Day 6 and 7 of MDC ride...awesome times!

A bit late on this post, but late is better than never. :-)

Day 6 was 72 miles from Santa Monica to Dana Point. I started out riding with Judy Fisher, Melinda Johnson and the rest of Group 2 while Lynn was cruising with Team Sully and group 3. First part of ride was on bike path through Venice Beach, Marina Del Ray, under LAX flight path and then back on streets through Manhattan Beach, Hermosa and Redonado Beach. Pretty good hill climb up and over Palos Verdes then bumpy truck and exhaust filled section through Wilmington and Long Beach.

Lynn's group stopped for lunch in Seal Beach that was fun for her and the team. Just before Laguna Beach there was a SAG stop at the Shake Shack where  we enjoyed fabulous "shakes". I arrived at this SAG much earlier than Lynn so decided to turn around and ride back up PCH to find Lynn (and Team Sully) and ride with them back to Dana Point.

Good thing for the Glympse app. Was able to pinpoint their location and rendezvous with them just south of the Hyatt Huntington Beach. Had some fun riding solo pushing myself into a headwind on the ride North, then cruising at 30 mph riding south to catch Lynn with wind at my back.

The 2nd time passing through SAG stop north of Laguna, I ordered a cheeseburger and it was awesome! Only problem was I had to eat super fast and start riding seconds later because Lynn and gang already ate in Seal Beach and we're starting to roll when my burger showed up. I think they were making bets on how far I could ride without throwing up, but the burger stayed down and it was a great ride rest of way to Dana Point.

The night of Day 6 was a big celebration with everyone getting dressed up and lots of family and friends joining who drove up from San Diego to partake in the festivities. Lots of emotions going through our bodies and minds. We didn’t want the week to end, but kept our eye on the goal of riding full 620 miles in 7 straight days…and to raise awareness for the CAF community and help our new friends enjoy life to it’s fullest.

Day 7 was the final ride down to finish in La Jolla. The extra 15 miles I did at max pace on my solo ride to catch Lynn on Day 6 took it's toll on my left knee (the one with no ACL) so I was happy to ride slower with Lynn and Team Sully down the last stretch of coast enjoying every minute while reflecting on the great week we had and holding back tears of joy and sadness the ride would soon be over. 

Day 7 was 55 miles total and a really great day full of smiles, tears and emotion. We made a lot of new friends and came to really appreciate the challenged athletes and challenges they overcome each day as they struggle to participate in sports and be the best they can be. 

Perhaps we were lucky and only exposed to the gifted ones or those with will to succeed that overcomes all obstacles, but it sure seemed like all the CAF athletes I met had at one point in life had the odds stacked against them with sorrow, depression, loss of income, loss of body parts, loss of hearing, sight, even cancer, but somehow with help from CAF managed to overcome and get back in the game having fun again. 

During the week, we heard many stories and some gave spoke to the group sharing their experiences and how CAF got them back into sports with a new lease on life filled with positive thoughts and a new can do attitude. 

I think of the story Jamie Whitmore told us about how she was Xterra world champion living a dream breaking all the records only to find out a strange tumor in the nerve sheath of her lower left leg had to be removed leaving her with no control of her calf muscles and foot. CAF helped her with training and special brace so she could ride a bike. Her grit and determination has lead to her competing at national level and she's on track to dominate at the next Paralympics in 2016. 

Many, many other stories like this. CAF doesn't just help with equipment and parts to help them compete. It also puts on events and has created a family-like atmosphere where challenged athletes feel normal talking about their challenges and learn from their peers. It's really special and was a wonderful experience getting know several of them. 

Here's a few photos from Days 6 & 7. I'll do another post soon to summarize the entire MDC experience and reflect on this special week. Big thanks to all of you who supported Lynn and I along the way and helped by donating to CAF. Could not have done it without you!

Day 5 Complete..Wahoo!!!

I think all of us riders woke up this morning with our own sense of realization that our bodies were super tired and not ready to get on bicycle for another crazy day of biking. For Mike, it all hit home within the first few steps out of bed when he swang his legs out from bed with full forward momentum only to realize they were in non-productive sleep mode that nearly sent him flying to floor. LOL

At the breakfast table, it seems Mike was not alone as many others struggled with how to get their motors running and fire back up the hill.

Like previous posts, far more stories to tell here so we'll attempt to cover with photos. As I insert the photos, I'll add commentary where I think it is appropriate. If you have questions, please send over to us. We'll do our best to respond as soon as possible.

