About a month ago I rode with one of my BNI buddies. He had not been on the bike in over two years, and I am not the most experienced rider in the world – it seemed like the perfect match. We would ride, do lunch and discuss how we can help each other in terms of our businesses (This is called a One to One or Dance Card in BNI).

I learned more than just about his business that day. I learned that peer pressure is a powerful tool. As we rode I asked many questions to really understand not what he does, but the type of connection I could make for him. We tried to stay at a pace that matched each other so we could carry a conversation that involved just the right amount of yelling and hearing. I’ve got a fear of hills — not the uphill part but out of control speed you get going downhill without your breaks. Every time I would feather my breaks he would yell “No breaks, no breaks!” much to my chagrin. Eventually, I was so embarrassed that I just gave in.

In one day, he accomplished what my coaches, hypnotherapists and cycling partners have been unable to do. When I rode the Solvang Century ride a few weeks ago I could hear the voice of  “No Breaks Man” yelling at me to take the descent for everything it was worth. I found myself zipping down hill at 58 mph (OK, I will admit I threw up a little later). I would not recommend this to anyone else as a training method, I prefer a different kind of motivation, but I did have to ask myself “what’s working?”.

I’ve made a personal commitment over the next five years to don my helmet and cycle to raise funds for cancer cures. To date, I’ve raised $3,478 and my family as a whole as raised $10, 478! We need to keep working together to conquer cancer for those struggling right now and for those yet to be diagnosed. To accomplish this I’ll be cycling The Ride to Conquer Cancer.

The Ride to Conquer Cancer benefiting Princess Margaret Hospital is a cycling journey from Toronto to Niagara Falls – a distance of over 200 km – that I’m embarking on to fight cancer. It will be a challenge in a number of ways, but with my bike, my helmet, and your generosity, a real impact will be made!

I’m asking my supporters to please make a donation of $218; one dollar for every kilometer I am committed to riding and eighteen for life! Of course any contribution is welcome as you support and generate the all-important funds for research, which will be allocated based on the highest cancer research priorities at The Princess Margaret and OCI. Click here to DONATE

I’m a firm believer that cancer does not stop at the U.S./Canada border. Because of that I’ve created Team US Cares to participate in The Ride to Conquer Cancer. The event is not just for athletes or cycling enthusiasts. It’s the ride for anyone who wants to challenge themselves for a great cause. All you need is motivation, a bike, and a helmet. The rest is history. To be a part of it and join Team US Cares, click here. (Team Password: kickbutt)

Like everyone else this month, I’m reviewing my goals for the coming year. For the most part they are realizations of what  could have done better in terms of cycling.

I’m a firm believer that results go with goals and goals are accomplished by being able to track your progress and results. So far, my goals have been specific events, they still are, and for 2008 I’ve added more events then the two I did in 2007. What I did not do is track my miles.

Thanks to another blog out there (sorry, I’ve forgotten which one) I’ve joined Bikejournal and will be tracking my miles. I have no idea what they might be as I have not done but I think that 50 miles a week would accommodate the time I’ll have to take off and might be a fair way to go.

Goal for 2008 is 2,600 miles.

Rides planned for 2008:
•    Acura Bike Tour – March
•    Solvang Century – March
•    The Ride to Conquer Cancer – June
•    Cool Breeze Metric – August
•    Honolulu Century – September
•    Solvang Prelude – November
•    Tour de Foothills – November

Rides I am tempted to add:
•    Tour de Palm Springs -February
•    Cinderella Classic – April
•    Tour de Phoenix – April
•    Marin Century – August

Now you have to admit, that unless you work for BNI (which I do), there probably isn’t a whole lotta reason to go to Upland, other than maybe the adult store located there, but we won’t go there now.

Add the Tour de Foothill to your reasons to head on over to lovely downtown Upland. This metric century is a wonderful community effort and a great little training ride. The sponsors and organizers did a fabulous job of keeping you pumped through-out the entire event. And I’m a sucker for high tech airplane-like porta-potty facilities with sinks in them.

