the vegan breakfast for dinner. I was really craving the vegan pancakes which are excellent. Tomorrow I meet with the executives from Pure Sport nutrition who have agreed to sponsor my event. I look forward to working with them to help promote their product which is excellent and to help raise as much money as possible for our foundation.

On the news front, an article by by Joan Broz came out today in The Herald paper in Naperville, IL about the ride. She did an excellent job at the facts correct for the article. She also did a good job at telling our story.  (http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=290635)

Good Training Weekend

Sun, 3 May 2009 20:19:08 -0500

I switched to my 650C frame that I used last year. Although the configurations are basically the same except the 650C frame uses a compact set-up. I felt like the 650C fit better for some reason. On the 700C I am uses the airless tires but not on the 650C. One difference I noticed was the rougher roads were softer feeling because I set the air pressure accordingly (100/110 PSI versus 120/130 PSI). The rides the last couple of days went really well over-all. Today, I rested. Needed to do admin stuff and pay home bills.Yuk. The rest should be good for tomorrow’s ride. This week is a big mile week. Early training starts with long steady state rides. Then it is taper days next week. I posted a new picture album from this weekend’s ride and church. ENJOY!

Interval Day

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:46:55 -0500

My massage yesterday did wonders for todays training. As I said above, today was an interval training day. These are crucial to my success along the way. The goal of the ride is find a happy medium between getting done in a reasonable time and not being wasted for the next day. Several times during my first week of training in Austin I had to resist the intention of not increasing my pace when someone went by me. Knowing that I had a training goal for the day and the pace I was at was where I needed to be. But, if I am going to be successful on the adventure, riding smart is essential.

Easy Ride, Deep Massage and Pure Sport Sponsorship

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:46:09 -0500

Woke up a little stiff this morning. Riding in the hard down poor yesterday in heavy traffic sometimes was tough riding. Lots of bumps riding on the edges of narrow roads as cars passed me. When I finished yesterday I was gripping the handle bars so firmly, both hands were a little tender and numb. Thus, I scheduled an easy ride today. Just spinning, a few short quick intervals in a controlled environment, made some bike adjustments, and did admin work for MWACSM and getting ride stuff organized. 90 minute sport massage at 6:15 then italian dinner at Matolla’s.

I am really exited about getting sponsored by Pure Sports. As I said yesterday Dr. John Ivy formulated the drink combinations and athletes all over the world getting to take advantage of Dr. Ivy’s excellent scientific research skills and expertise. It was great to have him as a professor and I look forward to using Pure Sports products he helped develop!

Ride In Austin in A Thunder Storm On Purpose!

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:24:37 -0500

My rain gear kept relative dry and warm. But, it rain so much that my water proof gloves were not completely waterproof. But, my waterproof gear pack was totally! I was able to keep my iphone dry in brutal constant rain riding. Even was able to listen to the ipod the whole way. The ride was hard on the body though because I needed to be extra careful because of slick road potential crossing painted lines. My airless tires worked really well in the rain surprisingly. Coming back to my starting point, there was a ton a traffic, I bet the people in cars thought I was nuts. But it was really fun believe it or not. The pictures are generic from a Texas storm web site. But it looked a lot like these... maybe worse at times.

Ride In Austin At Night

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 20:24:22 -0500

Tonight’s ride was the best feel since I just came down to Texas. I felt really good the entire ride. Great body temp, great leg feel, and great lungs the whole way. I had no muscle soreness as I did Friday and Saturday during my rides. Part of the reason was the use of Pure Sport CHO-protein drink during my rides on Friday and Saturday. It is clear that this product helps you recover better and helps reduce DOMS (Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness). For a number of years, carbohydrates and electrolytes were all endurance athletes concentrated during and after a ride. But due to volume of new research by Dr. John Ivy at the University of Texas at Austin and one of my former graduate students, Dr. Mike Saunders at James Madison University, it is clear protein is also very important. The addition of protein enhances insulin’s effect on protein synthesis and muscle glycogen resynthesis. Click on the nutrition facts and learn more about this new sports supplement drink.

The ride was mystical especially as the sun was setting. I was climbing up a long hill averaging 5-6% grade as the sun was setting. At the top of the hill was St. Michael’s Church with a light illuminating a steeple and cross. As I started to get tired climbing the hill, I tried to focus on a steady pedal rhythm when my random music setting on my iPOD started playing Benedictine Monks chanting. Getting to the top of the hill, suddenly became really easy. The whole ride was just like that from start to finish. Blessed and mystical! If you never have had the opportunity to ride a bike on great road in open spaces, you are truly missing out it. The wind in your face, the smell of fresh air, and the reward of power yourself is something I hope I am always able to do. Even after 35 years plus of cycling as an normal person, no Lance here, cycling always brings me such peace and joy in this beautiful world God has blessed us with to enjoy and cherish!

