We Made It!

Well, now a week or so later, after the big Lupus Gala in NYC, the gang of 500+ at the event itself plus the hundreds of others who weren't there but donated, hit a total of $2.5 million.  Fantastic.  Lupus doesn't know a good economy from a bad one.  Our family, along with the Selkowitz crew, was honored that evening and all 5 of us had a chance to say our part.  The girls did great, and my wife of course, but our son stole the show...after introducing himself ("Hi, I'm ____"), he unrolled the skimpy lycra bicycle shorts he stole from my drawer and said: "Do you think my Dad can fit his body into these shorts?"  Bravo, big man.  Lots of miles riding this week with the thought of Alex, a new online Cheerer, and his now-passed brother who had SLE and for his suffering sister with the same.  I'm out there for your family, Alex!  The research that's in the pipeline is coming soon, and it will make a difference.

Success! I finished up a 4-hour ride on Saturday, including a 2-hour test, at the Lehigh County Velodrome with some good speed and power output. Alas, the training is working. It was mighty chilly at 19 degrees and a 15-mph wind, but it gave me an excellent benchmark. Sunday's ride was similar, but on the roads of NY. Good progress. The Lupus Gala which we attended was hugely successful. It looks like that event raised $2.5 million, most of which will go to specific programs and lupus research. Hopefully, the local/regional trades will start to pick up this story. The Ride for a Life without Lupus is now posted on the http://www.lvvelo.org/ website. We're building energy...

This past Saturday and Sunday, I hit the flats of southern Florida to gain some high-speed, high-power miles. Dead into a headwind for a few hours each day was great training for the Velodrome winds that are sure to be at the track come time for the April 25-26 event. How nice to be warm! This week is a recovery week in preparation for a trial-run at the Velodrome this Saturday. My brother and son will be there to help sort out the logistics of measurement, motivation, fueling up and how/where to increase my power input. And, the big, formal-affair Gala in NYC for Lupus research is only two days away. So far, it seems that nearly a thousand people will attend. Fantastic!

Whew! What a great weekend of riding - lots of hours in the saddle. 4 hours Saturday and another 3 on Sunday. Interesting on Saturday morning...lots of fog, mist, rain and falling leaves. It was my first experience with wet leaves falling into my face and glasses while trying to keep a steady pace amongst the traffic. This sure made me concentrate. The next big test is a 5 hour track ride at the Velodrome where I'll be doing the 24-hr ride in April. I'm thinking about doing that the day after Thanksgiving. I'll need to burn off those potatoes. 10 days until the big kickoff Lupus Gala in NYC. Lots of friends and family from far away - thrilling!

Got on the track this morning for 60-minute high power/high cadence ride. What a great feeling to crank some speed. I had a good reminder that on a banked track, I need to be careful when I sneeze or take a drink - it's only a few feet from the bank, and you go a tumblin' down. 16 days until the Gala in NYC...my family will be launching the Ride to the Lupus crowd. Can't wait!

4 Hours - 3 of 'em at high-quality, 19-mph speed and the 4th at 22! Although I'm a long way from 24 hours, it's a good sign that there is progress. Thrilled! Now, to recover - ouch... Attended the Lupus Gala kickoff last week, and I must say there is a lot of support out there. We're getting good wishes and contributions from more people that we don't know than we do. This is so fantastic. The word is seeping out into America and around the globe. I heard on Thursday that an experienced public relations executive is going to help us get the word out. Very exciting. Only 18 more days to the Gala in NYC on the 20th, and we couldn't be more thrilled to help out.