Final fundraising figures

Thanks to very generous contributions from Deya Nolan, Judy Maleng, and the Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society (NOTIS) received while I was pedaling up all those mountains, my fundraising for American Lung Association Big Ride Alaska reached $5913.48 making me the top fundraiser for this ride! Thanks once again to everyone who contributed over the last year. 

As a group, Big Ride Alaska raised a total of just over $40,500 for the good work of the American Lung Association!

I am back in Seattle now and will post a summary of my ride as soon as I have a chance. In the meantime, take a look at the Big Ride Alaska slide show on the right. You might also want to see fellow rider Brian Jacobson's blog for more pictures and details about our adventure. 

Day 10 -- Tiekel River to Valdez

61 miles
Thompson Pass (2678 ft)

Headwinds climbing to the pass and pedaling through Keystone Canyon
didn't even matter because the scenery was so extraordinary. It was a
tough ride for some of us but worth it.

Day 9 -- Tolsana to Tiekel River

77 miles
Climbed 2023 ft
Descended 2866 ft

Keeping the next few postings short because of low battery. Watch for
new photos over the next few days.

Tail winds for first 20, headwinds for last 20.

Spectacular scenery the whole way.

Day 8 -- Matanuska to Tolsona

63 miles
4 hours 49 minutes
Avg 12.7
Ascent: 2441
Descent: 3246

None of the above matters at all because everything came together
today to make it one of my best rides ever! The weather was cool and
sunny. There were bathrooms available when we needed them. We rode by
lakes, miles of tundra and more glaciers. I stopped to watch an eagle
being harrassed by a smaller bird.
And we had TAILWIND the whole day! After the first hour I got a surge
of energy that lasted for the rest of the ride, and I arrived in camp
with energy to spare. Everyone felt it was a one of those spectacular
days of riding that we will remember for a long time.

We have seen the wildlife, and it is us

Diane (CA), Carol, and Eric

Matanuska Glacier

Day 7 -- Palmer to Matanuska

The best day yet!

55 miles (not counting 5 hair-raising miles on a flatbed with Carol,
Tom, Bell, Eric and three of our bikes)
Approx 6 hours on the bike
Climbed approx 4000 feet (much of it 7-12% grade for extended climbs
with narrow shoulders and traffic)
Descended approx 2000 feet

Spectacular views all day of mountains, rivers, and the massive
Matanuska Glacier. I'm planning to take an early morning walk and will
post a photo of our view from the campsite.

Day 6 -- Talkeetna to Palmer

Getting used to headwinds:

82.74 miles
Average: 11.1
Max: 27.9
Time: 7 hrs 28 minutes
Ascent: 1758 ft
Descent: 2184

Rode alone most of the day and enjoyed it. Felt strong in spite of
headwinds. Much of ride was on bike paths running along side major
highway with lots of Friday traffic. Overcast with occasional glimpses
of spectacular mountains. Quite cool. Staying in funky hotel in
Palmer. No readily available computer and too tired to upload photos
anyway.

Thanks very much to Sandra and Bob Thomsen and Maria Paget for your
donations to the American Lung Association.

Tom from Ohio, Ivan from Alaska, Katie from Michigan, Cheryl from PA

Day 5 -- Denali State Park to Talkeetna

63 miles
No stats today as there was no opportunity to charge the bike computer

Great ride. More tomorrow when iPhone is recharged.

Carol & Courtney making the best of campsite on day 4

Day 4 -- there goes Brian

More about day four...

This was a tough ride, again because of very strong headwinds for the
first 60 miles. This made it cooler than some of us expected too.
Scenery was great -- green forests, mountains ribboned with mist,
rivers, lakes, and gorges. (I'll add pictures to slideshow soon.)

Pulling into the camp, we were greeted by swarms of mosquitos. We did
our best to fight them off and most of us retreated to our
mosquitoless tents after dinner -- well fed, tired and dirty (no
showers at this site).

Day 4 -- Denali National Park to Denali State Park

Another day on the bike:
91.2 miles (60 miles of headwinds again & no drafting this time)
Time: 8 hrs 23 minutes
Average: 10.9 mph
Max: 30.2
Ascent: 2841
Descent: 4194

Sent from my iPhone.

