I picked a fight with Lance Armstrong

It was in Montgomery County on Sunday August 24th 2008 and together with other riders, runners, walkers, volunteers , and donators we raised nearly $3 million dollars for the 12 million Americans living with cancer today.

In the words of Lance
"Cancer is defiant. So we're going to defy it. It's persistent. So we have to persevere. It's discouraging. So we must have courage." The LIVESTRONG Challenge is an event uniting people to pick a fight with cancer.



I have done many organized events in the past, but the LiveStrong Challenge has been the best event I have ever had the privilege to be a part of from the packet pick-up to the post ride event everything is top notch and efficient.
On Saturday afternoon I picked up my registration pack and visited the expo center were I checked out some of the vendors like Yakima and Trek. Afterwards I filled out the cards that I would pin to my Jersey the next day during my ride They were in Memory of My Grandfather and Aunt and in Honor of a friend Don Gardner who is currently battling Lung Cancer.

This is always a moving experience as I do not generally spend time thinking of how Cancer has affected me. While I have been fortunate not to have been diagnosed with Cancer, It has taken away my Aunt, Grand Father, and few friends. During this time I am saddened that they are no longer here but at the same time I am inspired and motivated to do the ride and raise even more money for LAF.

After I left the indoor Expo center I visited the Trek Tent again and took a Their All Mountain bike the Remedy 7 for a test ride.
The guys at the Trek Tent were really helpful and Dialed in the suspension great for my Test Ride. This bike is fun to ride, wheelies great and the suspension made the Jump I took of the Loading dock feel like a drop from a curb (barely a chain slap)


On Saturday evening the team received our bike jerseys and later met for Dinner at the Iron Hill Brewery a great place to eat and drink with some great brews made on the premises.

The Livestrong Challenge provides riders with an exceptional route that is clearly marked. Police and/or course marshalls are at almost every turn, Rest stops are every 10 miles and compete for your vote to be nominated the best rest stop. Roving Sag and Maintenance vehicles were visible throughout the ride.

This is my second year doing the Livestrong-100 and it was definitely more difficult for me than last year.
(My riding has been erratic at best Having weeks with 150+ miles comprised of structured rides and endurance miles followed by weeks where I am lucky to ride to the corner store.)

I found myself struggling to keep any kind of a pace on the climbs (In the past I would welcome the climbs and power or spin up them) This year I was standing on the pedals in the smallest gear I had slowly making my way up. On some of the climbs I was able to find my old (or should I say younger) self. I also found inspiration in a Poster that was in the expo center. It had a quote from Lance that said "Pain is Temporary If I quit however, it will last forever" I was able to dig deep during the last 15 miles trying to finish in 6 hours I pushed the pace to 20 mph finding other riders to pace line with and leapfrog between when I finished I was spent I went to my car and laid down for a while with a cold water. Afterwards I got changed and met with some of the team members at the Beer Garden Yes there is a Beer Garden along with a great post ride meal that is nothing short of a feast with Pizza from Pizza Hut, Pasta, Salads, and a Variety of Hoagies;Subs;Po-boys or whatever they call them where you are from.

I was a member of Team Charlie's Buds Which was started In Memory and Honor of Charlie Yates. The team was made up of 39 members and beat it's Fundraising Goal of 15K by raising over 23 thousand Dollars this year

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I would like to thank those who Donated:

Carolyn Pullman, Diane Haser, Elissa Nelson, Karen Williams, Mark Sganga, Susan Williams Tim McConville , and Trish Williams, BP for their Sponsorship, and our Team Captain Ian Fisher for keeping us motivated and informed.

Click Here to Donate

Connect with that special someone In a new way

Today I did some basic maintenance on my Road bike nothing elaborate just a cleaning, chain replacement, and new front tire. There is something about working on your bike that creates a connection between you and your bike, a connection that is quite different than that which is created by the miles and hours spent riding. I have taken my bikes to shops many times to be worked on and there are certain repairs that I do not feel qualified to make but when I do perform the maintenance myself I feel like I am doing the best job, spending the time and attention to detail that a shop would not. Details like cleaning some road grit from the derailleur pulley with a q-tip or talcing my tubes. After I was done getting everything back together I lubed the chain and cables and took my bike for a short ride around the block I couldn't help but smile as my bike shifted smoothly, rode quiet, and the frame felt smooth (not sticky with Gatorade) as my leg brushed the top tube. Having completed a job worth doing and done well It is time for a Margarita.

