After work ride...Palomares Loop with a buddy from work

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Palomares loop after work...

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My next event...I hope you can be a part of it!

I feel extremely fortunate to be able to say I have ridden almost 3,000 miles with just under 190,000 ft of climbing since January 1st this year. I am also happy with the achievements that I have made in the 4 Double Centuries I completed (5 attempted but one DNF due to bronchitis...still did 110 miles and 10,000 ft), completing the Death Ride (knocking hours off of last years ride) and the number of 100 mile days that I racked up riding with friends. I also made a lot of new friends this year but this post really is focused on one who I rode my first three doubles this year with and his name is Jim.

Jim is a great guy and a strong cyclist and he's been asking if I'd do the MS ride in S. CA this fall with he and a few other friends we have ridden with this season. While I really planned on making the Death Ride (and then the Mt Tam Double) my last ride, I thought about how fortunate I am to not only have my health but also to have put in the miles that I have this year and the challenges that people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) struggle with every day just to accomplish the basic tasks that we all take for granted. So after a little more prodding from my wife and daughter (Jim, they closed the deal for you on this one) I thought it only appropriate to wrap up this cycling season completing this fund-raising event riding with friends and raising money for a cause that is very close to Jim. You see, Jim's wife suffers with this disease and has battled it for roughly 20 years now.

MS is a neuromuscular disease that is typically diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 50. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progression, severity, and symptoms in any one person cannot yet be predicted but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer toward a world that will one day be free of MS. However, today, MS impacts the lives of more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2,500,000 people worldwide.

I know it's a tough economy and I asked many of my friends last year to support me with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and American Lung Association events that I trained and fund-raised for but I am going to reach out to you one more time and ask for your support for this event. It's a great cause and as I found through with the fund-raising that I did last year for LLS and ALA, I am sure many of you will share your stories of friends or family that have been stricken by MS. I hope you can help and I promise to ride a hard 160 miles over this 2-day event in your honor for supporting me. To donate please click on the link RIDESTEVERIDE_MS_2009
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

PS: The picture at the top was the morning of a great 110 mile ride with 10,000 ft of climbing. Jim is the guy with the blue vest in the middle. You know which one is me...

One week till the Death Ride!

Well, I haven't updated this blog in sometime but have been doing a lot of riding as you may know if you have been watching me on Twitter or Facebook. Ride stats year to date (from Jan 1) are:

Distance:	2,243.21 mi
Elevation Gain:	133,961 ft
Avg Distance:	54.71 mi
Avg Speed:	14.5 mph
Calories:	136,363 C
Time:	154:20:02 hh:mm:ss
Avg Heart Rate:	121 bpm
Avg Bike Cadence:	72 rpm

Last weekend's ride was a scorcher (85 miles) with temps around 110 and at 5 PM as we descended into Livermore, it was still 103 degrees. Not only did we fight the heat but also the four flats that I had with the last while climbing Morgan Territory where a passerby mentioned that it showed 106 on her dashboard and we were actually in the shade.

This weekend is the last prior to the Death Ride so we'll turn some easy miles over the next few days tapering for the big event. I am really looking forward to this ride and will ride in memory of my mother-in-law Marguerite Meyer. Marguerite was one tough lady that touched so many with her kindness and generosity and is truly missed by many. She was also both a huge supporter of the L&L TNT events that I participated in the past two summers (including the ride with the Death Ride Team last year) and also someone that was very familiar with the cause in her fight with myeloma which she battled for many years.

Last, I'll be riding with friends and also meet up with other friends coaching and in mentoring roles for this year's Team in Training Death Ride team. My support team of my wife and children will also be there and it will also be great to have my mother and her husband join us with the newest member of the team Bruno, our new black lab. I'll post after the event in Markleeville and also try to get another post in before we head out!

Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Great ride today with friends as we taper for the Wild Sierra!

Wow, what crazy weather and with a mere week left till the Wild Sierra the name of the event is more reflect of the weather that we have seen in that area over the past couple of days. Yesterday we heard that one of the mountain passes that is part of the course was closed due to snow and right now T-Storms as scheduled through Saturday. We'll watch the weather but I am bagging this one if there is a chance of snow on Saturday as the Madone is not outfitted with studs, and chains are not an option due to clearance:)

I did have a great ride today (52 miles) with about 14 of us riding from my house out to Sunol and through Palomares Canyon into Danville for coffee at Peet's and then almost a sprint back with an AVG speed of about 23 mph. The photo above is some of the pack climbing Palomares...good fun all!
Enjoy the ride!
Steve

Wild Sierra just two weeks away...

If you follow me on Twitter you have seen my Tweet on Garmin finally updating their Connect site and correcting amongst a host of other things the ability to actually report on mileage above 1.000. So, I took the opportunity to see just what I have done since January 1st and was pleasantly surprised.

Count:	32 activities
Distance:	1,829.52 mi
Elevation Gain:	106,855 ft
Avg Distance:	57.17 mi
Avg Speed:	14.5 mph
Calories:	111,187 C
Time:	126:21:36 hh:mm:ss
Avg Heart Rate:	120 bpm
Avg Bike Cadence:	72 rpm

Planning on a short 30-40 mile ride in the morning and then mountain biking with my off road buddies on Sunday. Will taper over the next week and a half and then the big day on the 13th for the Wild Sierra. Still studying the cut-off times but if we can keep close to our pace of last weekend (115 miles and an AVG speed of 13.9) we should be able to complete it.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve