Well - as hard as it may be to realize it... the ride was one month ago. A fun time was
had by all - all arrived back at the finish safe and sound. But most importantly - as of a few days ago - Team Chad
and Dad hit their goal of $6,000 ($3,000 each). Thank you for your support.
Our last report indicated that we would bring the laptop to do some real time reporting on the event. Well
weather conditions deteriorated so we decided against that... too dangerous to video while riding in the rain
They say a picture is worth a thousand words - so here are a couple of thousand words worth of pictures
that we hope will tell the story of the First Annual Ride to Cure Diabetes at Killington Vt. - as experienced by
Team Chad and Dad.
If you don't have time now to look at all the photos and read the associated comments, then
perhaps the picture below will summarize the story for you. The rain finally stopped when I got to
about the Pittsfield area checkpoint. With about 11 miles to go - it was time to take the plastic bags
off my feet (which were supposed to protect my feet and socks from the pouring rain and wet roads) - and POUR
the water out of the bags - seems the water runs down your legs in driving rain and road spray from the front tire and
bikes that you are following. Then it seeps into your plastic bags... arrgghhh... Fortunately I had
dry socks in a baggie in my back pocket... ahhhh dry socks sure feel good after 90 miles in the rain. Even if the shoes
are wet.
We were warned the day before to be prepared for the "elements"; cold and wet. So Team Chad and Dad
took a quick trip to Rutland Vt - had lunch and located and Eastern Mtn Sports store - Biking Wind and Rain Gear 25 % off. As the
commercial says... "Priceless".
And taking a cue from watching the Tour de France - we grabbed local real estate "newspapers" to stuff
inside our jersey's for insulation; for the first hour or so of the ride. Priceless again.
Taking Route 100 North between Granville and Warren - we passed through a national forest area where
I stopped to take this picture. The picture of course does not do the area justice... note the round spots from rain on the lens
of the "throw away" camera. Well worth the trip - and stopping to take the picture was a good excuse to dismount for a minute before
tackling the rest of that climb.
On what we called the Warren Loop (a 20 mile loop that made up miles 40 through 60 of the century)
we turned off route 100 to face a LONG many miles of endless climb. About 100 yards past the turnoff, the route
took us across a covered bridge. Note that the car at the other end is waiting for the rider to cross. Vermont drivers
were very courteous to and tolerant of the many bikers on the road.
After about 90 miles of riding in the rain... the rain stopped. The Pittsfield checkpoint provided a chance to
pour water out of my plastic bag cover feet and to put on dry socks.
Chad and Dad at the finish line. Note the shine on the ground. That is wet sand and gravel. The finish line
BBQ was moved from there to the hotel. It rained so hard that the caterer's tent was filled with a few inches of standing runoff.
After doing a century in the rain... the dry hotel seemed like an appropriate option for all the riders.
This picture is out of sequence - but symbolizes the joy of the ride. In the early predawn hours, Theresa
(our chapter ride coordinator) put this sign on our door (a tradition at all rides). It says NY loves Team Chad and Dad. Thank You.
This goes for all of our supporters too... NY Loves our supporters. Thanks to all who donated - we hit our $$$ goal; $6,000.
Entry Date:
August 26, 2009 (Wednesday)
To Do List Day
Today is the day before we leave for Killington. So it's a day to finish up the To Do List
Training and prep is now complete - topped off with a massage late yesterday afternoon to get the kinks out. I told
Jackie (Massage Therapist) that if there was anybody walking by that they would be calling 911. Seems I was screaming a lot as she
got the kinks out. No pain no gain !
So we are almost at our goal. If you haven't donated yet - there's still time!
Killington is supposed to have WiFi... so I will be bringing my laptop
for a late night post - if time permits. So please check back over the weekend.
Gotta go now. Cheers and thanks for your support... the Ride is Saturday August 29th
Donate on behalf of Team Chad & Dad offline via
this link)
So you would think that I would have more time keep this log up-to-date; seeing as how I am
collecting Social Security and not working. But the days fly by - doing errands for JDRF for the Walk to Cure Diabetes,
Church Errands, Cleaning the Garage etc... and of course biking biking biking.
Let me try to summarize the past 3 or so weeks.
Got in a nice 80 mile ride. This was a solo trip. Chad called my wife to see if I was home yet late in the
afternoon... she said I had not come back yet. He quips - "he could have ridden to Florida by now". Well, yeah
it was a slow easy ride - and of course I always manage to get into conversations when I stop. Guess I'll never
win the Tour de France
Cleaned and Lubed my chain. But then got caught in a rain storm... guess I'll clean it again today.
Lots of 20 to 25 mile rides every other day or so. Love that Hurley Mountain Road.