The route boosts a decent climb (which I can’t remember at the moment), but I had not expected the ongoing false flats of 2 to 6% uphill grade. Remembering the first time Rachael and I did that on San Vincente and almost passed out the first two blocks, I smiled as we did most of our miles that way. I’m not sure how they managed it but the route back was also up grade for the most part.

I like this so much, that I plan to take my bike out to BNI (I’ll drive the 2 hours there – I’m not insane) and do the route again. I figure I can fake a work related trip by picking up some of Dr. Ivan Misner’s books for our members and then enjoy the rest of the day out there.

Also, since I do know the area and I do love a project, I’ll be organizing a pre-event dinner for next year. No reason to plan after the ride stuff, the event organizers did an amazing job on that.

Oh, and did I mention? This was my first finish line!

So, nu? How was the Solvang Prelude?
Rae and I decided we would take it easy after all. Being off the bike for so long didn’t seem like a snap any more and after all, our team was only doing a training ride of 20 miles, so we opted for the 50 miles route.

The ride out of the start was a nice easy flat warm up of about 5 miles or so, a little chilly in the early hours, with most of us piling on the layers. So we’re tooling along, thinking this is lovely, then the hills hit. Actually, the hills weren’t so bad if you took it evenly and paid attention to your gears, I did OK – which surprised the heck out of me. But I had forgotten about my total fear of going downhill. I got off the bike and walked the winding steep down hill, which also surprised the heck out of me.

We got to the first SAG and Rae wanted to call it a day. I felt that she was doing this for my benefit and to tell the truth, I really wanted to continue on. Since she said she was uninspired and not feeling “it” we took a little longer at the SAG stop than our muscles would have liked while we talked about it. The worst was over and we only had 14 miles to the next SAG I nudged, and so we went on.

About this time, the sun showed up in full force, folks were yelling for their buddies to slow up while they peeled. We were pushing water and energy drink to stay hydrated and the temperature rose while the shadows hide from us. I was extremely thankful that I had my arm warmers instead of a jacket. Those babies just slide right down to your gloves without missing a beat – takes more effort to drink and replace your water bottle.

We planed for 50, thought we’d stop at 20 and called it a ride at 40 – not too shabby for my first real event. I was pleased.

What made it a great event? Honestly, it was the group thing. While we all had different levels of skill and speed, some of us had the same love of good people and time together. Andy had stepped into the role of the big organizer (hey, isn’t that usually MY role?) and scheduled a whole weekend from Guadalupe to Santa Ynez of dinners out, wine tasting and for those fast guys wine stops on the ride. We loved it.

So here’s my big dilemma: I have not been on my bike to really prep for this week’s metric. If you haven’t seen a prior post, it’s been only 2 rides since early August, one at 44 miles in September and last week’s 15 miler. Alternately, today Rachael had her first return to the bike since her September 30th accident. She did 20 miles.

The Solvang Prelude metric ride is really important to me as it is a prep for the follow week’s metric (Tour de Foothills) and really a start to getting me back on my training path, not too mention my first organized ride since getting my ass stuck in Cancun. Rae had a chance to do Cool Breeze and Honolulu.

So Rae reports back today that she was informed that she heard that the 50 mile ride is better than the full metric, so she’ll do that route. Knowing that she was worried about being on her bike sooner than the she might be ready for I tell her that we can always stop at SAG if we want but I really want to see if I can do the full metric. She insists that the metric route is boring and the 50 miler will show us what the upcoming March Century will be anyways.

I know that there is little chance I can make the full metric. BUT I still want to have that option. I want to set my sights ahead and limits be damned. I also know that there is no way she will stick with me as I do with her. I’m mom, I watch for her, hold up when she tells me I am going too fast and am left in her dust when she can.

I’m trying to look at this from a non-emotional level. I’m trying to do what is the smartest for me as a biker and keep me in the best place for the following week’s event. But I simply don’t have the experience under my belt of solid riding and then a 3 month break. Anyone out there with insights?

Its Friday here in Cancun, just one week away from my first metric, the Solvang Prelude. I’ve been training since the spring but have had to cancel every single event at the last minute. I am bringing Jack back to the US monday night, with high hopes of having him settled in by Tuesday so that I am physically and mentally ready for this.

