The Ride To Cure Diabetes
October 2004 - Death Valley, Ca.
Team Chad & Dad
Raising $$$$ for Diabetes Research - AGAIN - and AGAIN
In October of 2002 - Team Chad and Dad completed a 105 mile cycling trip from Furnace Creek through Death Valley National Park - to the top of Jubilee Pass and back! An incredible feat with an incredible bunch of riders dedicated to funding research that seeks a cure for diabetes.
Then again - in 2003 - Chad and Dad took on the challenge despite record heat. Chad completed the ride in 6 hours. Dad did as well, except he used common sense and completed about 87 miles in triple digit temperatures. Dad was going to do the full century ride, when Chad crossed his path on his way back to the the finish line. They stop a moment to talk - and Chad convinced Dad that he would be total toast if he didn't turn around and ride back with him [that is Dad would be toast - not Chad].
So Chad and Dad have collected about $15,000 dollars for diabetes research with these two rides through Death Valley. Soooooo - you got it - they are doing it again in 2004.
Training Log 2004
[last update July 5, 2004]
Scroll down for July 1, July 3 and July 5 --- will add links soon - thanx
July 1, 2004
Well lets see - I have been meaning to get the training log going again on several occasions... but it just seems there has never enough time. Oh - don’t get me wrong. I / We have been training... it’s just that there never seems to be time to sit down at the old keyboard...
So what happened since the last ride. Well - a lot. This past Winter and into Spring both Chad and I frequented the hallowed (euphamism for the aroma of sweat) halls of the Mid-Hudson Athletic Center (euphamism for Gym)... suffering from a special kind of MAC (as it’s called) attack. We rode and rode on the spin cycles - new age self inflicting torture machines. Twice a week our instructor (Satan) would lead us through imaginary hills to the beat of music that always seemed to be too slow for Chad and too fast for Dad.
After a night at the gym doing the spin cycles - Dad would go home and sleep. Chad would go mountain biking. Too bad youth is waisted on the young... oh well - his day will come
Time marched on - Spring arrived - and I quickly started riding on roads - staying close to my house - just in case I had a breakdown. Oh - did I mention that I’ve been riding a Bianchi that was built in 1922 or there abouts. Now don’t get me wrong - it was a nice bike and has served me well by completing two training seasons and treks across Death Valley. Prior to that - it even served as a reasonable light bike for a few bi-athlons (sp? - remind me to look that up later)... I think I bought it when Chad was in his mid-teens... and now he’s in his early 30’s. Hmmm maybe its time for a new bike... more on that later.
Suddenly it’s June... my training rides are getting longer and Chad’s rides are getting - uh stranger. In mid June he drove with one of his buddy’s to a NORBA National (Mountain Bike Races) at Snowshoe Mountain in West-by-God-Virginia. This was perhaps the first time that I hadn’t gone with him to a race since he was about 8 years old... Well - you guessed it! Clutch troubles almost sidelined him upon his arrival - and it looked like he might be stranded in the jungle - so to speak... He had one of those extended coverage deals that would tow his car etc... but the nearest Subaru dealer was 500 miles away - or might as well have been. And then there’s the problem of what to do with a racing bike that might be worth more than the car.. etc etc..
So Dad downed some coffee - jumped into his trusty SUV and drove through the night - arriving just
in time to meet Chad and his buddy - get his Racing Bike and Gear and head to the time trials. His time was third fastest for the course. The next day he raced and managed to grab third place in mountain cross (sort of like BMX on steroids). The picture to the left shows Chad during practice. Not quite like Death Valley.
Well - we knew we would have a long drive home - figuring that we’d have to stop every 20 miles to rest his aching clutch... so I took a nap... while he went to hang out... Around 4 pm I woke up from my nap... Then joined Chad at Starbucks to have some coffee and prepare for the 5 pm awards ceremonies - and also for that long drive home.