Backing down on miles now - just taking it easy - tapering for the Big Ride in a few days.
Chad and I spent three days running back and forth between home and Windham Mountain. UCI Nationals.
Chad got first in Mountain Cross. Short Video of practice run on your right.
Donate on behalf of Team Chad & Dad offline via
this link)
Today Dad joined the Monday Night ride coordinated by Cycle Club
of Kingston that starts at Kingston Cyclery (which is really in Lake Katrine/Town of Ulster - but was originally
located on Broadway in Kingston). This group organizes weekly Monday and Wednesday Night Rides and Saturday a.m. rides.
On previous Monday's, I would pack my bike into my trusty XL7 and drive to the shop (only about 4 or so miles). But this
time I decided to use that as a warm up ride (also the car is filled with Walk to Cure Diabetes Signs and pledge forms). I timed it just right
by arriving warmed up and ready to go about 2 minutes before departure time. Just enough time to grab a drink and some "gu".
We took our usual route up and over 209, up 28 - left at Kenco onto Hurley Mtn Road... where riders would
choose some of the hills off to the right... attack them and rejoin the group at some point heading out or back on Hurley Mtn Road.
This time I was determined to take on one of the hills - so I rode out to the last of the hills on the list that provided
a nice 18 percent grade. (Nice is being sarcastic!) I made it - sucking wind at the top - but I made it and the headed back with the
two riders that were left in my group. Then it was back - up and over 209 hill again... where I waved good bye and took
another way home. Total distance was 30 miles - at an average speed of 15.7 mph. Not bad for two days after a 70 mile ride.
I know it's still Summer - but I thought I'd include an Autumn view of the Hurley Mountain Road
that someone has posted elsewhere one the web... found it via google. This is the "return trip" view - returning from the Tongore area just a few miles
from Route 28/Kenco area
Donate on behalf of Team Chad & Dad offline via
this link)
I'll explain the Headline about the Eagle in just a moment. But first let me give you
a summary of Saturday's Ride (July 25th); 70 Miles!!
The 70 mile ride consisted of two loops. The first included riding from my house
via Route 209 to State Route 28. Then up 28 to Winchell's Corner (near the Ashokan Reservoir), Left towards
the Ashokan, over the dam - right on the dike to Route 213, Down 213 to Hurley Mtn Road (Via Mill Dam Road), along
Hurley Mtn Road to 28 - back to 209 and home.
After refilling water and gatorade bottles, I headed back toward 209, but
before getting on 209 - took a right along Zena Woodstock Road, left at Zena toward route 28, across 28 toward the reservoir,
continued to Basin Road - left on Basin road for several miles (nice long steady climb and then
retraced the route back to my house... with a short 4 mile or so loop toward Glasco Turnpike and got home
just as the hourly thunderstorm hit... lasted about 30 secs. But I called it a day. Avg speed for the 70 miles was 14.5 mph.
Borrowing a quote from Lance Armstrong - not bad for an old fart!
My wife and I took a drive Sunday afternoon after going to church and popping in at home for a quick sandwiched and to pickup
our cameras and such. We were on a mission to (digitally) capture an eagle or two that habitat the dike area of the Ashokan.
Shortly after arriving and after having walked about 2 miles from where our car was parked, the
skys opened up and we got soaked... arrghh! But then the rain stopped and I attempted to get
a picture of the eagles. I could not see these awesome creatures from where we stood with my naked eyes and
attempted to see them through my camera's view finder. No such luck. So I just snapped a picture of
the nesting area from about a mile away. When I got home - to my surprise - I could see two of the "babies" in the
nest. Check out the photo - zoomed and cropped to the right. Also some shots of deer grazing on the
edge of the woods along the dike. Mission accomplished. Shoes and clothes are still drying.
The White Arrows point to two WHITE HEADS - these are two young eagles
Donate on behalf of Team Chad & Dad offline via
this link)
Let the games begin real soon. Looks like my training is paying off. Today I completed
a beautiful and fun 60 mile ride from my house up and around the Ashokan Reservoir [New York City Water Supply].
Check out the video I posted on YOUTUBE which captures some of the awesome scenery along the 60 mile Team
Chad and Dad training route around and enroute to the Ashokan Reservoir ( see also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashokan_... ).
We are in training for the Ride to Cure Diabetes (100 miles) that takes place in Killington Vt on August 29, 2009 -
benefitting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, You can donate to Team Chad and Dad's efforts via links on LetsCureDiabetes.Com -
we hope you enjoy the views... please donate and be sure to make a trip to Ulster County in NY State part of your vacation plans.
