tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29372567090401463942024-03-19T14:41:01.918-07:00Biking MSFundraising and training for <b>Bike MS: Harmon's Best Dam Ride</b>, a fundraiser for the <b>Utah / Southern Idaho chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society</b>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-73174561115798197552015-07-02T09:35:00.000-07:002015-07-03T07:32:05.908-07:00Ride Recap - 2015 Bike MS: Harmon's Best Dam Bike Ride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/UTUBikeEvents?pg=entry&fr_id=24736" target="_blank">2015 Bike MS: Harmon's Best Dam Bike Ride</a> is on the books! We had another great ride this year - beautiful course, highest number of riders, team record fundraising. We also had some challenges - high temperatures, flat tires, and more. Details after the jump.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I'll jump right into an overview of the ride, with the key numbers that you need to know - numbers compiled as of July 1.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOv6_b1ohj3aPMgkq_k4uwmMBgE9Vg2lvQf1sX6Nd1yxuaTRRLEqSICPI4fhyxImksAAbnDV4fILlaXBXfXcsrSK42TCUrxk872wTTV32cuLADQlklKe02zP4HAXsfX0E1H1jduOCMMtA/s1600/IMG_3660.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOv6_b1ohj3aPMgkq_k4uwmMBgE9Vg2lvQf1sX6Nd1yxuaTRRLEqSICPI4fhyxImksAAbnDV4fILlaXBXfXcsrSK42TCUrxk872wTTV32cuLADQlklKe02zP4HAXsfX0E1H1jduOCMMtA/s320/IMG_3660.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team WinCo co-captain Greg Goins leading the Century (100 mile) riders</td></tr>
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<li>The ride has raised $990,241 of our goal of $1,600,000 (tracking slightly up from last year - details to follow)</li>
<li>Team WinCo raised $32,279 of 30,000 goal - 80% increase from just two years ago! And we exceeded our goal BEFORE the ride. That's somewhat rare for any team. Could mean we set our goal too low, but I don't think so. People just exceeded expectations this year and it was fantastic.</li>
<li>Individually, we (you and I) raised $6,006 of a goal of $6,000 (another $240 unconfirmed) - my friend Teresa Reed from Spokane, WA pushed us over the goal line on the Friday evening before the ride. I'm very proud of this total, but it is an 8% decrease from last year. (I'd expected a bigger decrease due to losing a significant funding source, so overall it was a great total)</li>
<li>Team WinCo cumulatively rode 1,390 miles over the course of the weekend. This is down from prior years, we had fewer century (100 mile) riders on day one. More details about this later in the article.</li>
<li>Team WinCo's top fundraisers were: Chris Bias ($14,554), Rex Parker ($6,006), Greg Goins ($5,425), Gordy Myre ($2,489), Scott Jeide ($855)</li>
<li>We had three team members with MS this year, and two riders. The two riders with MS (Gordy Myre and Michelle Jacobi) rode 100 miles over the course of the weekend!</li>
<li>Max recorded road temperature - <b>108 degrees</b>(!) - for some of our riders, I'm sure this exceeded 110 degrees. I'll explain in a moment.</li>
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Before I talk more about the ride itself, I wanted to call out two of our riders.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1Q9jbIRoJuGAW9HTzqLDk3ZzAkUMIVPpsXtJKTOsF2Uw2Nin8L_AMDebNM6ONK342MDob8wmS2-wsxIw4X8MSS1rQk6QQeHRNopY8MIm2mB-NdPT70LbAh23GaocrgRXFNoh8Of3mEs/s1600/11336923_10153426071822474_3925631618035237198_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1Q9jbIRoJuGAW9HTzqLDk3ZzAkUMIVPpsXtJKTOsF2Uw2Nin8L_AMDebNM6ONK342MDob8wmS2-wsxIw4X8MSS1rQk6QQeHRNopY8MIm2mB-NdPT70LbAh23GaocrgRXFNoh8Of3mEs/s320/11336923_10153426071822474_3925631618035237198_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team WinCo 2015 Top Fundraiser Chris Bias</td></tr>
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Chris Bias was once again the top fundraiser for Team WinCo. Chris raised over $14,000, for a two-year total of about $26,000 raised! Chris has been a long-time Bike MS rider and fundraiser, and joined Team WinCo two years ago. Wow, are we - and Bike MS is - lucky to have Chris. Chris is a good guy, passionate fundraiser, and my friend. Great job Chris, way to set the bar for the rest of us! Chris also provided a vital piece of infrastructure this year. He parked his airstream trailer in a nice shady part of the fairgrounds, and stocked it with cold <a href="http://www.payettebrewing.com/" target="_blank">Payette Brewing</a> beer. That was just what we needed after a hot day of riding on Saturday.</div>
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And of course, there's Gordy. Once again, Gordy rode 50+ miles over the weekend. He's a rock, and an inspiration to the entire team.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxV-6Lkmjpq8t6ZMIdYu5pbiRu9zFZD0_pvZ72hM8s8Ng2h7nnlKO8hYSXhIFkz5HZ1BQH4c_A_OpKSYfsvrjiDik3y8B2WrEYLdfGhFGN6p1J0voMf4yucrMbJJMeV4WY3hBb3QUo4is/s1600/11141168_10206893196590580_1538090800196591733_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxV-6Lkmjpq8t6ZMIdYu5pbiRu9zFZD0_pvZ72hM8s8Ng2h7nnlKO8hYSXhIFkz5HZ1BQH4c_A_OpKSYfsvrjiDik3y8B2WrEYLdfGhFGN6p1J0voMf4yucrMbJJMeV4WY3hBb3QUo4is/s320/11141168_10206893196590580_1538090800196591733_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gordy cruising past the 32 mile mark on day one</td></tr>
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Riding 32 miles on day one, in temperatures approaching 100 degrees is a feat for anyone, let alone someone who has MS and rides a tricycle that he pedals with his arms. I'm adding this to the long list of Gordy Stories - along with encountering a black bear on the road in McCall in 2012, and <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2014/07/bike-ms-2014-great-ride-fundraising.html" target="_blank">riding his trike down Hardware Ranch Canyon in 2014</a>.</div>
