Wheels for a Life without Lupus

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:30:00 +0000

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.

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:13:00 +0000

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.

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:38:00 +0000

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!

The Last Week - just about there

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:37:00 +0000

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?

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:50:00 +0000

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.

The Countdown Begins - 12 Days

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:24:00 +0000

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...

23 days to go and counting....

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:56:00 +0000

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.

Thanks!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:18:00 +0000

Check out this wonderful blog post from Sandy Robinson at FightingFatigue.org!

"Chris' goal with running his website and blog is to educate people on Lupus and to gain support for much needed research. Through Chris' cycling efforts he wants to raise a lot of money to help find a cure...I know right now that times are tough and that there are many people out of work. My husband hasn't had steady work for months. But if everyone reading this could donate just $1 - imagine how much that would add up to! You can click HERE to donate."

Her blog is a terrific resource for people with lupus and other chronic illnesses.

Thanks Sandy!

A Month and a Day

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:24:00 +0000

The training is almost over and the record attempt prep is well under way. It's astonishing how much work is going into the 24 hours - sponsor gathering, public relations, plus water bottles, boxes of clif bars, jerseys, 5 ipods with entertainment (I don't want to crash while I switch music genre's), extra wheels, shoes, cleats and on and on. Thanks, Andy. Also, a shout out to Lindsay Hyman from Carmichael Training Systems for helping me through the training.

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 01:36:00 +0000

Well, we're getting closer, nearly a month away. Keeping up the intensity and miles is getting challenging as they both go up, but the continued support from my incredible industry, personal and family friends is so overwhelming I don't dare slow down. At that point I think, 'ok, let's just take a little longer break', someone in my head says...'hey, get your butt in gear! We need you!' And, that's about all it takes. Thank you, all. I've heard of some crazy folks who are going to make the trek to the track in PA - wow! We are going to have live videostreaming, so those that want to munch some chips and have a beer, can certainly watch it with their feet up, too. I can't guarantee quite the same degree of entertainment, but you can keep up. The sponsorships and donations keep coming in, it's just so amazing. I've added a few videos to facebook and youtube, but there will be more. Somewhere around April 25th, I'll be asking everyone to pray for stillness in the air and no wind. Not yet, though. It'll be here soon. For those with Lupus in their life, know that you are surrounded by many and, most especially, me. Over and out. - Chris

Cycling Blogs

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:10:00 +0000

Hey guys -

I just wanted to let you know about a few places to read up on cycling, if following my ride has piqued your interest in the sport! Check out these directories:

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 03:49:00 +0000

Off to an intense 3 days of intervals, but the training is going great. We've nearly cracked the $25,000 mark in dollars raised for lupus research, an astounding number. Every single dollar is counting and we're halfway to our goal. There is so much lupus out in world as evidenced by the number of people donating, signing up for email updates, signing up for the Facebook group. We're posting more videos this weekend and next week we're starting up our corporate sponsorship program, hoping to attract more attention. We also understand that one of the major biotech companies has developed great interest in this record attempt - we're hoping to announce them soon as a sponsor. The ride is taking on a life of its own with people asking about it and wondering whether Trexlertown is "far from where I live." Fortunately, the track where the event will take place is very close to many major cities including Philadelphia and New York. If you make it out, we promise good food, hot coffee and some laughs. Oh yeah, and you get to watch some guy go round and round and round...come for the fun, stay for the race.

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:50:00 +0000

A big test coming up this weekend - 7 hrs on Saturday afternoon and 5 on Sunday morning. Wow, am I ever learning about fuel and nutrition. All of those articles about what to eat and drink never revealed the benefits to me until I got past a 4-hour ride. At 2.5 pounds of water burned an hour, I sure do know, now. My crash injuries from two weeks ago are nearly healed, but the biking continues. We're having some fun with Facebook and are beginning to post some videos although the 1st one stunk - bad audio and way-too-long-of-a-wait end but the 2nd will be better. And, we're experimenting with a new idea, called 'The Race'. Bike/man vs. Horse, flat out sprinting to see who's faster in a 100-yard race. Look for the videos...

Guts, Glory and a Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 03:38:00 +0000

Great ride for distance today - 100+ miles. What a beautiful, beautiful ride north on A1A from Boca Raton, Florida to Palm Beach...it was stunning enough that I lifted my head a few times to catch a glimpse of the ocean views. The sound of it is still one of the best sounds ears can capture. I had plenty of power and speed to spare and am starting to gain confidence that the 24 hour track record can be broken. After the glory - a pothole, a quick turn into the curb and I went up and over it. I left some of my real estate behind and took some with me. It's been 25 years since I took a spill like that, but it had to happen. So, now, it's out of the way. Onwards tomorrow...