My wife and I are planning to drive up to Killington on Tuesday to check out the route for the Ride to Cure Diabetes.
Be sure to check back for that video soon.
Donate on behalf of Team Chad & Dad offline via
this link)
OK - So my postings have been few and far between this season. Sorry about that.
A week ago this past Sunday, I did the Tour De Kingston/Ulster. A nice 50 mile ride that started in Kingston and
proceeded up past my house in the Lake Katrine / Ruby Area - then up to West Saugerties, Woodstock, The Ashokan Reservoir, West Hurley,
Hurley and then back to Kingston.
I figured there was safety in numbers - riding with other riders should make me
more visible to drivers. Good concept... except the Deer Population around here does not respect
the right of way for bikes.
So there I was - cruising along at about 18 mph when I heard this rustling noise. At first I thought it
was my event # pinned to the back of my Jersey (they ran out of pins... so I only had three - not enough for all 4 corners... and
on occasion I would hear the loose number flopping in the breeze). The noise however was caused
by a 5000 pound behemoth of a DEER crossing my path from
right to left... one quick leap out of the woods - one SPRONG right in front of me and then POOF it was gone.
I would like to say it was my keen handling abilities that saved me - but I had no time to react. If I had been only inches further
ahead on my route... it would have broadsided me... and most likely killed me... PHEW...!!!
Additional photos can be found on http://mdcellphoto.blogspot.com
Donate on behalf of Team Chad & Dad offline via
this link)
Tonight I joined a group of about 30 riders for the Ride of Silence. This was
one of many similar rides held across the country to generate awareness of the
need for drivers to share the road with bikers (and the other way around). It was
dedicated to those cyclists who have lost their lives in accidents; often resulting from
drivers who did not share the road.
Bikers have a right - a legal right - to the use of the road. We also have a
responsibility to ride with safety in mind and to obey the laws of the road as well.
Many bikers have taken on the responsibility of helping to cure diabetes through the
Ride to Cure Diabetes. We hope you will join us in support of that effort through an online donation
to the Ride to Cure Diabetes through Team Chad and Dad.
There are links to the right that you can use to donate online or to print off an information form
and snail mail to us and JDRF.
There is also video of the Ride of Silence - held in Kingston NY.
Thank you for your support and thank you for sharing the road with cyclists.
Donate on behalf of Team Chad & Dad offline via
this link)
Well - Dad (that's me) has been increasing his mileage on mainly level to rolling terrain; still
staying near home. Once I find my pump that clips to the frame I'll venture out into the wilds... but for now
I'm still enjoying my local loops.
My most recent ride (Sunday) involved a figure 8 of sorts of just over 7 miles per loop. Total miles for
the day was just over 22. The pace was in the neighbor hood of 15.6 mph - with some sprints of about 19 or 20, terrain was rolling and LOTS of headwind for
fairly straight stretch of about 3 miles.
Soooo... Monday I tried to get out of bead and OUCH... the old right butt cheek muscle that wraps
around and down to the knee was SORE !! So I iced it, loaded up on Ibuprofen and hot/cold cream at night... be VERY CAREFUL
where you put that stuff!!!
No riding on Monday or today (Tuesday). Did yard work instead (ugh !) but will get back on the bike
tomorrow night for an easy ride through Kingston as part of the Ride of Silence. This part of a nationwide
event to bring attention to bikers and the need to share the road --- as well as a memorial ride for those
who have been killed on our streets and highways while biking.
The map of the Killington (Ride to Cure Diabetes) has just been released. Click on the links to the right to view or download.
If you are familiar with Killington Vt... you will see that AFTER riding almost 100 miles... we need to climb from the main highway
UP UP UP into the clouds to the lodge at the top of Killington. Looks like I better get some hill work in this summer.
So how dangerous can it be when you just ride in your neighborhood? We'll see in a moment.
Before I start training rides that take me far away from home, each year I try to get a few
miles under my belt before venturing too far from the home front. So I decided to aim for a leisurely 20 miles
just riding around the area I live in. As it turns out, I was able to complete 20 miles in about one hour and twenty minutes.
This was a non-stop ride averaging 14.9 miles per hour.
The ride route included a level loop that is about 4 tenths of a mile where I can
put in a decent spin between 15 and 20 mph. It's level - not much traffic - and is almost like my personal velodrome. A couple of laps one way - then the other... then venture to a different area around home.
The different area includes a similar loop - perhaps a half mile long - with a slight incline on one half
and downhill on the other half. Do a loop or two - rinse and repeat in the other direction and then back to the first loop.
The third variation of terrain is provided by doing loop 1 (my velodrome) then loop 2 with slight up and down
inclines... then out onto the county road that borders our "development" which provides some rolling terrain with s-turns.
