My First Bike Rally

I woke up this morning a little hesitant to embark on today's cycling adventures. It was 5:30 a.m. and in the 20s this morning when my alarm went off. I hit snooze once, but then remembered what I'm riding for so I didn't continue to snooze like I could have.

Daniel and I rode today in our first bike rally ever. At the starting line it was 29 degrees outside with about 25mph winds. The rally is the Aledo Ride for Heroes. It benefits all of our local heroes in the area - police, firefighters and EMTs. We took the 40 mile race route today. Though, it didn't feel much like a race when those headwinds were beating against us most of the way.

Today was a real eye-opener. Aledo was a pretty hilly route and I was battling a lot of leg cramping. Tahoe, I imagine, will be Aledo times ten. What does this mean for me? It's time to step it up with the hill and leg training. There were a couple of times today where I wanted to give up. At one point we hit two long climbs right in a row and my legs almost gave out. But, I didn't give up. I was in pain. I admit. But, what keeps me going is when I think about what the long-term goal is for all of this: to find a cure for cancer and to help those who are currently battling the disease. I think it was Coach Albert that said the other day: when we think it is tough out there cycling and we want to quit, just think of all of the people who are undergoing chemo. They don't get to quit. We shouldn't either. And, that helped me get up those hills today.

I hope you enjoy these pics of us at the finish line!

Training ride 7 - Benbrook

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They don't call it Cow Town for nothing!

Training ride 7 - Benbrook

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I think I can, I think I can

This past Saturday we lost the 30 degree weather, but we added some hills to the mix when we rode out in the Benbrook area. The winds were still treacherous - perhaps even harder than the week before. I have to say, though, it was nice that it was not freezing cold again. I could feel my toes and that was a good sign.

The hills are alive and well in Benbrook. One hill in particular, called Happy Hill, proved to be a challenge and gave us a good chance to practice climbing. The climbing went well and inspired me to tackle another big hill yesterday (Sunday). In downtown Fort Worth, there is a rather steep and long hill behind Radio Shack's headquarters. Not too long ago I had no idea that a hill like that even existed in this area. Most of it is so flat! But, this hill on Taylor Street is definitely good training for Tahoe. Daniel and I both made it to the top this time without stopping. We brought it strong!

All-together this weekend's mileage was 52. The team rode about 35 miles on Saturday in Benbrook and then Daniel and I rode about 17 Sunday evening, until we lost daylight and decided to call it a ride.

If you haven't already, please donate to support this ride and help me save lives. Donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by visiting my fundraising page.

Thanks for your support!

Team Training Ride 5 - Benbrook

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A Mighty Wind

Have you ever ridden a bike in 30 degree weather with 25-30mph winds pushing against you? That's what I did this past Saturday. Team in Training had our fourth training ride, gearing us up for Tahoe in June. The Fort Worth and the Dallas cyling teams got together for this ride that was out at Joe Pool Lake in the Grand Prairie area. It's actually kinda nice out there.

We started out the morning with a flat tire clinic at 8am. I was pleasantly surprised that it really is not that hard to fix a flat bike tire. It made me feel good to learn how to do that, so I know I won't get stranded. We started our ride at 9am, when the temp was about 38 degrees with a windchill of about 24. The gusty winds were tough at first, and they got even tougher to cycle against as the ride progressed.

We rode 37 miles that day through some neighborhoods, along a highway and across a dam. The ride consisted of a 12+ mile lap, which we did three times. I have to say that after the second lap it seemed easy to almost give up and not complete the third, but I persevered and finished it up. I ended up meeting a few people on the Dallas team that time around and got to practice some pacelining and drafting techniques. Whoo whoo!

I have to say that I felt pretty beat up from the wind that day. It did not let up at all. But, as I heard someone else on my team say that day: When you think it's hard, remember it's nothing like chemo. 37 miles was a great accomplishment for me - being the furthest I've ever ridden a bike. This ride was a big milestone. While I was concerned about the mileage (pre-ride), I now know that I am capable of pushing myself to do things I never thought I would do.

Team Training 4 - Joe Pool Lake

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