Bell from Vermont

Big Rider John

Sandy & Rick from Ohio

Why Day 2 sucked (or perhaps a better word is "blew")

A small sampling of what Mother Nature threw at us on Day 2.

Erin from Vermont

Eric from WA & Liz from Vermont

Day 3 -- Rest day in Denali

We awoke to pouring rain at 3 AM which stopped a few hours later. Amazingly, my tent stayed dry.

After our full day of headwind yesterday, many of us are taking "rest day" literally today, hanging out at a cafe town after a short hike into town. Others are white-water rafting or touring Denali on buses.

Thanks to former Big Riders for your comments. Brian says to tell you, "Having a wonderful time. Wish you were here." And some other choice words which I won't put in print.
And thanks too for comments from friends of fellow riders. I'm passing them on. I'll try to post a picture of everyone on the ride at some point.

See more pictures at Big Ride Alaska Slide Show on the right (click on photo for details and larger view). All of the best scenery yesterday was on descents where I couldn't stop to photograph, but I'm sure this is just the beginning. I'll add to the slide show when we have computer access again and will continue posting random pictures from my iPhone as long as we have cell service.

Day 2 -- Nenana to Denali National Park

Just the facts:
68.5 miles
6 hrs 39 min in the saddle
Average speed: 10.3 (drafting off of Brian the whole way!)
Max speed 28.3
Climbed only 1900 feet
Descended 1241 feet
Strong headwinds for 60 miles made it a very hard day, but everyone
made it!

Details to follow. Rest day and computer access tomorrow, so I'll post
pictures from camera.

Sent from my iPhone.

Big Riders Alice From NJ & Carol from Vermont -- ready to ride

Hail from last night's storm

Rainbow @ camp just before hail started

Day 1 -- Fairbanks to Nenana

Short & sweet:
54.96 miles
Time: 4 hours 50 minutes
Climbed 3201 feet
Descended 3696 feet
Average: 11.4 mph
Max speed 37.3
Arrived in camp at 3:42
Now sitting in tent with hail storm and thunder raging outside. Also
rainbow and sunshine!
More later.

Courtney
Sent from my iPhone.

Getting ready

Tour de Blast

My work and travel schedule took over my life last week, so this is the first opportunity I've had to post a report on Tour de Blast, the 83-mile, 7500+ climb up Mt. St. Helen's on June 21. The temperature was in the 70s, the scenery was beautiful although it was overcast at the top, and the wind was gusting. 

The ride was as hard for me as in previous years, if not harder. As usual, there were several times during the day when I wasn’t sure that I would finish the whole route. I don't know what time it was when I finally arrived at the finish where Adam, John, Lo, Jessica (and friends) were waiting patiently to cheer me on. I do know that it took me five hours to get to the top, and I had caught glimpses of many of my buddies whizzing by on their way back as I was still grinding away to the top (averaging 3-5 mph on that last miserable climb). 

All in all, most of our group did really well in spite of strong gusts at the top and on a couple of bridges coming back -- quite scary at 30-40 mph! Scott hit a rock on the way back at about 38 mph and bent his rim. He was bummed that he had to sag, but glad he didn’t fall! John made it to the top, where he ran into a friend who sagged him to Elk Rock, and then he rode the rest of the way to the finish. Lo, Jessica and Adam made good time the whole way, in spite of being dressed for colder weather. Mike actually made it all the way up and back by 1: 45, a few minutes before I pulled in to the top.

By the time I got back to Elk Rock on the return trip, the support crew had already removed the port-a-potties and was emptying the water. And I was not the last person on the course. There were at least ten riders at the top and twenty or so still on their way up when I started down at around 2:30 PM. I think it's unacceptable for a supported ride to leave slower riders on the course without support, and I've never seen this happen on rides supported by other cyclists. This may be reason enough for me not to do this ride again. Of course, I've said this before, and I keep coming back for more. We’ll see how I feel next year. 

In the end, it was great to be on the bike all day, and it felt good to complete the whole course. I know I'm ready for Alaska, in my head at least. Good thing, too, with only 5 days to go before the start!