This provides a decent workout - never far from home in case of thunderstorms.
But there are dangers lurking for bikers - even in this situation. In the case of this particular ride
I was on loop 1 (my velodrome) doing about 18 to 20 miles per hour - when out of the
corner of my eye I spotted movement from behind a car in a driveway. A boy of about 8 years or so in training for dodge ball was
winding up and ready to launch a basket ball at my head... the biggest #$@%! basketball I have ever seen.
He missed !
Where upon I slowed down - made a U-Turn - and let his big brother (teenager) know that
I found this behavior to be socially unacceptable. I was amazed at the lack of the use of expletives on my part. I have a rather
interesting arsenal at my disposal but for some reason I failed to implement any of my colorful collection of terms that would have been
appropriate for the occasion. I must be mellowing... or just stinkin' happy that he didn't knock me for a loop.
Maybe it's time to get out onto the road - where it's more dangerous... yet maybe safer.
Meanwhile, Chad continues to train by racing mountain bikes. Here his is (on the right)
racing at Plattekill... a crash - broken spokes and derailleur gone wrong did not help - but he had fun !
Note the shot of him in the air. This was taken near the finish - he is clearing a distance
of about 25 feet between bumps instead of riding the section as rollers.
Donate on behalf of Team Chad & Dad offline via
this link)
Well actually the pre-training phase started a few weeks ago as described in the March 26 posting below.
I survived the Kingston Classic (10K Road Race). My completion time isn't important... the object was to finish the
run - given the temperature was in the 90's. Phew...
Then I took a few days off to recover and then headed back to the gym. I've been doing some work trying to build up
my core strength. Earlier this week I got the bike out of the garage and completed 3 rides. The first was only 5 miles, the second
was only 10 miles and today I did 15 miles in under one hour. Avg speed about 15.6 mph.
So... it looks like Dad is on his way to getting ready to do the Ride to Cure Diabetes in Killington on August 29.
Meanwhile Chad's form of training is slightly different. Check out the video (to the right) of the
end of his downhill race at Plattekill. He was not able to place because he crashed... but was only a few seconds out
of the running... not bad considering his derailleur fell off at the finish line as well. That might explain why
he lost a spoke on his last practice run.
Donate on behalf of Team Chad & Dad offline via
this link)
After much pondering and trying to decide which ride to go for, Team Chad and Dad registered online
last night for the Ride to Cure Diabetes. We will be participating at the new ride location in Killington Vermont. Relative
to Death Valley, Killington is in our backyard. After completing 6 Death Valley Rides, we are liable to pull into the
Killington Ride Parking Lot - and scratch our heads saying "Where's the Cactus ?".
In last year's first training post, I mentioned that I had put on over 15 pounds during winter hibernation.
Well this year has been even worse. I was in the low 180's on the day of the 2008 Ride. When I weighed in during the late January
time frame I had hit 208 pounds. Argghh!!.
Thanks to walking the dog and dusting off the teadmill, I am now down to about 198.
Windtrainer workouts will begin in the next week or so (I need to get some screws for my cleats) and I am
faithfully using the treadmill preparing for a late April 10K. So I figure actual Outside Road Work on the bike will
begin in late April after I have shed a few pounds. By waiting until then, the roads should be repaired so that I
don't destroy another pair of rims - like I did last year.
Well - that's it for post #1 of the 2009 Training Logs. Other than to ask for your support. I know
times are rough (I've been looking for work for over 5 months myself) - but diabetes will be here no matter what's
happening with the economy unless we all kick in however we can. So please donate online now. Even if it's less than
you would want to give... give small now... and give again later...
Thank you to all of our faithful supporters... and welcome aboard to new supporters as you join Team Chad and Dad
Where's The Cactus ! oops... we're heading to Killington not Death Valley
Donate on behalf of Team Chad & Dad offline via
this link)
LetsCureDiabetes.com
is NOT a non-profit organization.
This site is maintained by Charlie Lawrence on a volunteer basis
as part of his efforts to raise funds that support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
When Training and Riding Team Chad and Dad prevents Charlie Horses by using Endurolytes
To donate, volunteer or to learn more about The
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation locate a
JDRF Chapter near you!
Warning Signs / Symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes (these may occur suddenly)
Extreme thirst
Frequent urination
Sudden vision changes
Sugar in urine
Fruity, sweet, or wine-like odor on breath
Increased appetite
Sudden weight loss
Drowsiness, lethargy
Heavy, labored breathing
Stupor, unconsciousness
If your child exhibits one or more of these symptoms, call a doctor immediately.
Additional photos can be found on http://mdcellphoto.blogspot.com 
