Well, it's 4:09 a.m. on Friday and I am up, bleary eyed, ready to head to the airport. Once we get there I will unpack and assemble my bike. There is an unofficial ride this afternoon at 3 p.m. On Saturday we have a 20-mile ride. I expect it to be an easy ride just to make sure the bikes are OK, get a feeling for the altitude, etc.
Then Sunday, June 1st, is the BIG day, our team has a 6:25 a.m. wave off. Yes, I expect Judy to be up taking pictures, even if she is in her PJs! I expect it will take around 9 hours to complete the course. So expect me to finish between 3 and 4 p.m. I have figured out how to text in blog updates from my cell phone. So check the blog for updates during the day/weekend!
I am really getting excited, especially in light of the flurry of recent donations brought about by my cousin's e-mail. Once corporate matching gifts are added to my fundraising total I am within striking distance of $10,000. Double my original goal! I am so grateful to everyone.
To make a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, or to learn more go to >TNT Donate
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Santa Ynez - Wine tasting.
"On yer bike"!
I need your help to raise $5000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Read more at TNT Donate and donate there too.
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
About Brian and his bike.
My enjoyment of cycling started in my teenage years with a frame that I found thrown away. With the help of a neighbour (an engineer who with a vice, a piece of string, and a ruler re-aligned the frame and front fork), I painted and rebuilt the bike. I had that bike for many years. I upgraded the components and changed the color many times. Weeks before she died Mum told me how she was amazed when I was a kid at how I would take my bike completely apart then put it all back together.
The longest one day ride I ever completed was an 80-mile round-trip ride from Shrewsbury to the top of the Horseshoe Pass. The bike was stolen when I was 20 years-old and I didn't ride again for nearly 15 years.
For my 35th birthday my wife gave me the biggest surprise ever when she had friends and family all pitch in for a mountain bike. My Mum (and Dad) was there for the surprise, it was awesome.
I rode the bike half-heartedly for the first few years, always feeling defeated by the hills and mountains we are surrounded by. Three years ago I started riding seriously, I now needed to lose weight. I began riding regularly on the flat, then after tackling some smaller hills I finally took on The Rocky Peak Fire Road (a challenging, loose surface, single track climb to the top of the 3rd Highest summit in the Santa Susana Mountain Range. I had done it! I achieved something in my forties that I couldn't manage in my thirties. It was such a rush to stand on top of the mountain that day.
The bike I am riding in training, and that I intend to ride around Lake Tahoe, cost me $15 (that's about 7 quid) when I purchased it from a Salvation Army Thrift Store. It is a 1984 Centurion Accordo and like the bike that I started this story with, it has recieved upgrades; 700c wheels, new seat, and down-tube shifters. But it remains an all-steel bicycle. (Some people say steel frames have the best ride, and the Centurion is a sought after steel frame). I may make some more upgrades, but this will be the bike I ride "round the lake" on what will be the longest ride of my life!
Mum - Feb 2006
Santa Ynez - Wine tasting.
Mum & Dad - Santa Monica - 1998
"On yer bike"!
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