Life Without Lupus - Wheels for a Life without Lupus

Friday, April 24, 2009

At the track. Bike, mechanicals, fluids, foods, back up, all ready. Headed out for r&r and some carbs. Early night, a movie and catch some early rest. Till tomorrow.
Tried a no-alarm wake-up today - grrr, I guess I've been waking up early for too many years! Where did those musician days go when early rising meant 10am?! Headed over to the track for the setup - tents, port-o-john (yes, there is one for all that were wondering!), coolers, mechanic's station, etc. I heard the local ambulance crew will be on call. That's nice. Should I put the medevac on call, too? Getting ready, and I can't wait to get on the bike today.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Down to the wire. A bit of light training last night and tonight, heavy rest and carbs tomorrow, and I'll be ready to rock. Bike, gear, clothes, all is set. I want to give a huge call-out to the two most fantastic bike shops, business owners and repairmen on the planet: Will at RoadWorx in Syosset, NY (Long Island) and Darren at Wheels of Wellington, in Wellington, Florida (also, Stan, the owner). Bar none, they are the best at their craft. From finding ways to take weight off the bike to fitting the bike just perfectly, to researching the best wheels to use on the track, these two gentlemen poured their guts out for me and this event. Regardless of what happens on Saturday/Sunday, the Lupus fight has the very best in their corner. Hey, Will and Darren, check in on Saturday at the live video feed link at the website. Thank you!

Monday, April 20, 2009

The Last Week - just about there

Thank you, thank you for the continued support coming from everywhere. Knowing that the word is reaching out into the Lupus community is fantastic. With a 1.5 million population, everyone knows someone who has Lupus. At this point, all I'm trying to do is stay relaxed yet focused, and avoid bad surprises like crashes, bad food, sickness, oh and how about...3 dogs trying to make me their lunch yesterday? 1 poodle, 1 dalmation and 1 Saint Bernard, 2 of which got within a bite of me. A waterbottle squirt of water kept them from getting me, but where the heck did they come from?

Friday, April 17, 2009

Thanks to everyone for the amazing support and kind words. Being here and doing this for Lupus is an honor.

A week to go from tomorrow. By Sunday, I'll be physically ready and have next week to just keep the legs spinning. I'm trying to find the right balance of carbs and protein, but I know my italian wife and mother in-law will be helping me out on the pasta front this weekend! Don't forget to tell anyone you know with Lupus to check out the website during the event: we'll have a live feed and some videos so they can be part of what's happening for them.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

The Countdown Begins - 12 Days

My training has been cut down to 8 hrs this week and I'm beginning to taper back in order to build up the muscle recovery and energy storage I'll need for next Saturday's race. Let me say it here - Lindsay Hyman, from Carmichael Training Systems is a godsend. Without her training regimen and words of encouragement, I wouldn't have had a clue how to prepare for this. My brother, Andy, has also been super in his support and has taken on the heavy load of getting the event ready at the track. Buzz is building...

Thursday, April 2, 2009

23 days to go and counting....

The Velodrome dry run last weekend went great. My brother and I were able to test out the experience, including bottle and food handoffs, communication through our walkie talkies (it had a wireless headset!) and some motivational comments. Last week was my biggest volume week since I began, over 22 hours in total. Check out the videos on YouTube or Facebook my brother took. We had some fun at the track, too! We've broken the $30,000 barrier in sponsorships raised which is truly remarkable. And, just as amazing, I'm hearing from Lupus patients and Lupus blogs from around the world who are supporting the Ride. It's like the Ride has lit a match. Keep the comments and blogging flowing. They are fabulously supportive and I know my daughter and others out there appreciate every word you write.