Hill Country Training

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 20:56:01 -0500

Great ride today overall. Riding was hot and hazy. Caught some bad traffic areas. But over-all good ride. I prepared to get rained on but never happened. Just muggy. Stopped at a nice cafe for lunch (Dahila). My waitress was really nice so I took her picture above outside with my bike. I will write more tomorrow and there will be a major up date to the web page on several areas. Time for bed. Tomorrow I am doing admin work during the day. I will be doing a night ride for 3 hrs or so along 360. Putting my single trail lighting system to work to see how well it works with my road bike.

Austin Day 2 - Hotter Today!!!

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:26:19 -0500

Today at 3 pm when I was out on the road riding easy for recovery (actually had little legs left from yesterday’s ride) it was 95° in the hear to Austin, Texas. The summer of 09 was the last time I trained in such heat levels. I am glad they are coming early so I can get my body use to hot weather and figure out my water and electrolyte management needs. But it was clear, I had no legs today to ride hard. It was thus a post ride survival day. Tomorrow I will be going to Mellow Johnny (Lances Bike shop) to pick up supplies that were shipped there from FRS corporation. They provide my quercetin supplements which helps with high stress training levels and prevents overtraining.

First Ride Day in Austin - Really Hot Coming From Chicago

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:44:59 -0500

My first riding day in Austin Texas. No new pictures because I needed to charge my portable camera-video system. I think I need a new battery because it is not holding a charge well these days. Because it took me a while to unpack the car and get organized, The coolest I saw the temps on my iphone riding was 86°. Since the warmest I road in Chicago was just 65° over the last week or so, it felt really hot! Most of the day I felt OK. I tried out my new full body skins clothing. I felt fairly cool and comfortable and really felt really cool if I hit a shady area. The down side was although I drank at least 6 water, I did not do an adequate job. I started cramping big tine the last 45 mins of my training day. Brutal cramps due to dehydration and and electrolyte loss. In fact, it is 10:30 pm and I am still cramping big time. Comes on suddenly big time and then goes away. It may be a rough sleep night. Hope not, but I a sure it will. Par for the course getting use the heat, hills and long hours in the saddle in 90° weather.

An interesting fact of the day was that all day Sunday and Monday, I burned only 2300-2600 kcals driving to Austin. Ate twice that much I am sure. Today for cycling alone, my number you can see above = 4053 kcals. But you have to realize that the sensor does not pick up cycling kcals very well. It is somewhere around 85-90% of the real data. Thus, using those guidelines, my actual cycling kcals were 4500-4800 kcals. Not bad for an old fart. Although I kept the intensity down today, it still was a very hard day in the end due to the heat which was brutal for this cold weather living person. See you tomorrow!

Arrived in Austin Safely

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:05:04 -0500

While I know the ride itself will be very challenging, maybe more challenging than I can imagine at times for me, I cannot imagine it being harder than teaching, researcher, organizing the entire Midwest ACSM meeting 3 months early, fundraising for the event, paying bills (most of the time anyhow), go to several conferences, interview potential new students, giving-grading finals, spend time with Kay, build up my bikes, training 2-5 hrs a day all in the last 2 months. Just writing it down makes me exhausted.

But that is how it had to be to get to this point. Starting tomorrow, unlike Lance’s book title “It’s Not About The Bike”; for me, it Is all about the bike. At least all about getting fitter and riding my bike through any condition God throws at me along the way. What makes the ride most challenging for me is not what mountain or severe climate experience that is coming my way, but what unknown challenges lie ahead. For many people, just the fact that there are unknown challenges before them, prevents them from moving forward due to fear. For me, while it scares me a little, it draws me into it for the challenge. I want to find out about the unknown challenges God will put in my path and try with all my heart and soul to meet those challenges in a positive way.

I imagine that is why two people react differently when they are diagnosed with cancer. One person fears the unknown and unexpected either here on earth or in post life. Another person sees cancer as an opportunity to grow and learn from their experience. I want to grow from my experience this summer and than pass it on to as many people as possible.

It is very hard to imagine, for the next 4 months, training and riding a bike is my only job! Way too COOL!!!! Lance watch out because here I come... get ready slow and steady Broeder is on his way.