If you have some maintenance tips or stories about jobs you have tackled tell us about it.

A good place to start for some tips is Lennard Zinn's Books, Performance Bike has some how-to guides, and Fox online Service Videos.

Ramapo Rally 2008

The Ramapo Rally hosted by the Bicycle Touring Club of NJ was held this past Sunday.

I have a mixed review of it In fairness I should point out that a friend and I got there a little past 8:00 AM so we missed the last 100 mile group to roll out. The staff at registration was nice and efficient It took about 5 min to register and get out rolling. The route was really enjoyable with mix of mostly rolling terrain, some hillier sections, and some newly paved downhills. We rode with some other riders along the way everyone seemed to be in pretty good spirits and enjoying themselves. The rest stops were 25 miles apart which worked out fine for yesterday but I would be concerned if the day was hotter or more humid 25 miles might be a stretch. The stops were well stocked and the people running them were accommodating and friendly. The main issue that I had with the ride was the discrepancy between the painted arrows and the cue sheets. For the most part the cue sheets were correct but there were a few times were we had to stop and ask for directions and pull out my friends i-phone to check Google maps. As far as ride support goes I do not have a personal experience (Fortunately no mechanicals) but I did run into another rider who had an issue with his tire and as a result had 3 flats. After running through two of his own tubes he called for support. The response he got was that he was too far out and would need to get to the next rest stop. He was able to get a ride from someone (not with the ride) when he got to the rest stop they did not have a tube so fortunately the guy who picked him up drove him to the bike shop and then back to the rest stop. I took my time about 8 hours for the 105 miles when we got back to the stop most things were coming down. I was able to get a sandwich and a soda but it was pretty slim pickins (Guess if we went out with main group we would have been back in time for a better experience)

I would do the ride again but show up earlier. If I am feeling more fit next year and a little faster 6hr 100 mile. I may even shoot for the 125 option

I "survived" the Dark Horse 40 race

This is a story from Katie Lamden about her 1st MTB Race (I should point out it was a 40 miler)

Nice Job Katie - Here is her story

I "survived" the Dark Horse 40 race at Stewart Forest this past Sunday. The course was 2 laps of a 20 mile loop of probably about 95% singletrack, in a mix of forest and open fields (mostly woods). Not very technical, but there were lots of places on the course (maybe 10 obstacles) where people would get off and run their bikes. Mostly short, steep little climbs with roots at an angle across the trail or something like that. The first 10 miles of the race were terrible - so many people in front and behind, and I was alternately annoyed at someone ahead of me for putting their foot down and screwing up the whole pack, and mortified for doing the same exact thing and causing people behind me to curse at me and then come by in a big rush, forcing me off the trail to wait for a break in the traffic to get back in. After the first 10 miles it spread out more and it was a lot less stressful. There were a few too-short sections of carriage road, where I always passed at least 4 or 5 people. I was a lot more fatigued on the second lap, of course, but it was more pleasant nonetheless because that whole scene of struggling to pass people or having them pass me was gone, and I mostly saw the same 6 or 7 friendly people and got to chat with them a bit. There was a girl just behind me in the same class (Sport) whom I had passed when she had a mechanical earlier in the second lap. So I knew she was a better rider and I'd have to really push to keep ahead of her...There was also a girl in the Sport class right in front of me who I thought I had a chance to catch. So I had some external motivation to counter my tiredness. With 5 miles to go I realized I still had some energy left and could afford to pour it out, so I really pushed the last few miles (the more rooty, twisty singletrack bits were making me dizzy in the last 2 miles and I'm actually amazed I didn't crash). It was a really exhausting experience! Like doing a 100 mile road race and being in a breakaway for 80 miles of it - I had that same sense of pushing at the limits of maintain-able strength the whole time. And I am so sore now I can't believe it. Back, arms, shoulders, wrists, THUMBS....yikes. But it was a lot of fun - including the beer and BBQ after the race.I ended up second in Sport, with the girl ahead of me finishing about 4 min in front, and the girl behind coming within 3 minutes of my time (4 h 36 min). Pretty close for such a long race! It was VERY humbling to note that the winning (expert class) woman's time was almost a full hour less than my time, and the winning guy did it in 2h 52m! Amazing. I have a long way to go to develop my skills (but thanks to all of you who have driven me to rides, given me great advice, and helped me gain the minimal ability I currently possess). I may just be hooked on a new sport, and take to haunting a section of bikereg I've never paid any attention to before...
DIRT! I WANT MORE DIRT!
Katie