Fundraising update #4

Recent donations from neighbors Kathleen Sullivan and Brian Helms, Big Rider Jessica Aronson, colleague Franziska Poppe, and friends Susanne and Richard Langford have brought my fundraising up to $5633.48. Thanks to so many generous donations, it looks like I may come in first for fundraising for the first Big Ride Alaska!

As a group, the eleven Alaska Big Riders have raised over $33,000!

Only 17 days to go!

Flying Wheels

Saturday was perfect weather for the hills of Flying Wheels. Lynn and I stayed together for the whole ride, catching up with Jennifer off and on and running into other buddies at the rest stops. It was a great ride and fun to see so many friends.

Photo 1: Big Riders Bruce, Scott and Sean. Photo 2: Big Riders Jennifer and Scott. Photo 3: yours truly.

Lynn, Jennifer and I seem to be about the same pace, although I suspect Lynn might be faster riding on her own. Jennifer still climbs faster than I do, but I can always catch up with her on the down hill.

I had planned to do the century, but decided at the last minute to do the 65-mile loop instead. As Scott said, that extra 35 miles wasn't going to make us any stronger for Tour de Blast on Saturday anyway, so why bother? In retrospect, it was the right decision, and I feel as ready as I can be for Alaska in less than three weeks. Now Tour de Blast next Saturday, that's a different story entirely...

Hill climbing final exam

Road Climbing Boot Camp is over, and I did pretty well on our quarter-mile final exam last Thursday. My Garmin Edge 305 computer indicates that the grade on this hill is up to 16% in some parts, and it's a tough one! On 5/13 my time was 3:28. On Thursday I finished in 3:11. That's actually significant improvement for such a short climb. 

Cycle U is offering Road Climbing School again beginning on Tuesday, June 17. This time they're adding a training program for participants to follow on their own between classes. I would be tempted to sign up again if I were going to be here for the whole time. 

Next week I'll be riding the Flying Wheels Century and the following week is the Mt. St. Helen's Tour de Blast, (that's the REAL final exam every year before my Big Ride), so I have two great rides coming up to test my skills and fitness before taking off for Fairbanks on July 5. I'll also need to get a few back-to-back daily rides in to get used to being in the saddle day after day. 

Stay tuned...

Inflatable lungs

You meet the nicest people when you say you are riding for the American Lung Association.

One of my favorite training buddies at Cycle U is Lynn Keenan, a physician specializing in pulmonary medicine. And look what she brought me tonight. More lung capacity!

I hereby solicit suggestions from creative readers for something clever to do with these inflatable lungs on Big Ride Alaska.

Hills are our friends!

This picture was taken in the pouring rain Tuesday evening. Everyone is happy because we love to ride up big hills. Right? Or the class is almost over? I forget.

Anyway...

Several readers have inquired privately about the Cycle U Road Climbing Boot Camp that I mentioned a while back.

The course meets twice a week and covers pedaling technique, posture and hand placement, visualization and focusing, descending, standing up while climbing, gear selection and cadence. This "semester" there are usually 2-3 coaches and 5-6 students. This ratio -- and the overall structure of the class -- allows everyone to get personal attention from the coaches. Students come with a wide range of experience and include relative beginners, racers and experienced endurance cyclists. Everyone has a different story and different goals.

We meet at Magnuson Park at 6 PM, usually spend some time in the park discussing and practicing specific techniques, and then take off to a short loop with hills (different each session) where we get coached as we do multiple laps. By 8 PM, we have a great workout behind us and are ready to go home.

My main goal in taking these classes was to become a stronger climber so that I wouldn't always be dropped on the hills. I've learned a lot: My uphill cadence has improved, and I now know when (and how) to stand up on a climb. Always fearless on the downhills anyway, I now know much more about the correct way to handle my bike at high speeds. The classes run as scheduled no matter what the weather, so I have also picked up lots of tips on how to handle my bike in different conditions.

At $350 for eight sessions (ask about Cascade member discounts), this course is no small investment. For me it has been worth it to get a really good workout and great coaching all at once. As it turned out, I’ve had very little time this spring to get rides in on my own, and this has motivated me to get at least two excellent workouts a week in preparation for Big Ride Alaska.

Next week is our “final exam.” I expect to have improved my time on the hill we climbed the first week of class. Stay tuned... Big Ride Alaska starts in 32 days!

25th anniversary of quitting smoking

This photo was taken in 1952 when I was six years old. Just six years later, at age 12, I started smoking.

For 25 years I smoked between two and three packs of non-filtered cigarettes almost every day. I tried over and over again to stop smoking and was unsuccessful. I risked getting kicked out of the school that I loved; I lied to myself and others about how much I smoked; I spent thousands of dollars on cigarettes and cures; I learned a lot about addiction.

When I finally quit on June 2, 1983, I was ready, and the timing was right. Twenty-five years later, I still think that quitting smoking was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. And that includes riding my bike 3300 miles from Seattle to Washington DC in 2004!

So I continue to ride in celebration of my good health in spite of my history with smoking and to raise money to support the good work of the American Lung Association of Washington. The money that you contribute to these rides goes to help stem the tide of big tobacco money that is pushing young people to start a lifelong habit that kills 8200 Washingtonians every year and to fund research to find cures for lung diseases.

Thanks to Susana Stettri Sawrey (friend, colleague, and lung-cancer survivor) for another generous contribution bringing my current fundraising for Big Ride Alaska to $5408.48!

Why I ride...

Today I added the name of Jim Bryan to the list of people whose stories I will carry with me on Big Ride Alaska. Jim started smoking when he was eleven years old and quit in his early 60s. Now at 78, emphysema makes it difficult for him to walk from his chair to the bathroom.

It's easy to assume that kids started smoking "in those days" because they didn't know about the dangers of nicotine. But, consider this: even today, fifty-five young people in Washington State become lifelong smokers every day. The average age of a youngster who picks up that first cigarette is twelve. Nationwide, tobacco causes more deaths than cocaine, heroin, alcohol, homicide, suicide, traffic accidents, fires and AIDS combined.

The American Lung Association has developed impressive programs to prevent young people from starting to smoke and to help them quit if they already smoke. This is one of the reasons I ride for the American Lung Association.

Fundraising update #3

The donations just keep rolling in! In the last few days, thanks to contributions from Barbara and Gerry Porter, Patricia and Paul Mitchell (matched by Microsoft), Hank and Bunny Searls, Al Bork, Chris Myers, and Judith Kenigson Kristy, my fundraising is now up to $5108.48!

It means so much to me that all of these contributors have supported my previous rides. The American Lung Association and I thank you again for your continued generosity.

Bug off?

The Helstern-Walsh family has enthusiastically supported my Big Rides from the very beginning with generous monetary contributions (matched by Microsoft) and by getting up early in the morning to see me off.

This year Marcus and Daniel thought long and hard about an appropriate gift for me to take on Big Ride Alaska and they came up with...

BADGER ANTI-BUG BALM

It looks great, and I hope it works!

(After reading some positive reviews, I'm also trying Ex Officio Buzz Off clothing this year -- currently on sale at the Seattle Retail Outlet.)

Fundraising update #2

Generous contributions yesterday from Michael Broschat, Rene Siegenthaler, Robert Chertkof, John Shaklee, Sharon Current, and Mimi MacLeod bumped my fundraising to $4308.38! Thanks so much, everyone.

This will go a long way to make this first Big Ride Alaska a worthwhile fundraiser for the American Lung Association.

Fundraising update

Yesterday I sent out a message announcing this blog, and already I have received three donations to Big Ride Alaska. Thanks to extremely generous contributions from translator Anne Vincent, interpreter Julie Byron and ride-director extraordinaire Jeff Schlieper, my total jumped overnight to $3,908.48 putting me in first place for now!

This blogging thing is more fun than I thought it would be! And I love how fundraising keeps me connected to friends and collegues I might otherwise not hear from for years.

Big Ride Alaska -- 2008 fundraising update

My goal for Big Ride Alaska is to raise $5000 by May 31st. It would also be really neat if I were to come in as the number one fundraiser this year! Right now I'm in second place. Click here for the fundraising overview.

As of today I have raised $3633.48 thanks the generous donations of: Allan & Anne Affleck, Nancy Anderson, Allan Beattie, Christine Hudson, The Better Breathers Lung Group, John Calnan, Connie Clark-Redmond, Martha Cohen, Steven Schmidt, Mary Jane Francis, Maia Costa, Joy & Bill Goodenough, Marian Greenfield, Bootsie Harris, Carl & Dixie Heckel, Ann & Sam Houston, Connie & Earle Leonard, Michelle LaSourd, Jennifer Longstaff, Tom McCarthy, Mary McQuire & Brian Steiner, Harvey & Elena Meltzer, Jochen Liesche, Leslie Mulford, Mollie Peters, Jeanette Rogers, Christian & Gail Schmitz, Hank & Bunny Searls, Peter Searls, Ann Sherwin, Jerry Shigaki, Alfred Helstern & Cait Walsh, John Weller. Thanks, too, for matching funds from Microsoft and Xilinx.

If your name is not on this list, and you are planning to contribute, please consider making your donation before May 31. Click here to sponsor me.

Why I ride for the American Lung Association

I am riding my fourth Big Ride to raise money for the American Lung Association and to celebrate the lives of people like Asher McGirt, now 13 years old, who suffered severe lung damage after contracting Stevens Johnson Syndrome. Asher had a double lung transplant at Texas Children’s Hospital in July 2007 and has made a remarkable recovery. He is now back home in North Carolina.

And I ride to honor the following men and women who have also battled lung disease:

Russell Alexander who suffered from reactive airway disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and died in 2006 from Islet Cell pancreatic cancer;
Maggie Bach who has had two lung transplants in a successful attempt to stay alive after being diagnosed with severe emphysema;
Peggy Berdoulay who died of lung cancer in 2006;

Jim Bryan who started smoking when he was eleven years old and quit in his early 60s. Now at 78, emphysema makes it difficult for him to walk from his chair to the bathroom;
Howard Curtis, Jr. who died of emphysema in 1999;
Robert Curtis, 60-year-old son of Howard, who is suffering from emphysema and still addicted to nicotine;
Connie who recently stopped smoking;
Nana Cooper who died of emphysema many years ago;
Rose DiBona who has been rendered disabled by severe asthma and had to quit her government job when her bosses, in blatant disregard of the Clean Indoor Air Act in her state, opened a smoking lounge in the “green” building in which she worked;
Liz Dols, 28-years-old, who underwent a pneumonectomy on 2/6/07 for advanced lung cancer and is now considered cured;
Joyce who is fighting advanced lung cancer and continuing to surprise her doctors by beating the odds;
Phyllis Gill diagnosed in 2005 with lung cancer and back to normal life after surgery;
Miriam Gordon who died of cystic fibrosis at 15 years old, Frieda Gordon Dillo who suffers from asthma and loves the outdoors, and Wilhelmine Dillo who died of emphysema at age 69 (three generations of women suffering from lung disease);
Dot Grimm who lost her battle with lung cancer in 2007;
Ron Hudson who is suffering from emphysema and lymphoma;
Lester Irvin who died of COPD (emphysema);
José Maria Jordá who died of lung cancer at a young age;
Dieter Liesche, a lifelong heavy smoker, who died at age 53;
Jennifer Longstaff who has Alpha-1Antitrypsin Deficiency and completed the 2004 Big Ride Across America and 2006 Big Ride Glacier with only 60% lung capacity;
Roger Nelman who died of lung cancer;
Bill Reid who died of lung cancer on March 9, 2005;
Jackie Reimer, who is suffering from lung cancer;
John Rosell, who is currently being treated for lung cancer;
Jim Ross recently diagnosed with lung cancer;
Betty Shaw, who died of lung cancer that spread to her brain;
Susana Stettri Sawrey diagnosed in 2005 with lung cancer and leading a normal life after surgery and chemo;
Jeanette Thomas who suffers from exercise-induced asthma and completed the 2004 Big Ride Across America and the 2006 Big Ride Pacific Coast;
Mary Virginia Tisue who died of lung cancer at 55;
Toshiko Wagner undergoing chemo and radiation for a cancerous lymphoma preventing her from her from breathing naturally;
Bert Walsh whose long battle against lung disease ended in 2005;
Laura Wolfson who is fighting lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a rare lung disease striking women in childbearing age.