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The century riders reported an improved 100 mile course this year. I participated in the Bike MS working committee this year, so I got to experience all of the planning and preparation that went into plotting the route - and it paid off. I'm not sure I've ever enjoyed the riding more than I did this year. Here are my GPS logs from this year's ride. Note that I rode the 75 mile course on day one as opposed to the 100 mile course.<br />
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<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/334439033" target="_blank">2015 Bike MS Day One GPS Log</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/336630593" target="_blank">2015 Bike MS Day Two GPS Log</a><br />
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So - I mentioned the heat this year. The forecast called for a high of 102 degrees, which can translate to road temperatures of over 110 degrees. We talked about the heat at length before riding this year. The course is structured so that there is a turn-off at mile 37 - where you can decide whether to ride 75 miles or 100 miles. The general consensus was that if we were delayed much, that we would do the 75 mile course in order to avoid the peak heat of the day.<br />
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Sure enough, we were a bit delayed. We got off to a later-than-expected start, around 7:15 am. And, one of our riders had three(!) flat tires before the 23 mile rest stop, where a support mechanic found and repaired the problem. With those delays, Doug and I decided that we would be riding the 75 mile course. 8 of our riders were riding strong and fast and ended up riding the 100 mile course. I have to say, that I made the right decision for myself this year - discretion was the better part of valor. Doug and I crossed the finish line when the road temps were "only" 108 degrees. And, as it turned out, I had a slow leak in my front tube that nearly went flat at the 60 mile mark. I was able to pump enough air into it to finish the ride without stopping to change the tube - but I did break the valve stem. I'm sure glad I had those problems with 15 miles left to ride versus 40.<br />
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It did indeed get hot on Saturday. I have a detailed graph of the temperature recorded by my bike computer, it's the bottom line shown below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3T80iFlUurJY5K42lZADG8ktyU-yhEAAxPy0vdLqKJK7TFLNTNNM8GNBWZcGK4j2N8eD5ixp-N3qUbGB2i8zPNwf0g9Tu5OC_F_Ln1Eap5wOYZDLFJkHklt0KqmLE3OBzk8zT_oj4TAU/s1600/bikeMStemps.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3T80iFlUurJY5K42lZADG8ktyU-yhEAAxPy0vdLqKJK7TFLNTNNM8GNBWZcGK4j2N8eD5ixp-N3qUbGB2i8zPNwf0g9Tu5OC_F_Ln1Eap5wOYZDLFJkHklt0KqmLE3OBzk8zT_oj4TAU/s640/bikeMStemps.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strava Analysis of Day One</td></tr>
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So - since I rode 75 miles, and the road temperature was 108 degrees when I finished, I know that the temperature well exceeded 110 degrees for our century riders. That's getting dangerously hot, and my hat is off to all of the century riders that finished the course. This was the first year that I did not ride the maximum number of miles on day one, but I expect I'll be riding the max number of miles again next year.<br />
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Day two was a bit cooler for us, as the ride was only 50 miles long - so we finished before the peak heat of the day. And, day two, as always, included my favorite segment of the weekend - the ride up to <a href="http://wildlife.utah.gov/hardwareranch/" target="_blank">Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon</a>. I don't have any pictures of the canyon this year, but it is a beautiful ride for sure. The ride was briefly interrupted by another flat tire, mine this time. I had one of the ride support mechanics change my leaking tube out that morning, and I think he used an old tube - and the "new" old tube ruptured halfway up the canyon. This type of thing is routine, though, and it only took about 10 minutes to swap out the tube for a brand new one, and a support vehicle showed up just in time to air my tire up with a compressor. No issues after that.<br />
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A quick note about roadside tube repairs for those interested...we try and cut weight down and carry things that fit in our back pockets on these rides. And most of us carry new tubes instead of (or in addition to) small patch kits. Either way, we have to re-inflate the tubes after a roadside repair, which requires an air pump. For air pumps, that limits you to a couple of options - you can carry a "micro-pump", which typically fold down to about 4 or 5 inches long - or you can carry a very small CO2 pump and small canisters. Road bike tires often require 100 pounds of pressure or more. It is very difficult and time-consuming to fully inflate a road tire with a micro-pump, which is what I carry. I am going to make the switch this year to CO2. CO2 kits are smaller, lighter, and much faster to inflate a road bike tire - and they have come down in price.<br />
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We also had a very nice awards program Saturday night. I usually say a few words about the "why we ride" speaker of the evening. In past years, we've featured people with MS who talk about the ride and the difference it has made in their lives. But I'm not going to talk much about the speaker this year, as it was ME. The MS Society decided to switch things up this year and feature someone who does not have MS - since the vast majority of the riders don't have MS, and most do not have a direct connection to MS - they thought it would be good to hear from someone in their same boat. So of course, I talked about <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/05/why-i-ride-rick-parker.html" target="_blank">my brother Rick, whom I ride for every year</a>. I also talked a bit about <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/06/other-voices-why-gordy-rides-bike-ms.html" target="_blank">Gordy</a>, who happened to be parked in his chair near the stage and got a huge round of applause.<br />