Cheers!

Day 4...we made it...all 121 miles!!!

The ride today from Pismo Beach to Santa Barbara was a test of mental strength as our bodies were super tired and you had to dig deep to keep spinning while telling yourself it was all doable and easy compared to the challenges our fellow Challenged Athletes have experienced.

For Mike, the worst part was sitting on the bike seat for another 121 miles! Seems that 410 miles in 4 days is OK for the rest of body, but the under carriage is well...let's just say, sore! LOL

Lynn was a trooper experiencing the toughest day of riding yet. She's thankful for the support and a few "pushes" on some of the hills. Her legs are super tired, but she's committed and looking forward to 3 more days as we make our way down the coast to San Diego!

Here are a few photos from Day 4. Would write more, but we're exhausted and need to sleep!

Wahoo! 2 new PR's...121 miles in 1 day and 410 miles in 4 consecutive days.

6'11" Bill Walton on the right. His bike is huge! Some awesome Grateful Dead graphics too!

Day 3 in the bank. 114 miles! Good times!

Day 3: Big Sur to Pismo Beach

5:30am wake up call, 6am breakfast...then Lynn started riding at 7am while mike packed up and hit the road at 8am.

Was sunny from the start and the first 50 miles constant up and down hills with lots of switchbacks and some steep climbs. 

Mike started with group 1 doing his best to keep up with some of cycling' greatest rider (Christian Vande Velde, Chris Charmichael, John Howard and a dozen other very respectable riders. First problem was we immediately started a 2.5 mile long 8% grade hill climb with no warm up. The ups were followed by stern downs, but let me tell you, group 1 today am was smoking fast. At the first SAG station about 23 miles in, I raised the surrender flag and switched to group 2, which still made great time, but the intensity button dialed back considerably so we weren't racing up the rills and we stopped for group photos along the way 

Spent more time riding with challenged athletes today. Below are some good pics. Been a long day and were beat so gonna sign off and post more details soon.

Day 2 was AWESOME!!!

Epic ride down the coast from Santa Cruz to Big Sur with perfect weather conditions. Temp was 56 at start and high 70's for 2nd half of ride. Blue skies the whole way so the CAF gang really enjoyed the scenery!

Highlights of the day are many, but in particular, the ride through Pebble Beach and Carmel was just amazing. 

Below are some photos from today's adventure. Tomorrow we face our biggest and toughest day of trip riding 114 miles to Pismo Beach with 7,000+ feet of climbing. Weather supposed to be good so we're all looking forward to it. Cheers!

Day 1 is in the books. What a fantastic experience!

89 miles from San Francisco to Santa Cruz today. We started out riding along the Embarcadero out past the Golden Gate bridge...up through Presidio then followed route 1 along the coast with a few detours to ride as close to water as we could...and avoid traffic.

Was heavy overcast with some fog for the first couple hours, but then cleared up with full sunshine and a tail-wind so we were loving life and rolling fast 2nd half of ride!

Lynn and I rode together for first 5 miles then as we hit the first big hill the pack of 100+ riders naturally separated into the same 4 groups we trained with based on speed and skill level.

Mike had a blast in group 1 with about 30 riders including some cycling legends John Howard, Christian Vande Velde and Chris Carmichael.

Lynn rolled with group 4 enjoying every minute and keeping a good pace too. Too many stories to list so will let the following photos tell a thousand words and give you a feel for what the ride was like. Cheers!

'Twas the night before...MDC!

We made it to San Francisco and had a great night with our fellow CAF Million Dollar Challenge (MDC) riders and the 15 or so challenged athletes who will ride with us.

Lots of energy and excitement in the room and some tears too as we remembered a good friend and fellow rider Ken Whalen who passed away 2 weeks ago after suffering a sudden and massive stroke. One thing's for sure, we'll all be keeping him in our thoughts as we ride south this week!

Had fun checking out Bill Walton's bike tonight. He's 6' 11" tall and his bicycle frame is huge. It's a custom made Holland with some Grateful Dead graphics. Perhaps more amazing, Bill raised a little over $250,000 for CAF this year. A living legend who continues to do amazing things.

Here's a photo of the San Diego Yacht Club crew at the kickoff event tonight. That's Bill Logan in between Mike and Lynn who just celebrated his 75th birthday! He's an amazing cyclist and skier too.

Time to sign off and get some shut eye before the 6am wake up call. Cheers!