For those of you who remember our experience at Jubilee Pass in Death Valley for the 2002 Ride to Cure Diabetes... 
you will recall that it RAINED in Death Valley on that day. Well we must attract rain - because at 4:58 - 2 minutes before the awards ceremony - the sky opened up... A NORBA representative meandered through the crowd to let everyone know that the ceremony was post-poned until the next day (Guess the concept of moving inside was not that obvious to NORBA - and evidently they really don't care how they inconvenience the riders... but that's another story... The picture to the right is Chad on the podium - in the rain. They did mail him his medal... Big Woop!!)
A week later - Chad went to Mount Snow for another NORBA national... He managed to pick up a 5th place - but not that coveted podium position he earned the previous week... ah - but I digress - now back to training...
As you’ll recall - my Bianchi (isn’t that a breath freshener? too?) has served me well - but I yearned for something that would help me get up Jubilee Pass with a little less effort...
I went for it... a BRAND NEW TREK... 27 Speeds (complete with Granny Gear and a HUGE RING for making time on the level and slight down grades), STI Shifters, racing handle bars, coffee maker and stereo... A TREK 2200 - Now I’m a regular Lance Armstrong...
So I took a few short rides near home to get used to the shifting. First few miles - I still reached down... only to realize that the shifters were right at my finger tips - part of a pair of integrated shifting and breaking levers... pull to stop - click the little lever or big lever to shift up or down... this is SLICK.
Well since my speedometer was toast from last year’s Death Valley Ride (remember the 120 degree temps - it shattered the plastic on my speedometer - and must’ve fried the innards - cause it don’t work no more) so I’m not sure exactly how far I went. I would guess about 32 to 35 miles or so. Starting at our house in Lake Katrine - by way of back roads across route 28 (stop at Stewarts to pick up more gatorade and water - love their rest rooms too)... then traverse the road along the Ashokan Reservoir. A beautiful ride... and the investment in my new TREK was well worth it... smooth!!
Some days later - I got my new speedometer - installed by my team mechanic Chad. That meant I was ready for some serious training - happy to report that on June 30th I put in 1:02:58 saddle time (that’s one hour two minutes and 58 seconds). I covered a distance of just over 16 - almost 17 miles at a pace of 15.9 mph. Mostly level - a few mild rolling spots near my house... with one slight downhill grade that allowed me to clock a top speed of 37 miles per hour. Yes-sir-eee Bob ! this new TREK is gonna help a WHOLE LOT!!
July 3, 2004
So on a day when most folks would sit back and relax at the pool for the first day of the July 4th weekend - I decided to put the old body and new bike to a test wit a slightly longer ride than I have been doing. My goal was to go back up to the reservoir (Ashokan - NYC water supply) - go beyond where I have always turned around and venture into no mans land... no convenient stores - no cell phone towers - no civilization...
I started out maybe around 10:30 or 11:00 - a little later that I wanted to - which was a mistake - because the temperatures were supposed to go into the mid 80’s or better with lots of humidity.
The first part of the ride is a gentle rolling climb of about 10 miles. The big challenge is not to get run off the road by the locals - who think that speed limit signs that say 35 or 45 - mean 45 or 75... with extra points for scaring bikers by beeping horns just as they are about to pass them. But God was with me - and I made it to Stewarts on route 28. I stopped off to pick up more water - gatorade - pit stop and the WALK my bike across Route 28. Even though I cross at an intersection controlled by a traffic signal - I still have flashbacks to "Frogger"... and I’m the Frog.
Once across Route 28 - I mount my trusty carbon fibered craft - and begin the trek towards the reservoir. The first view of the reservoir comes when I cross the dike (I dont know the name of it - but its that one ) with a majestic view of the lower basin (there are two bodies of water in this man-made wonder - called - you guessed it - the lower and upper basin. Guess when the named it - they didn’t know which was north or south - or east or west.
I found in interesting as I approached the dike - that there was a sign warning me of drifting snow... hmmm - at 80 plus degrees?
I continued my solo ride - taking time to give the familiar lifting of the left hand in recognition of bikers coming the other way. As I do this - I often wonder why they are always going the wrong way... whooopps - gotta be careful as a pack of Harley’s go by me - full throttle - total decibles - now THEY are going the right way.... I will not argue wit them.