I’ve only been on my bike twice since August. Once, a 44 mile leisure ride with Ramon and last Saturday for the 15 miles of flat laps. I’m starting to think this is a HUGE mistake. I just don’t see how I can hack it. I keep thinking that I should get miles in right up to the event but I know that is stupid because I’ll only end up wearing myself out.

I’m trying very hard to change my mindset and tell myself this is simply a warm up for the following week, the Tour de Foothills, another metric event for me. I tell myself that the Prelude will show me al the things I’ve missed about an organized ride and that I have to learn to make future events better. I tell myself that this will be Rachael’s first time back on the bike (although she may try this weekend while I am away) and that we should just plan to enjoy it until we SAG out, that there is no shame in that.

I tell myself all that, and yet I want it so bad. I want that bike under me and that feeling of accomplishment. I want my team mates to see that I am back, hitting the ground running. I want it all.

I also have a goal of golfing the top 100 courses in the world. My thought is to schedule a vacation where I/we play golf at one of those courses and I ride a century the same week.

I did find a two day event in Toronto for June of 2008. The Ride to Conquer Cancer is right up my alley. I’m all for biking for a cause. A friend of mine once pointed out that I have to have a reason for something, I can’t just enjoy it. Somehow I think that is missing the mark. My enjoyment stems from working towards my goal, to make a difference in some small way – that makes me happy.

I am currently looking for Centuries in Ireland and New Zealand (NZ has three of the top 100 courses!), a century around Saint Andrews wouldn’t be too bad either. If I could book this with a BNI event at the same time, that would just send me into multi-tasking event organized heaven.

As far as TNT goes, I’ve got 2008 covered with Solvang (March) and Hawaii (Sept). 2009 brings me Lake Tahoe in June and if I can swing it with my schedule I’ll do Phoenix in November. We’ll see, two fundraising events a year plus my charity golf tournament is a lot more than I have rich friends.

Rachael made her goal of getting to the Honolulu Century. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it to the first SAG before fate stepped in.

The Century had 4,000 riders, with 2,000 from Japan. Rachael spent the last half hour before boarding the plane with her team trying to give them an impromptu lesson in Japanese road calls. Perhaps they weren’t aware that they should be calling “look out Rachael!”.

I still don’t have the details but at 16 miles from the start our girl went boom, then endo, then slide! In the midst of it all, there was a moment as she was sliding and thinking “I hate this part”. Note from mom, I’m not too keen on it either.

We were fortunate that this was not the first cycling accident in history. The SAG was staffed with paramedics and she has had follow up medical care which included today’s X-rays for the hairline fracture on her face. What mother doesn’t love to hear “Mom, the helmet saved my life”?

She’s a little stiff and has her arm in a sling. She’ll be getting off the plane and at the house in just a bit and I am waiting by the phone to let her know that i’ve signed us up for a 28 mile pancake ride for this weekend. Think she’ll be up for it?

I can’t help feeling that I should be excluded from riding hills on a road bike. Our special light weight editions deserve a dispensation that takes us only on those wonderful routes that you see in the Tour de France. Sure those have hills, even the Pacific Coast Hwy has hills — ya gotta love those 3 bitches right before Peperdine!

But the ones that scream, “Get a Mountain Bike!”, goat paths like Encinal Canyon :: shudder:: what is it with those? I know, I know, real cyclists love those. Not me, I can not take the down hill. I rode up Encinal a bit, not as far as the rest of the group, but enough to have to head down it. It was horrific. My bike just wanted to scream down those hills and I just wanted to scream.

Walking down the winding road with cars flying past, I kept looking to the right and fixating on the drop down. No rails to stop me, no shoulder in most places to feel safe and secure.

From what I have heard, the Solvang Century is hillier than what I am used to. I’m fairly sure that they will be riding Encinal as part of the training. I intend to do the Solvang prelude the first week of November to really get a feel for what I am up against.

Come to think of it, I had forgotten that I was working with a hypnotherapist on my fear of hills. Last I spoke to Felippe was in the midst of the hurricane where he tried to talk me through it until it became impossible. Looks like I’ll be adding him back to my training schedule.