"If you worried about falling off the bike, you'd never get on." -Lance Armstrong

I'm going to say something that might scare some people if they read this, but it's very honest. When I applied for a spot on this team...when I accepted a position and made the commitment to train and fundraise and ultimately ride to Alaska.... all along I never really even knew if I would enjoy cycling! It wasn't until training camp in November that I knew I would love to ride my bike. But even then, with Christmas break approaching and the weather turning cold (at least for Texas), I stopped riding. I didn't have the appropriate warm cycling clothing/accessories, I didn't know routes in Austin, and did I mention I was deathly afraid of traffic?

This semester has been a different story. Our first week back, we were required to ride 40 miles. I rode 65. Our Saturday morning ride was 25 miles and the other 40 I rode earlier in the week—in preparation for Saturday to make sure I didn't embarrass myself actually. On days I wasn’t riding, I was running. I found that my bad knee actually does better cycling than jogging. (That had been another of my worries with this trip).

Now, I find myself wanting to take my bike everywhere (well, anywhere I can take it inside with me because I refuse to rely on a lock when there are master bike thieves lurking) and I am always surfing the internet looking for cycling jackets, jerseys, and accessories. I’ve always loved the shopping center on 6th across from Whole Foods with Anthropologie and Book People, but since my new love of REI, I could spend all day hopping between the three.

The other night, Daniel, Steph, Will, and I went to TC’s in East Austin for a night of Jazz music and some good home cookin’. Through mutual friends, I met a 2009 Rockies T4Ker and if I wasn’t already excited enough, her stories were incredible—I can hardly wait. Recently our travel committee finalized the day-by-day route that maps out the Rockies route down to the mile. We go through some incredible cities! I have posted it here:
http://www.texas4000.org/rides/routes

So, thankfully, I have fallen in love with cycling. There is even something addicting about it. And there is also something very appealing about having no obligations this summer other than waking up every morning to ride my bike. I may not touch my bike for a few weeks (maybe months?) after Anchorage, but all riders eventually come back to it. I have found a new hobby in the most unexpected place. Don’t get me wrong, I have a long way to go before being ready for June- heck I have a long way to go before I am ready for the team’s Spring Break ride. But the experience is challenging and filled with wonderful people who keep me pedaling on.

Please visit http://www.texas4000.org/give/give to find out how you can help.

training camp and more...

Well, the bikes are in and rides have begun!
The day I picked up my bike the team had an instructional "clip in clinic". It took some practice in the parking lot of Jack & Adam's to learn to clip into the pedals without falling over... but after a few tries it got much easier. This picture is from my first night with the bike.



























In November, the team spent a weekend in Fayetteville, Texas at Training Camp. We were so lucky to have such wonderful coaches from the Austin and Houston area meet with us to work on the basics.  Many of the team members (including myself) have little to no road cycling experience. Day 1: We learned how to emergency stop. We also received coaching on our steering and how to be safe on the road. That afternoon, we rode 25 miles on the highways surrounding Fayetteville. It was an ideal place to practice because there were very few cars on the road and lots of rolling hills. Day 2: We rode another 25 miles before making the drive back to Austin. All in all, I loved it even more than I thought I would!

When meetings start back up for the semester, we will be assigned a certain number of miles to ride each week. We will have team rides every Saturday morning and the remaining miles we will fulfill on our own time. This semester I will also be taking on the position of Secretary for the Rockies route. I'm also hoping to get to do a lot of training with Daniel! He just ordered a Felt road bike (z85) from Jack and Adams.  It looks like it is going to be a great final semester in Austin!

Please visit http://www.texas4000.org/give/give to find out how you can help.

Felt Z85

Here is a link to the bicycle we will be riding to Alaska! Our order is scheduled to arrive late this month... only a few more weeks!
http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2010-Product-Catalog/Road/Z-Series/Z85.aspx

I ran 4 miles yesterday- Daniel is a great running buddy... and coach. My favorite part of the run was when I wanted to walk to catch my breath and he tells me, "You're going to face much worse than this biking to Anchorage." So true. He also wants me to run a half marathon with him in February. Can't promise anything. I believe there is such thing as a natural born runner... and I am not one of them. But I'll try anyway.

We have a cycling training camp coming up in November in Fayettville, TX with the staff from Jack & Adams! It should be another good team bonding opportunity... and some nice open land to try out our new bikes.

More updates soon...

Please visit http://www.texas4000.org/give/give to find out how you can help.

trip summary

                                                                                                        
Dates of Ride: June 6th- August 14th

55 riders: Mostly UT students between the ages of 18-25        

Two countries: the U.S. and Canada

Distance Covered: Sierra Route- 4556 miles
Rocky Route- 4545 miles

Goal: $400,000.00 donated to the American Cancer Society and MD Anderson.

Major Cities:

Rockies:                              Sierra:

Austin, TX                         Austin, TX
Waco, TX                          Lubbock, TX
Ft. Worth, TX                    Albuquerque, NM
Norman, OK                      San Francisco, CA
Oklahoma City, OK            Portland, OR
Colorado Springs, CO         Seattle, WA
Denver, CO                       Vancouver, BC
Helena, MT                       Prince George, BC
Calgary, AB                      Whitehorse, YT
Anchorage, AK                  Anchorage, AK

Our Mission: To spread hope, awareness, and charity from Texas to Alaska.

the journey starts now.

training has begun...
Every Saturday morning our team meets for a team run around Town Lake. I think it is definitely true that running with teammates pushes you harder than you can push yourself. I have already seen improvements in my endurance from the first few weeks of mandatory workouts. We also have Jack & Adam's (our local triathlon store and T4K sponsor) core workouts every Wednesday, and (as my family will be happy to know) I have not had a Coke all semester. These efforts seem minute compared to the extensive training that will begin once we receive our bikes in October and continue into the spring, but they are nonetheless getting us closer to Alaska.


thank you...
I have received several donations from friends and family and am already halfway to meeting the rider goal of $4,500.00... one dollar per mile. However, because the 2009 team set such a high precedent, we have raised our 2010 fundraising team goal to $400,000! Thank you all for your donations and support, it means so much to me, and to so many others.


my team....
Every meeting, workout, or social I meet someone new that inspires me. I am surrounded by incredible people and I cannot wait to spend the summer with them. I have no doubt that this team will encourage each other every mile, here to Alaska.


why i ride...
I ride for Aubrey, for Joe McLemore, for Ms. Macon, for Ms. Stell, for Neva, for Lindsay Tawney, and for my mom. For their inspiration to my family and so many others. For their strength and recovery, because every day they live is another day that cancer loses. I ride because Aubrey and Joe should still be here. I ride for those that can't, and for the hope of finding a cure.


my blog...
I have to admit, it is strange to write knowing that it will be available for people to read, but I hope to keep this blog regularly updated and, due to the unusual nature of this experience, I am excited about sharing the ride with readers.