Next on my journey is that guy working in his yard moving dirt with a wheel barrow. He is landscaping around what was once a one-roomed school house. Now its his house. The first time I passed by him a few days ago... I told him he made me feel guilty - because he was working so hard and I was enjoying the ride.. Now we chat briefly each time I sail by... he says he will see me on next trip - through out the summer... Hmmm - always looks like the SAME wheel barrow full of dirt... I think it’s a scam!
Today I made it past the point where I have always turned around before. Now my goal is to make it to a place called Winchell’s Corner - back on Route 28 - at the upper end of the lower basin. And - this time I get to see sights that I always saw from a car in the past. Either on Sunday Drives with my wife and kids - or as a kid myself with my Dad going fishing - aka drowning worms.
I crossed over the Spillway (which by the way wasn’t spilling... although the water level was high - it was not high enough to go over the dam - that’s dam not damn!
Then comes the areator (yeah - I could do spell check but I’m too lazy)... This is a huge fountain sort of thing - where as the story goes - the water is squirted 100 feet or so into the air to aireehate it (2nd attempt at spelling) before it is piped down to NYC. I think this is another scam... but it is something that you should really take time to see if you ever visit the HudsonValley of NY State.
Now the ride becomes a little more challenging... you see - since the attack of September 11th... Security has forced the closing of some roads that also serve as dikes. Thus I am required to take the low road down near the eirieeightor (hows that?) - then climb a short but steep road up to the top of the dike where both the upper and lower basins connect.
Wow !!! that’s exactly what I said as I came to the top of the hill... remember - I’ve always driven this route before - never biked it. And when you come to the top of the hill - at the pace of a biker - with the time to take in the view... It makes you proud to be an American - and lets you know how lucky we are to live not only in a country as free as ours - but one as beautiful as ours... the mountains rise into the sky and reflect like a postcard image in the mirror of the reservoir...
My next observation is - HEY!! where the heck are the guards - there’s no security!!! oops! as I come around the bend - there they are... I am forced to stop at checkpoint Charlie... about a dozen or so State, County, Town, DEP, EPA, FDA and FCC cars and officers... They quickly assesed that I could not hide weapons of mass destruction in my riding tights - and the let me pass...(actually I told them they made me feel a little better about security measures - knowing they were there).
I made it to Winchell’s Corners (going out of business - and drat - I thought they sold water and such there - but just antiques these days... sooo - what little water and gatorade I have will just have to last me until I get back to Stewarts...). I’m now about 21 or so miles from home... so it’s time to take a few Endurolytes - and start the ride home.
At checkpoint Charlie - they wave me through (we’re old friends now) - and the good news is - the ride back will be a lot easier.
I made it throught the Reservoir roadways with no incidents - except for HUGE deer that was standing in the middle of the road. It’s a good thing I spotted it when I did - or I would have broadsided her. I slowed down to a crawl - because she was panicky and doing a dance in the middle of the road - her hooves actually sounded like tap shoes on the roadway... clack-clack-clackity-clack - as I went past her, I looked to my right and saw two more deer on the shoulder of the roadway... They were laughing at my riding tights... I could hear them making rude and lewd remarks. Uh - maybe the heat was getting to me
Unloaded and Loaded up on Liquids again a Stewarts - and finished the ride home.
Ride statistics: 41.63 miles, max speed 35.5 - average speed 14.3 mph.
July 5, 2004
After a day of pool activities and family picnic (no I did not cook!), July 5th came as a day of rest... a day to ride. Went for a short spin - level route... using a two mile loop that’s about three miles from my house. I was having a ball pounding out a good pace. Confused by all the wind that seemed to be coming from nowhere.... then I happen to look over my shoulder and saw the sky was as dark as it could get... A BIG storm was approaching... SO - I nailed it and headed home as quick as my little bike could take me.
I arrived at my driveway just as the sky opened up. Ride Statistics: Saddle time = 57:25, distance covered = 16.16 miles , Max speed = 27.5 mph, Avg speed = 16.8 mph
No additional postings for 2004 could be found.