You Tube, Facebook!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:11:00 +0000

Despite the howling from my daughters, we're going to launch the ride with Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Lots of fun videos and pictures to share...and, we'll be starting something new callede, 'The Race'. Stay tuned!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:07:00 +0000

Training is clicking along well. I'm now moving from high intensity workouts with increased duration to longer rides to start testing the edge of my endurance. 10 hours this weekend. I'm learning lots of new routes in Florida on the weekends...A1A is beautiful in some places and well, not so nice in others: I always thought A1A had premium views everywhere. Not! Drivers in Florida are very different than NY especially for bike riders. Actually, they're more aware and more careful which has been more than a shock.

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:28:00 +0000

Getting prepped for the support side of this attempt...sponsorships, figuring out the mechanical side, getting licensed by USA Cycling, making sure the bike fits the requirements and started working on the public relations. Very exciting! Remember this over the next few weeks -- "The Race" -- there will be more to come on this. Training is going pretty well this week. It's a new kind of Recovery week. Instead of 45-1 hour rides, we're using 2 hour endurance rides to keep building stamina. This weekend? Brutal. 4 1-hour rides at 75% of maximum effort. Ouch and yikes, combined.

The Transition

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:57:00 +0000

Wow, it's been a while since I've stopped to update you on the latest in my training ventures. But, first....Christmas and New Years were great. What terrific friends, family and supporters we have in this venture. Aside from my mother, mother-in-law, kids, Grandma, the deli guy at 73rd/Columbus in NYC telling me to eat more, training has most definitely begun to push out roughly 30 years of "20 extra pounds" (my Dad used to tell me just to chop off my head to lose those ugly pounds) so that's been helping, too. At Christmas, training was indoors because of the variety of freezing cold days, heavy winds, snow, etc, so I had time for lots of intensity and power training. Now that I'm straddling NY and FL, I'm finding that those early mornings and late nights of various power intervals has helped my endurance and ability to sustain difficult speeds for long durations. Over New Year's Eve, New Year's and last weekend, I amped up my time in the saddle to 3, 3.5, 4 and 4.5 hours. Gatorade and Redbull, mixed, provides quite the extra boost as the miles pile on. Oh, and ears full of Pat Metheny, Bucky Pizzarelli, Stevie Wonder and even Beethoven keeps the groove on. Getting to A1A along the southeastern coast of FL is worth the 20 mile ride to get there - wow, it has to be one of the most beautiful rides in the country. With the help of a p/r person from the Life without Lupus organization, we're about to get the word out more, so be on the lookout. For anyone who reads this, if you see anything in the press, anywhere, pass it on. The Lupus community and my daughter are all going to benefit from this journey. One more note of thanks to friends Elissa and Alan - a huge thanks for including this organization in your wedding gift list. Thanks to all!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:19:00 +0000

What a weekend and week so far - after 7 1/2 hours of training on Saturday and Sunday, I can see real progress. Although most of it was done in bucolic Central Park, the training was mostly hammer-down in order to push my power. What fun it was to train there, again, after so many years of knowing every crack and bump on the entire 6.2 mile loop. And, it was added pleasure to train with my friends, Amy and Tom. We were amongst the few riders out there, but it was a blast. Coincidentally, on Monday, I was in Colorado Springs for business but as it turns out, it is also the home of Carmichael Training Systems whom I use as a coach to help me through the preparation for this record attempt. When you walk in the door, you are met with a near life-size photo of Lance Armstrong, their most infamous athlete-in-training. Lindsay Hyman, athlete extraordinare and thesis-bound exercise physiologist expert, has been of great help and support to me. We did some threshold testing to benchmark my progress, and it seems that the training is working. Bravo!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 04:28:00 +0000

Snow! I can't believe it, already. Fortunately, I was able to sneak out for a few hours before it. After a day or two of squashy legs, power has returned. Thank goodness. Had a great day today. I've been asking ultra cyclists some of their tricks for keeping focused and for eating right. I learned a secret from a gentleman from the UK that finished second in last year's RAAM (Race Across America)...turkey and cheese on white breat. No Clif Bars, Power Shots or Bananas for this super athlete. There is no perfect answer. Not sure whether that's good or bad for us newbies.

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:15:00 +0000

4 Days of slugging it out with the wind, sleet and the bicycle trainer (enough with the lousy weather!), and it's been a great run. My power, speed and increased training duration all are building which is the goal right now. Starting in January, we start piling on the miles but, for now, I need the power supply.

We Made It!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:56:00 +0000

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.

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:17:00 +0000

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...

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:04:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Paradysz) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:45:00 +0000

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!