The Reason I am Doing It.

It was my brother's idea at first, he told me he had looked into doing a sponsored bike ride in England. The idea was to raise money for leukemia research because our mother had been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2005. Since I enjoy cycling, raising money for leukemia research while bike riding sounded perfect. An evening of "Googling" later, I had found Team In Training, a group that fund-raise with endurance sports for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I initially registered for the 2007 Lake Tahoe event, but had to drop out when it became aparent that Mum was losing her battle with leukemia. This year I am back and intent on raising $5000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The event I am training for is a 100-mile bike ride around Lake Tahoe on June 1st 2008. Because of the altitude (6,225ft.) and the distance, training is important. So, every Saturday for 5 months I will be getting up at 6:00 a.m. to join my team for training rides. There will be a lot of hills to climb!


So when the training gets tough, I look down at the top tube of my bike where I carry 2 names that inspire me to push on. The names are, my Mum – Ruth Davies, and my Aunt Meg, both of whom lost their lives to blood diseases. My Mum, as many of you already know, passed away last year from Leukemia (AML). I thank God for the 14 months of remission she had and the last vacation we spent together in February 2006. At the end of 2006, the leukemia returned and this time there was no stopping it. After wasting away, my mother died in April of 2007. Similarly, my Aunt Meg passed away in February of 1993 after an 11-year battle against Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. What these two women endured is infinitely more than any discomfort I feel during my training.


To make a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, go to: TNT Donate



Saturday, February 23, 2008

Week 3 - Feb 23, 2008 - Distance 25.15 miles

I will be 44 tomorrow. Wow! I am feeling my age this week. I have a backache that started on Thursday at work. I have been sensible since then and feel that I can complete the ride sucessfully.




Jose welcomes me on arrival and tells me that he has been assigned to be my mentor for the season. Now if only I could keep up with him!

This week's ride has a new venue, Griffith Park. We meet in the LA Zoo parking lot. Our ride has one "real" hill, Chevy Chase Drive, a winding climb that starts gradually and steepens as we climb. I am, once again, in with the group of over-achievers that decide to ride further up the hill "just for fun". The ride down is fast!

I finish the ride feeling good and head to Baja Fresh for a post ride burrito with the gang.

To make a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, or to learn more go to TNT Donate
Posted by at