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Chapter president Annette Royal-Mitchell also gave a status update on the ride's fundraising. As I mentioned before, we're at $990,241 of our goal of $1,600,000. That may seem like we're a long ways off - but there's always more accounting to do, and a few more weeks of fundraising left. The ride is actually tracking about 8% above last year's total at this time. Despite that good news, I see that we have not hit our goal, and am concerned - but hopeful - about hitting our goal soon.<br />
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With that, I'll wrap up this year's ride recap. I hope you got the information you needed/wanted about this year's ride. If there's anything else you'd like to know, or just have any questions in general, please post a comment! And, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that fundraising will CONTINUE through the month of July. So if you haven't had a chance to contribute yet, it's not too late! Just click on the banner image above, or on the "click to donate" button to your right.<br />
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And, from Team WinCo - THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AGAIN THIS YEAR!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uu4-tMDGpznjcgR4q8aNNfIdLmoQJLuK6eSEwJZSVWrWQm0aUCi7CdpQ_g4w_rw_sZoaytpF1HpyIJHVlAkO2VjanqkFEZmh-qxpwGM7dBBk2onfrPYTobSZJPk5oQg-l64aITK2i1k/s1600/11699005_10153500269947474_7507911996850910144_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uu4-tMDGpznjcgR4q8aNNfIdLmoQJLuK6eSEwJZSVWrWQm0aUCi7CdpQ_g4w_rw_sZoaytpF1HpyIJHVlAkO2VjanqkFEZmh-qxpwGM7dBBk2onfrPYTobSZJPk5oQg-l64aITK2i1k/s640/11699005_10153500269947474_7507911996850910144_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team WinCo, 2015 Edition</td></tr>
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<br />Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-69213007150354145622015-06-24T06:58:00.000-07:002015-06-24T06:58:05.110-07:00Bike MS 2015 - Fundraising Update (6/24)Quick mid-week fundraising update, with 3 days left before the ride. We had a very nice week, and are now at $4,975, or 83% of goal! More details after the jump!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>As we're approaching the ride, we're SO CLOSE to the $5,000 mark! The little bicycle on my fundraising page is almost up to its handlebars.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8L0_qeLx_wV-OTBi8xNx0SffCNCUo3QLv1vEaD0egyx7RCC3nOo5UDbdSlfPOa7__0XdCteUB86J5zNlmRv9YmmlRIckprgAgVBDsRkfMCbSEmxmRTHtLnZz3EdRG6Ou5rHTPnF_nN0/s1600/bike+ms+progress+062415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8L0_qeLx_wV-OTBi8xNx0SffCNCUo3QLv1vEaD0egyx7RCC3nOo5UDbdSlfPOa7__0XdCteUB86J5zNlmRv9YmmlRIckprgAgVBDsRkfMCbSEmxmRTHtLnZz3EdRG6Ou5rHTPnF_nN0/s200/bike+ms+progress+062415.JPG" width="189" /></a></div>
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This total is a $1,705 increase from 6 days ago! Team WinCo is now sitting at $24,624, or 82% of our goal! I'm very excited about the team progress - I've had reports of an excess of $6,000 in pledges yet to come in - so I fully expect us to exceed our goal of $30,000 and am now starting to wonder if we can hit $35,000.<br />
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If you read <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2015/06/bike-ms-2015-fundraising-update.html" target="_blank">last weeks fundraising update</a>, you'll recall how I create a tops-down fundraising goal, and then rationalize that against a bottoms-up forecast. When I started fundraising this year, I had a forecast shortfall of over $1,200. In other words, I had no idea where I would get that additional $1,200 to hit our goal of $6,000. I'm very happy to report that I now have a forecast surplus of $195! If all donations come in as expected, I now believe we'll come in with a total of $6,195!<br />
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Sorry if the update is a bit dry :) I tend to get a bit obsessed with these numbers as the ride gets close.<br />
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Training update? Training is going pretty well. I've gotten in about 280 miles of riding the past couple weeks, and I'm probably as ready as I'm going to be. Rode in some heat yesterday to try and prepare for the potentially 100+ degree weather in Logan this weekend. My training rides are all listed to the right in the "Strava" widget - feel free to check them out!<br />
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The next update will likely come out after the ride, along with my post-ride recap and report. I'll do my best to post a few pictures and updates on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rex.a.parker" target="_blank">Facebook </a>over the weekend. Have a great week!Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-2912637922483682722015-06-18T08:11:00.000-07:002015-06-24T06:40:54.454-07:00Bike MS 2015 - Fundraising Update!Thought I'd post a quick fundraising update and compare where we are this year compared to the past couple of years. Spoiler alert - overall fundraising is down, but individual contributing is up! Details after the jump.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Well keep this update short. As of June 17th, We're sitting at $3,290 raised, or 54% of our goal of $6,000. (NOTE: when I say "we" I mean all of us - you and me together). As a team, Team WinCo is sitting at $19,204 - 64% of our goal of $30,000.<br />
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I thought I'd compare fundraising progress this year to the last couple of years, and this is what I found.<br />
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June 13, 2013: $5,073<br />
June 17, 2014: $4,931<br />
June 18, 2015: $3,290<br />
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Fundraising this year would appear to be way down, and in fact it is. Part of this may be due to the late start this year - and 2014 fundraising started later than 2013. Must be a trend there. A better way to look at is this: how do I compare after "n" days of fundraising?<br />
