Looking for Donations

Alright everyone, it's time for me to shamelessly solicit your hard earned cash.  I know, I know, I 've asked before, and many of you were generous enough to donate money towards uniforms, and other expenses involved with sending not only me, but other team members to New York for the 2011 World Police and Fire Games...once again, I thank you.

This time however, it's not about me...remember?  This time it's about raising money for the Semper Fi Fund...a charity that provides financial support to injured United States Marines, as well as families of those US Marines who made the ultimate sacrifice for our great country.

On December 1st I will be competing in an annual mountain bike endurance racing event...The Dawn to Dusk race.  Check out details of the event at http://www.dcbadventures.com/Event/dawn-to-dusk.  The race is held on the Pemberton Trail within the McDowell Mountain Regional Park, just outside of Scottsdale, Arizona.  The course consists of a 15.5 mile loop that traverses the base of the majestic McDowell Mountain Range.  I have committed to the event as a solo rider, which means that I will not be part of a team...just me against the clock...and the trail.  As a soloist, I will ride as many laps around the course as possible, from dawn to dusk...hence the name.

I have decided to solicit per-mile donations in an attempt to raise $1000 for the Semper Fi Fund.  The money raised during this ride will go towards the total amount that I raise throughout the year...this is but one of a number of fundraising 'drives' that I will be doing between now and October 2013.

"So just how do I make a pledge or contribution" you ask?  Here's how...

Please visit my Facebook Page, 'Riding for a Cause' at www.facebook.com/ridingforacause and simply comment that you would like to make a pledge or a donation.  After I have completed my race, I will post the results for all too see (it's an accountability thing), and then I will be contacting each of you via FB, email, phone, pony express, etc. to provide payment details.  If you have not heard of the Ride for Semper Fi, please visit their website to see who they are, and what amazing things they are doing to raise money for these true American Heroes.  Click on the Ride 430 link under CHECK OUT THESE LINKS on the right side of this page, or simply click here.

Training can take a toll!

The temperature outside was nice and cool, the air was almost completely still...perfect weather for mountain biking!  I was nearing the halfway point in my ride...about 6-miles out from where I had parked, when I decided to take a little different route than I had originally intended.  I ride alone most of the time, and when I ride alone, I limit the amount of chances that I take...for obvious reasons.  My split second decision to go left rather than right, would not take me to an area that I consider dangerous...unfamiliar would be a better way to describe it.  I suppose however, in the sport of mountain biking, unfamiliarity can lead to some degree of danger...kind of like choosing the Red pill or the Blue pill.  Lesson learned.

My choice to go left had resulted in a very challenging, technical climb through loose rocky terrain...nothing too different than anything I have encountered during my years of riding mountain bikes.  With my lungs searing and my legs running on empty, I crested the short climb and found myself looking down at a challenging, rocky downhill section...one which I had never attempted before.

One of the rules of mountain biking is to maintain speed.  What I mean by that is if you slow down too much, balance becomes a factor as does stuffing your front tire into a rock, and going for a tumble.  So...while many have heard the phrase "speed kills"...in the mountain biking world, speed saves.  I'll be honest with you all...it can be a little daunting carrying the appropriate amount of speed to prevent the dreaded 'front wheel stuff' when you are heading down steep, rocky, loose, and unfamiliar territory.

Another well known rule of the sport is too look ahead.  It sure sounds simple...I know.  Lifting your eyes and looking ahead however, is one of the most difficult tasks on a mountain bike.  It is very easy, and common, for a rider's vision to become focused on the ground just inches in front of the tire.  Short-sighted vision often causes the rider to look too long at a particular object...like a rock or cactus.  Looking too long at something usually results in a crash...into that particular object!  So...riders who are able to lift their field of vision often crash less, and ride faster.

So anyway...I crested the hill and was met with a very challenging descent.  One which would require me to maintain speed,but not too fast...while going slow, but not too slow.  Sounds fun huh?  I stopped atop the hill and quickly sized up my challenge, picking out the line that I thought would get me down with the least potential for crashing.  The bottom however, was out of sight.  The trail turned left after about 50-feet, which meant that I would have to perform another size-up...on the fly. 

I began pedaling, dropping into the descent and grabbing the line I had picked out moments before.  I pushed on the handlebars as I slid my rear end off the back end of the saddle, keeping my weight shifted toward the rear of the bike so the front wheel could 'float' over the terrain.  My line was working out great, and I was able to stay off the brakes and keep my speed up...all was going well.  I neared the apex of the turn where the trail bent to the left, and quickly picked my next line.  Again I was able to pick up some speed and avoid stuffing the front wheel. As I neared the bottom, I realized that my line was going to take me directly into an area that was full of thick, loose granite, followed by a quick right turn...not what I had anticipated.

My eyes opened wide...a reflexive action that is part of the sympathetic nervous system...the fight-or-flight response.  My brain was taking in as much information as possible, while conscious and subconscious thoughts began to direct my actions...all of which was happening over a period of one or two seconds.  The human body is amazing!  In an instant I knew that I was in trouble.  If I grabbed the brakes too hard, I would end up going over the handlebars onto the rocks.  If I modulated the brakes, I could slow the bike too much, and stuff my front wheel into a rock, which would also result in a quick trip over the handlebars.  If I maintained my speed, I would enter the mini 'gravel pit' too fast, which would most certainly cause my wheel to turn sharply to the left or right...again I was going over the handlebars...in this case however, I would at least land in gravel rather than solid rock. 

The choice was made...keep up the speed and do my best to not let the front wheel wash-out in the thick stuff.  Seconds later, I felt a tremendous amount of pain in my left thigh as my wheel was forcefully turned to the left, by the thick, loose granite.  As my wheel turned left, my body kept going forward...something about a body in motion stays in motion...inertia...kinetic energy...blah, blah, blah.  That Newton was one smart guy!  What that law states is that a body (me) in motion (riding my bike) will stay in motion unless acted upon by another force...which in this case was the handlebars of my bike, and of course...the ground.

You see, as my wheel was turned 90-degrees to the left, so too were my handlebars, thus placing the left end of my handlebars in close proximity to my left thigh...wonderful.  As Newton's law unfolded, my thigh made contact with the end of the bar, as my bike made contact with the ground...while I was still moving forward, exerting a large amount of directed energy right into my thigh.  Yep, it was painful...and to make matters worse,  I would have to ride another 6-miles back to the car.  Fortunately, I had bar end-plugs on my handlebars, or I would have taken a rather large, deep tissue sample from my thigh!

This is gonna be ugly tomorrow!

Please understand that I am not complaining...just sharing :) That's mountain biking!

Until next time....

Some Bad News...and then a little more.

Yesterday, after blogging for the day (and forgetting to push it out to Facebook), I was able to finally make phone contact with the Marketing Director at Intense Cycles.  I explained to him who I was, and what I was doing, and that I was hoping that his company would be able to help me out along my journey.

He then, proceeded to tell me that while he thought it was a great idea, and certainly a worthy cause to support...they would not be able to help me out.  Not one to take no for an answer...well, at least not the first time around...I asked if he could at least help by selling me a frame and fork at their cost.  This time I took no for an answer.

So...what this means is that I will just have to spend the money and purchase the frame, and hope that I am able to secure some help for the remaining components.  It's tough out there right now for small businesses, so I completely understand their position, and I harbor no ill feelings whatsoever.  Oh, by the way, pay no mind to the dartboard in my garage with the intense cycles logo in the middle!  Just kidding...just kidding.

Today however, is a different story.  Today was a training day, and on training days...I get to ride my bike!  After sorting through some other pressing issues this morning, I was finally able to get suited up, load my bike on the trusty Honda Element, and head out to a great riding spot not too far from my home...the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve trail system.

The Phoenix Sonoran Preserve

The trails in the preserve are, for the most part, multi-use trails, which means that hikers, bikers, and horses can use them.  Trails of this type are rather wide to allow for multiple users, and therefore not technically challenging.  The challenge of these trails lie in the climbing.  Right out of the parking lot, riders are met with a grueling climb before they are even given the chance to warm-up...it's what I like to call a rude introduction to the ride.  The climbs make for some great training, and the views of the surrounding desert make the multi-user aspect of these trails somewhat tolerable.

The last time I set out to get some training in on this system, I took my single-speed bike.  A single-speed bike, for those who are not familiar, has but one lonely gear...hence the name, single-speed.  Single-speed mountain bikes are a lot of fun...if by fun you mean pain.  Mountains are full of steep climbs, and the 30-speed drive train...that's right, I said 30...that I have on my other bike, makes climbing super-steep, super-rocky uphill sections easier.  Take away 29 of those gears, and then you've got a pain inflicting, torture machine.  If it's so much torture, then why ride it?  Huge gains in leg strength and power...both of which are absolutely necessary for climbing.  I simply view it as a training tool.

So as I was saying...the last time I took on these trails, I did it on my single-speed.  Big mistake.  Aside from the torturous hill climbing, my bike broke while I was about 10-miles out...yep, that's a long hike back in riding shoes!  Fortunately, I was able to fix it enough that I was able to ride it, but I certainly was not going to be able to climb back out of the area I had dropped into.  So after a lot of hiking, and some adventurous riding through some pretty sketchy areas, I found my way back out to a paved road, and made my way back to the parking lot...some 20-miles later.  Today's ride would prove to be only slightly better.

After hitting the trail, and cresting that first brutal climb out of the parking lot, I was starting to feel good...to feel that flow that riders experience.  I made my way along, traversing the mountain that I had just conquered, looking forward to the fun, fast downhill section that I knew was right around the corner.  My heart raced with anticipation of what I was about to experience, and my eyes opened wide as my brain signaled my fight or flight system to engage.  Today however, there would be no fighting...just flying!

For the next half-mile or so, I was in heaven.  There is nothing better on a mountain bike than bombing a downhill section...riding ride on the edge of being out of control.  As Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall) said to Cole Trickle (Tom Cruise) in the movie Days of Thunder..."Loose is fast, and on the edge of out of control."  As I neared the bottom of my little roller coaster ride, I shifted down...into a lower gear, as I could see that there was a sharp turn coming up that would take me across a dry wash bed, then quickly swing me back to the right...right into a short, steep, rocky little climb.  As I floated across the sandy wash, I began to pedal in anticipation of the climb.  I noticed a funny clicking feel in my right foot as I pedaled, but thought it was just the cleat on the bottom of my shoe getting a little loose.  As the terrain quickly transitioned from relatively flat and sandy, to steep and rocky, the clicking got worse...and then a little worse as I mashed the pedals in order to make the climb.  And then...Well...then my pedal broke...and I fell to the nice soft, pillow-like ground.  NOT!  I did fall, but there were no pillows to be found...just very hard, unforgiving rocks.

It doesn't work too well when you can hold it in your hand!

As you can see in the picture above, the pedal came right off of the spindle...and pedals don't work too well when they don't stay attached to the spindle!  Fortunately, I wasn't too far out.  I was able to find a trail spur that led into a neighborhood not too far from where I had parked.  I made my way out to the road, and limped my bike back to the car...and called it a day.

I might have to think twice before heading back there again...the third time could be really bad!

Ellsworth for Sale!

I received my replacement frame from Ellsworth the other day, and all I can say is WOW...what a beautiful frame!  The 2013 model has some new great looking new graphics that really help to set off the amazing lines of this beautiful frame.

A true piece of art!

This frame is truly a piece of art however...for me, it is time to move on to something different.  Something that has the ability to be built up to keep pace with some of the most technologically advanced road bikes!  So what does this mean, you ask?  It means that this beautiful, super light, carbon race frame could be yours!  That's right, it is up for sale, and ready for you to take it home!

I plan to use the money from the sale of this frame to help with the build project for my new bike...of which I do not yet possess!  I am still waiting to hear back from Intense Cycles about my request for support.  I am also still awaiting a response from Reynolds Cycling about my request for some wheelsets.  Hopefully, they will understand just how beneficial the Ride 430 Challenge is, and graciously provide me with much needed support.  If not...well, let's not go down that road just yet.

I did get in touch with John Greenway, the Big Cheese, the Head Honcho...the Chairman of the Ride for Semper Fi organization.  It looks like I'll be sporting official Ride 430 Team gear for my 12-hour solo endurance race on December 1st!  This means that I will be accepting per-mile donations, which will go towards next year's fundraising drive for our injured heroes.  More on that later...but be forewarned...I WILL be hitting you all up for donations!

Until next time....

Time to Build a Bike!

Those of you who have followed me before may remember that I was fortunate enough to be sponsored by a great U.S. bike company...Ellsworth Handcrafted Bikes.  I chose to solicit the support of Ellsworth because they are known as an extremely high quality company that hand builds their bikes.

Unfortunately, I have had a few problems with the carbon frame that they graciously donated me, so now I am on the hunt for something different.  You see...I really need to build up a bike that can keep pace with those sleek, fifteen-pound road bikes that the rest of the team will be riding.  That means I have to build this thing up really light!  I also have to be able to quickly and easily swap out a part here and there, and have it ready for off-road use,  as I will be using this bike for both short track and endurance mountain bike events.

I believe I have found my weapon of choice...in fact, it's beautiful lines grace my blog page.  Yep, that's it to the left there...she's a beaut ain't she Clark?!

This bike is manufactured by another U.S. company located in Temecula, California.  The company in called Intense Bicycles, and like Ellsworth, they hand build their incredible machines.  This particular bike is named Hard Eddie...but I'll just call it Ed.  The great thing about this bike, is that it can be paired with a proprietary rigid fork...which will be great for the road.  Come race day, I'll swap it out for a nice cushy suspension fork, and be ready to roll over some rocky desert trails, at high speeds...for 12-hours or so.

As I did with my other bike, I am attempting to seek support from Intense...basically, I'm trying to get this bike for a highly discounted rate.  Bikes these days are uber-expensive, and this one will be even worse due to that fact that I will need to double-up on some of the components to make it a 'road' and mountain bike.  I have figured somewhere in the area of about $8,000!  That's just too much money for me to shell out for a bike on my own, which is why I have decided to seek support from Intense, and other bike component manufacturers to help me use my love of mountain biking, to raise money for our wounded heroes.

I plan to share with all of you the challenges I face, as a regular guy, trying to secure 'pro' sponsorships from these companies.  These challenges however, pale in comparison to those that our nations heroes face.

Follow along, and become a fan of the page!

The Hard Eddie 29er...a beautiful bike!

Here I go again...

Hello everyone, it's been a while since I last blogged, and I am feeling a bit rusty!  Many of you have never seen my blog before, so for those of you who are new...I'll give you all a very brief rundown of what has taken place here in the past.

Nearly two years ago, I decided I would enter a mountain bike race...but not just ANY mountain bike race!  Nope...I went big right out of the gate...I signed up to race in the 2011 World Police and Fire Games.  The WPFG attracts firefighter and law enforcement 'athletes' from all over the world, to compete in over 60 different events.  Believe it or not, the WPFG are the second largest multi-sport event in the world...second only to the Summer Olympic Games!  So yeah...it's kind of a big deal.

Anyway...I chose to use this platform to chronicle my journey towards competition.  I had some weight to lose, and some riding shape to get into...so I figured this would provide some level of accountability for me.  And...it did!

I trained for roughly 9-months, and shared virtually every detail of my journey along the way.  By September 2011, I was in peak physical condition, and ready to compete.  Hurricane Irene (remember her?) however, wasn't feeling it.  You see, the 2011 WPFG were being held in New York, and the surrounding areas.  Irene decided she would come in and wreak havoc on New York and New Jersey, and effectively served to cancel a number of WPFG events...including Mountain Bike Racing! 

So...there you have it...but wait, this time it's different.  Last time it was all about me.  This time, it's all about someone else.  Sure, I'll be the subject of this chronicle however, the end result is me being prepared to ride a mountain bike 430 miles, in just four days. 

Why you ask?

To raise awareness and financial support for injured United States Marines, and their families.  I have committed to join the 2013 Ride 430 Team.  The Ride 430 Challenge is a non-profit cycling event that helps give America's injured military service members and their families, hope and assistance as they travel the road to recovery.

The Ride is a four-day, 430-mile challenge in which cyclists complete more than 100 miles per day, some of which are brutal mountain climbs.  In addition to training and completing the ride, each participant must raise funds for the cause.  The average rider raises more than $6,500 for this amazing cause; more per rider, than any event of it's kind.  The 2012 campaign raised nearly $500,000!

Money raised by the Ride 430 Challenge team supplements military assistance and bridges gaps to help injured service people and families who have lost loved ones, recover.  The funding helps provide everything from financial assistance, scholarships and adaptive sports equipment for injured heroes, to camps for kids who've lost a parent in combat.

It is truly an amazing organization, and I am proud to say that I am now part of the Ride 430 Challenge family.

So...over the next 12-months I will be sharing with each of you, my journey.  A journey that will be comprised of many different challenges including fundraising, sponsorship support, training, and of course...the Ride!

Let's talk about the ride...

This event is a road bike ride...yep, you heard right...a road bike ride.  I am not a road biker...or roadie, as the are affectionately referred to.  I am a mountain biker...remember?  In an attempt to hold true to my mountain biker roots, I have elected to complete this 430 mile ride on a mountain bike.  I know, I know, stupid huh?  Here's the real deal...

A friend of mine (Josh), has been a part of this event for the past two years.  He has raised an incredible amount of money...in fact, he raised nearly $50,000 this year alone!  He has held fundraising events at a wine bar...Brix Wine Spot...which is located in Cave Creek, Arizona.  The owner of Brix (Bryan) and I were talking one day about the ride.  In fact, he probably doesn't even remember the conversation.  Anyway...we were talking, and I told him that if he would do the ride, I would do it on a mountain bike.  Well....last week he apparently went 'all in' and has committed to ride next year.  So you all understand what that means right?  As a man of my word (whether he remembers it or not), I have now committed to participate as well...on a mountain bike.

So...in the coming months you will no doubt be asked to assist in some way (most likely financially) to help the Ride 430 Challenge team break yet another financial goal.  The 2013 Ride 430 Challenge ride is officially on YOUR radar screen!

Check out the Ride 430 Challenge by clicking on the link under the Check Out These Links ection on the right side of this page.