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2013: after 90 days - $5,073<br />
2014: after 26 days - $4,931<br />
2015: after 10 days - $3,290<br />
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Looking at this way, we appear to be on track!<br />
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Having said that, an even BETTER way to look at this is to compare progress to goal with "n" number of days left before fundraising is closed. In other words - how am I doing with 42 days of fundraising remaining compared to prior years? Unfortunately, I don't have historical data saved in the right format to exactly track this. But this is a change I can make in my donor spreadsheet for next year...<br />
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One item of note: individual giving is UP this year. Last year, we had the opportunity to hold a fundraiser at 10 Barrel Brewing here in Boise. That fundraiser netted over $2,400. We did not have that opportunity this year. If we added a $2,400 fundraiser to this year's total, we be sitting at $5,690 - ahead of 2013 totals!<br />
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Having said that, there is another metric I track. I try my best to do a reasonable forecast of what I can expect to bring in. And then I set my goal, not based on the forecast, but a gut feel based on prior years fundraising, and events that I know will or not occur. Since we had no fundraiser to replace 10 Barrel this year, I dropped by goal from $8,000 to $6,000. (I did not hit the $8,000 goal last year) And, after looking at my donor-by-donor forecast, I found that I had a gap of $1,200. In other words, I had no idea where the extra $1,200 was going to come from to hit the goal. BUT - there has been a flurry of unexpected donations this week! Thanks to those donations, my gap is now less than $800. This is a great improvement and gives me hope that we may actually <b>exceed </b>the $6,000 goal this year!<br />
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To summarize, fundraising may appear to be lagging this year, but I'm very optimistic that we'll meet or exceed our goal of $6,000. And, I'll continue to look for fundraising opportunities such as the 10 Barrel fundraiser last year. I'm also confident that Team WinCo will meet our goal of $30,000 - which will be our highest total ever. This optimism is based on conversations with other riders about funds pledge but no yet received...and extrapolating a bit based on last year's performance.<br />
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A huge THANK YOU to all who have donated so far. As always, please click on the banner image above, or on the "click to donate" button to your right to help us reach our goals this year!Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-208633224975359632015-06-17T07:22:00.000-07:002015-06-17T08:48:59.243-07:00Duluth to the Twin Cities! MS 150 - C.H. Robinson RideI had the opportunity to ride with a co-worker in the MS 150 C.H. Robinson ride in Minnesota this past weekend. The C.H. Robinson ride follows a course from Duluth to the Twin Cities in two days - 147 miles - mostly on converted railway trails. More details, photos, and GPS ride logs after the jump!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has MS 150 rides all over the country, over 50 rides in total. I'm always interested in traveling to other rides when given the opportunity, and I was able to ride the MS 150 in Bozeman, Montana last year. Other rides I've had my eye on include San Francisco, Manhattan, and Houston to Austin.<br />
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There are a number of reasons why these other rides are interesting to me.<br />
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<li>It's just fun to ride in other parts of the country, it's a great way to soak in new places and scenery and meet new people</li>
<li>I like to make new connections within the MS Community. It's very inspiring to hear new stories, and in particular, to meet new riders with MS - they show me what it's like to live your best possible life with MS</li>
<li>I get great ideas that I can bring back to our local Bike MS committee to help make our already great ride better</li>
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So - when I learned last year that my coworker, Eric Evenson, rides in the C.H. Robinson ride in Minnesota, I jumped at the chance to ride with him this year. Sure enough, it was a wonderful ride. Below are links to my GPS logs of the ride.</div>
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<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/325634337" target="_blank">C.H Robinson Ride - Day One on Strava</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/325634333" target="_blank">C.H. Robinson Ride - Day Two on Strava</a></div>
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Day one was probably my favorite day - with rolling hills, winding railway trails, rivers, trees, and green fields everywhere. We're at that time of year in Boise where everything starts turning brown from the heat, so the green of Northern Minnesota was refreshing.</div>
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Day two was very straight, as we made our way through more populous towns approaching the Twin Cities. More highway riding, less railway trails. Nice, nonetheless.</div>
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I rode on a team called "Moving Violations" - I believe they had 70+ riders in total. They are one of the top fundraising teams in Minnesota year over year, Chris and Peggy do a great job organizing and running that team - thanks for having me!</div>
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Our core group of riders are shown below. As you can see, it was a very fun group. I was the "old man" of the group - older than everyone else by double digits. But I was able to hang in with them all weekend, except for the occasional break.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtfaMKoiwDnWLypBH_0_wfmXMRWHJvWq51idWsTkn1Likl4azAtcvjGNfT8lllZ3Wup7QunpJBKTCKnCulc_PsQQadTvIdwiXXHbkkH-6_vlKI2gEB2pw81wb6rz65IwEzssSp-CJo2Q/s1600/FullSizeRender1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtfaMKoiwDnWLypBH_0_wfmXMRWHJvWq51idWsTkn1Likl4azAtcvjGNfT8lllZ3Wup7QunpJBKTCKnCulc_PsQQadTvIdwiXXHbkkH-6_vlKI2gEB2pw81wb6rz65IwEzssSp-CJo2Q/s320/FullSizeRender1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right: Stefan, Emily, Rex, Eric, Evan - looking chipper at the first rest stop</td></tr>
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There were many highlights for me over the weekend, I'll try and summarize a few of them.</div>
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<li>I got to see Megan Nettleton! You may remember Megan - she was the community development manager for the MS Society here in Boise before moving back to Minneapolis last summer. She now works for the MS Society - Midwest Chapter. It was great to see Megan, we sure miss her in Boise.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAs5wWfs2EJbD5tY332Sn5qegnarO38lknVvJMpD_N0U9tVGArucvO9ON9HvxONQl77JSvVBnEcVzGJUDKJuOlUPYUzvADD3erzalB_R8hV6qYaJwdN5L48QHvJUNTe4qrcnxSbNxm31I/s1600/10379919_10205795744466622_3661914649777713648_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAs5wWfs2EJbD5tY332Sn5qegnarO38lknVvJMpD_N0U9tVGArucvO9ON9HvxONQl77JSvVBnEcVzGJUDKJuOlUPYUzvADD3erzalB_R8hV6qYaJwdN5L48QHvJUNTe4qrcnxSbNxm31I/s320/10379919_10205795744466622_3661914649777713648_o.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megan and me, post-ride on Day One</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>I met a rider on our team whose mother passed away from complications due to MS several years ago. She apparently had primary progressive MS and her disease progression sounded much like my brother's. The rider was diagnosed a couple of years ago with MS, and now he fears for his children. We had a great talk. One of the things he mentioned was that the MS Society provided valuable education and resources when he was newly diagnosed - which was a great reminder of why we ride. I heard that repeated several times over the weekend - that MS Society programs for the newly diagnosed are extremely helpful during a scary time.</li>
<li>I really enjoyed the tent environment on the evening of Day One. Since this is a point-to-point ride, all of the riders were around on the first evening, and it was a fun, festive atmosphere. We have been brainstorming on how to make the Utah ride more festive at our evening program, and this ride would be a great one to emulate. We'll see if there are any ideas that we can incorporate locally to make the evening program more fun for our riders and volunteers.</li>
<li>I met too many other people to mention individually. But I will also call out Chris and Peggy Brown, the architects of Team Moving Violations. Originally, neither Chris nor Peggy had any connections to MS. Some years ago, Chris had been in an accident and was going through physical therapy - and looking for a new physical challenge. Someone told him about the MS 150, so he jumped into it with both feet. He formed a team, and then started inviting everyone he saw on an exercise bike to join his team. Soon, the team grew to over 100 riders! Peggy was the real team boss this weekend and she worked tirelessly to transport our bikes and gear, feed riders, and generally made sure everyone was taken care of and having a good time. Since they're been involved with the MS ride, Peggy says that the MS Connections have been "coming out of the woodwork"- including coworkers who she had no idea were impacted by MS. Thanks again, Chris and Peggy for having me this weekend, and for all that you do for the MS Society!</li>
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Our local ride, Bike MS 2015: Harmon's Best Dam Ride in Logan, Utah is right around the corner - in less than two short weeks - June 27th and 28th. I have a lot of work to do to get ready, and the C.H. Robinson ride was a great warm-up.</div>
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As always, please feel free to click on the banner photo above, or on the "Click Here to Donate" button to learn more or to support me with a donation. Thanks for reading!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keep on Riding!</td></tr>
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Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-52600785075897128672014-07-24T13:40:00.000-07:002014-07-25T10:14:31.397-07:00Bike MS 2014 - Great Ride, Fundraising Continues!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi everyone! <a href="http://bikeutu.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?fr_id=22337&pg=entry" target="_blank">Bike MS: Harmon's Best Dam Bike Ride 2014</a> is on the books! The event took place in Logan, UT on June 28th and 29th, and fundraising continues through July 31. This is my long-delayed ride recap and fundraising status article. And I'd like to tell you about an inspiring high school student who spoke at the awards banquet. It was a fantastic weekend, let's get started...<br />
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First off, here are some highlights of the ride, along with fundraising status as of July 24th...Let's start with fundraising...after all, this is why we ride.</div>
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<li>The event has raised nearly <b>$1.2 Million</b> so far! The goal is $1.6 Million - and we should meet or exceed that goal by the time they close the books on the event. I've written before about <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2014/05/and-here-we-go-again-bike-ms-2014.html" target="_blank">how important Bike MS is to our chapter</a>, accounting for over 60% of total chapter revenue last year...it's so vital that we meet this goal!</li>
<li>As of July 24th, Team Winco has raised <b>$28,051</b>! This is roughly a 30% increase from last year, and has exceeded our team goal of $25,000! Much of the credit for this increase goes to Chris Bias, more on Chris later...</li>
<li>We (you and I) raised <b>$6,326</b>. That is a great number, but about 18% down from last year. Fundraising continues for another week so I'm hoping to close that gap a bit...If you haven't had the opportunity to donate yet, please click on the banner at the top of this blog, or on the "Donate" button to the right.</li>
<li>Team WinCo's top 5 fundraisers were:</li>
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<li>#1 - Chris Bias, $11,400. This is Chris's first year riding with us, and we were very happy to have him. In addition to his incredible fundraising, Chris is a fun guy to ride with, a great addition to the team, and we sure hope he joins us again next year. The remainder of the top 5 were: #2 - Rex Parker, #3 Greg Goins, #4 Eric Jeglum, #5 Gordy Myre</li>
<li>Great job everyone, and thanks to EVERYONE who donated and put so much time and effort into fundraising!</li>
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<li>Team WinCo had 15 riders at the event. We lost a couple riders due to scheduling conflicts, and a couple riders due to illness. One rider, Elizabeth McGarry, was recovering from a broken leg, but still volunteered at the event and still met her fundraising goal! Way to go, Liz!</li>
<li>The 15 riders came from Idaho, Utah, and California to participate. The riders were:</li>
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<li>Boise: Danny Barnett, Greg Goins, Terri Goins, Michelle Halling, Doug Jenkins, Heather Kimmel, Mark Lavin, Gordy Myre, Rex Parker, and Kathleen Romito</li>
<li>Salt Lake City: Chris Bias, Patrick Bodnar, Joe Cooley, and Chad Moore</li>
<li>San Diego: Mike Morris</li>
<li>Thanks so much to our team members who traveled to get to Logan, especially to Mike, who flew to Utah from San Diego to ride with us.</li>
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<li>The 15 Team WinCo riders rode a total of 1,700 miles over the two days! The number of riders was slightly up from last year, and the cumulative mileage about the same.</li>
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The course was largely the same as last year, except that the day 2 course was a bit shorter. Here are my GPS logs of the ride...</div>
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<a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/159272057" target="_blank">Bike MS 2014 Day One</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/159678083" target="_blank">Bike MS 2014 Day Two</a></div>
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You may notice that a lot of my segment times read "2nd best time...". That is because I was not in as good of shape for the ride this year - and my times showed it. I especially struggled getting up Blacksmith Fork Canyon on Day Two, taking 13 minutes longer to get to the summit than I did last year. I will not make the same mistake again next year!</div>
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The weather was spectacular. I haven't inspected my temperature logs too closely, but I doubt that the road temperature broke 90 degrees all weekend (as opposed to last year, where we hit 109!) The following pictures sum up the riding conditions perfectly. Nice blue skies, with some cloud cover to help keep the temperature down.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8sI27elfzdpRR-PXC64LcrUQBgfbbVHaLngaYbdjYVHW-jeF0T4aImHL0A4NWZBRSZyqr-JBZAMA7f58LLo2VPTIu9octnOlS0IPvWXvT99c-yB70XOQ7ZlY5oCf6Bbx5NYhJTAQONBs/s1600/photo+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8sI27elfzdpRR-PXC64LcrUQBgfbbVHaLngaYbdjYVHW-jeF0T4aImHL0A4NWZBRSZyqr-JBZAMA7f58LLo2VPTIu9octnOlS0IPvWXvT99c-yB70XOQ7ZlY5oCf6Bbx5NYhJTAQONBs/s1600/photo+1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQdZlnb9MFqw6hIjYrRgPBh1umR9uYYZM2wISM5hfNHStcKHkk22kmLVkUJoUdH9Grby48ZmrA0ono6BcAS884d9DmUr6vSaiO5Wt9AkggvZDvUwhIkG_utRqTBwARr7EAkC9MIqIS_Q/s1600/photo+3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQdZlnb9MFqw6hIjYrRgPBh1umR9uYYZM2wISM5hfNHStcKHkk22kmLVkUJoUdH9Grby48ZmrA0ono6BcAS884d9DmUr6vSaiO5Wt9AkggvZDvUwhIkG_utRqTBwARr7EAkC9MIqIS_Q/s1600/photo+3.PNG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenes from Bike MS 2014, Day One</td></tr>
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The highlight of the riding on Day One, for me, was riding with our friends from Utah and California. Chris, Pat, Joe, Chad, and Mike are all good riders and really helped make the day enjoyable. The longer pace lines also help make the riding a bit easier. And the "guts" award for Day One has to go to our team captain Greg Goins who battled through leg cramps to complete the entire 100 miles. Greg does a great job of leading by example with his fundraising and riding. Here is a nice shot of the 100-mile riders at the end of Day One...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day One Century Riders- from l to r: Mike, Greg, Mark, Kathleen, Chris, Chad, Patrick, Joe, Danny, Rex, Doug</td></tr>
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Day Two included the beautiful ride up Blacksmith Fork Canyon to <a href="http://wildlife.utah.gov/hardwareranch/visit.php" target="_blank">Hardware Ranch</a>. I sure enjoy this climb, even it was a bit more difficult for me this year. The absolute highlight of Day Two (and of the whole weekend) was seeing Gordy ride down the Canyon. Here's the story behind that...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWZhNy9K0vymI3S9ZYep7yoCm4yUSidrr14etjk4TFywJrCec9-xH0EvubKrOTf5dWdtmGJ_A4Qj5JeIcIk2AwoHnQV-vo6LBtj7hqzUOlAGHjQ_8ZJl-eswzUgSh6L77bth7cU6-gEs/s1600/10522430_10152609722327474_5880963946664007056_o+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWZhNy9K0vymI3S9ZYep7yoCm4yUSidrr14etjk4TFywJrCec9-xH0EvubKrOTf5dWdtmGJ_A4Qj5JeIcIk2AwoHnQV-vo6LBtj7hqzUOlAGHjQ_8ZJl-eswzUgSh6L77bth7cU6-gEs/s1600/10522430_10152609722327474_5880963946664007056_o+%25281%2529.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gordon Myre, the Heart and Soul of our Team</td></tr>
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If you've read this blog before, <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/06/other-voices-why-gordy-rides-bike-ms.html" target="_blank">you know Gordy</a>. Gordy has MS and rides at least 40 miles in Bike MS every year on a bike he cranks with his arms. It's difficult for Gordy to do much climbing on that bike, so he has to find relatively flat sections of the course to ride. This year, Gordy got a ride in a support vehicle to the top of Blacksmith Fork Canyon and rode down, a descent of about nearly 1,000 feet. We had just started climbing up the canyon when we all saw Gordy come screaming down the road, doing at least 25 miles per hour, his arms a blur of motion. Gordy had a grin on his face from ear to ear, and it looked like he was having the time of his life. We found out from Gordy later that he exceeded 30 miles per hour on his descent and was having great difficulty slowing down, let alone stopping. So what appeared to be a grin may have been a look of sheer horror! I choose to think that Gordy had a great time on his adventure Sunday - and he continues to be an inspiration to me and everyone else on the team.</div>
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Anyway, a good number of us made the ascent on Sunday, here's a nice shot of the group at the summit.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrDxqIIgG5EiqeYbITIvTwjJtVS_dPmol-Ui7nJhnsXUhR7Mv2nsxhv6gqU8c7GAo0_eUPnemJpnaP7BT17P7wLDgbc4eiGI1Xl7iRp08rmjB8SYE2qKi2iY8LkWkWXlVGlgZNYmW0v8/s1600/IMG_4207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrDxqIIgG5EiqeYbITIvTwjJtVS_dPmol-Ui7nJhnsXUhR7Mv2nsxhv6gqU8c7GAo0_eUPnemJpnaP7BT17P7wLDgbc4eiGI1Xl7iRp08rmjB8SYE2qKi2iY8LkWkWXlVGlgZNYmW0v8/s1600/IMG_4207.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team WinCo at Hardware Ranch - from l to r: Shelly, Rex, Danny, Mark, Doug, Mike, Kathleen</td></tr>
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As was the case last year, we attended a very nice program / awards ceremony at the Cache County fairgrounds on Saturday night. The keynote speaker was a young lady who absolutely epitomizes the cause and why we ride. Anja Peterson is a 17 year-old high school student who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis as a sophomore in high school. Anja is starting college next year at Utah State University, thanks in part to a scholarship from the National MS Society. A scholarship that YOU helped make possible. Anja will be studying Neurobiology, and she proudly stated that she intends to find a cure for MS. I hope Anja won't mind that I swiped this beautiful picture from her Facebook page.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNn0EOH_PUh0PLFkClVUj7s31jYy-zwo9HnUMjDRJGKaA9JFl1LPyU8xn3n8sN3IO6bXK0TkDO0UFgJ958orejaFePYYud0XfZzwAwsOsPqOXtYL56PYOdCh3nWtCsUt8oKVq2Nod5uQ/s1600/Anja+Peterson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNn0EOH_PUh0PLFkClVUj7s31jYy-zwo9HnUMjDRJGKaA9JFl1LPyU8xn3n8sN3IO6bXK0TkDO0UFgJ958orejaFePYYud0XfZzwAwsOsPqOXtYL56PYOdCh3nWtCsUt8oKVq2Nod5uQ/s1600/Anja+Peterson.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anja Peterson</td></tr>
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Anja's speech was funny, engaging, and touching. What impressed me the most about Anja, though, aside from her finding the courage to address a large crowd and talk candidly about her disease, is that she actually made a PROS and CONS list about having MS. PROS? Are you kidding me? One of her PROS was that her nephews and nieces love to sit on her lap and ride with her in her wheelchair. One of her CONS? She falls down. A lot. And she didn't say this...but I imagine that it must be very hard to intermittently be in a wheelchair in high school, kids can be cruel. But - as my friend Annette said...Anja has "...courageously found her wings to move forward with her life..." I'm not sure I would have been able to do the same when I was her age. I expect great things from Anja, and once again - YOU MADE THIS SCHOLARSHIP POSSIBLE with your donations to Bike MS, and you should be proud.</div>
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So...it was a fantastic weekend. But the battle against MS is year-round. Here's a preview of other activities that I'll be participating in throughout the next few months.</div>
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<li>We (Heather and I) are attending the "Music Over the Blue" fundraiser for MS in Boise on August 7th. This looks to be a great time, you can learn more about it <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/296952290464841/">here.</a></li>
<li>I've just been elected to the Board of Trustees for our chapter of the National MS Society. I'm very excited and privileged to serve the MS Society in this capacity. My first meeting as a Board member is coming up in September, and I expect to write more about this as the year progresses.</li>
<li>I'm using my <a href="http://bikemam.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BIKE_MAM_passport" target="_blank">Passport Program</a> privileges to ride in <a href="http://bikewas.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?fr_id=23828&pg=entry" target="_blank">Bike MS - Ride the Sky 2014</a> in Bozeman, MT in August. I went to college at Montana State University in Bozeman, so I'm very excited to ride in Bozeman and camp out at the football stadium there. Also looking forward to meeting some of the MS Society folks from the Greater Northwest chapter.</li>
<li>The MS Wine Ride on August 24th put on by George's Cycling here in Boise. A nice course through SW Idaho wine country (yes, it exists) capped off with lunch and some sampling at a local winery. You can learn more <a href="http://georgescycles.com/merchant/925/files/IdahoMSWineRide.1.pdf">here</a>.</li>
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So, to close - I just want to thank you again for your support. Your donations are making a difference in the live of those who have, or are impacted by, Multiple Sclerosis. I've seen it first-hand. And again, if you haven't yet had the opportunity to donate to Bike MS 2014, it's not too late! Just click on the banner or the Donate button to the right. Donations are accepted through July 31st, 2014. And if you miss that deadline, just shoot me a quick email, and we'll see what can be done. </div>
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THANK YOU!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmOAlQ3seAjYAlgRv4o0lX-l4TdqwxIdYb4se9XkLKXkYjsyNGwQNUUa_ziaaWHCa8yPzPsOUeEWevcK_vxpTI3CNtci2Ae8cJddUih9WSrqD3VAlDJluZek6kq_4h5pOz3hXOK18WZ-4/s1600/V__4899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmOAlQ3seAjYAlgRv4o0lX-l4TdqwxIdYb4se9XkLKXkYjsyNGwQNUUa_ziaaWHCa8yPzPsOUeEWevcK_vxpTI3CNtci2Ae8cJddUih9WSrqD3VAlDJluZek6kq_4h5pOz3hXOK18WZ-4/s1600/V__4899.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rex and Heather, Bike MS 2014 Day Two</td></tr>
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Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-88629870115084126942014-06-26T16:20:00.000-07:002014-06-26T16:20:38.589-07:00Fundraising Update - Last One Before Bike MS 2014!Hey everyone, we had a nice week of fundraising leading up to Bike MS 2014 on June 28th and 29th. Yup, it's only TWO days away! Detailed update after the jump...<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I'll keep this one short and sweet, as I'm about to get on a plane after a week of work travel...then tomorrow morning we head to Logan for the ride. We had a very nice week of fundraising, and I'm now up to $5,996, or 74% of the way to my goal of $8,000. It seemed to be a big week for the ride in general, too - as I've slipped from 7th to 13th in overall fundraising. This is a good thing, as some big fundraisers have stepped up and bought in some good donations just prior to the ride.<br />
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I would sure love to cross the $6,000 mark prior to the ride. Fundraising will continue through the month of July, and I feel pretty optimistic that we can hit the $8,000 goal! If you would like to get a donation in before the ride, please hit the "Click to Donate" button on the right hand side of this blog.<br />
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We also hit a pretty big milestone this month...we (you and I) have passed the $20,000 lifetime fundraising mark for Bike MS. Lifetime, in my case, means the 2012, 2013, and 2014 rides. I believe we're right around $21,000 in total now. This is really an arbitrary number, but I thought it was worth noting. I think this is fantastic, and this money does so much good. And it sounds like a HUGE amount. To put it in context, though, the top two fundraisers for Bike MS so far this year have bought in over $20,000 EACH!<br />
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On a side note, I got the privilege last year to ride with the Bike MS "<a href="https://secure3.convio.net/nmss/site/SPageServer/;jsessionid=F33E08D0F9805D4D710A877A0B4A76FB.app354a?s_AffiliateSecCatId=1&pw_id=10781&pagename=BIKE_TXH_TOC" target="_blank">Tour of Champions</a>" group from the South Central region of the MS Society. The South Central region is based in Houston, TX, and I believe it covers the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and New Mexico. The Tour of Champions ride is open to folks who raised $25,000 or more for the Bike MS ride in a given year, and they celebrate by taking a trip to a cycling destination in the US. Last year, they rode in Park City, Utah and invited folks from the local chapter to ride with them. I jumped at that opportunity, and that is where I met Salt Lake City rider Chris Bias, who joined Team WinCo this year and is our top fundraiser to-date at over $8,000.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyumfvCd3Ra3I8Uh6ofc3oPO7R2zZwr9l6arh2hxB0bEfhDM_h0EHjT5FPWddNdqfydoYeT57zF0R63dz6xLjfyGb4Ez7jOCZUZ6n95rqlC7n0FSPf8yqRwXT4_cuRccee10-qpRHrhdQ/s1600/toc05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyumfvCd3Ra3I8Uh6ofc3oPO7R2zZwr9l6arh2hxB0bEfhDM_h0EHjT5FPWddNdqfydoYeT57zF0R63dz6xLjfyGb4Ez7jOCZUZ6n95rqlC7n0FSPf8yqRwXT4_cuRccee10-qpRHrhdQ/s1600/toc05.jpg" height="273" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tour of Champions, Park City, Utah, 2013</td></tr>
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Meeting Chris was great, and that alone made the trip worthwhile. I also made some new friends and met and talked with some of the officers from this very large chapter of the MS Society. Nice folks all. I did enjoy my "home field advantage" riding the mountains around Park City, where I was pretty accustomed to the climbing and altitude.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2DI5QPDQJtaYS6UetMqA6zncnwc0FAyf0HNne2uaIe32esXcNzFThyphenhyphenLfhMilhwIgmlJxarhwXKy0w9KMEO8RlwwWQvwiO5hQ3VkIjjVXi9ZIb77-hdL02t5GG32x2CY8VmsJQkqepCQ/s1600/toc03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2DI5QPDQJtaYS6UetMqA6zncnwc0FAyf0HNne2uaIe32esXcNzFThyphenhyphenLfhMilhwIgmlJxarhwXKy0w9KMEO8RlwwWQvwiO5hQ3VkIjjVXi9ZIb77-hdL02t5GG32x2CY8VmsJQkqepCQ/s1600/toc03.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tour of Champions, Park City, Day One</td></tr>
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It was very inspiring to ride with all of these top fundraisers, and it certainly gives me something to aspire to. But for now, I'm very proud to have exceeded the $20,000 lifetime fundraising level, and grateful to all of you for making that happen.<br />
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That's it for now! My next post will be a recap of the ride, and I can't wait to let you all know how it went!Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-51966469483351733472014-06-26T15:18:00.002-07:002014-06-26T15:18:49.801-07:00Team WinCo 2014 Cycling Kits Have Arrived!With just two days remaining before Bike MS 2014, we have received our team cycling kits. Thanks to some great sponsors, we have a really nice cycling kit again this year. Pictures after the jump...<br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">For the second year in a row, our team captain, Greg Goins, rounded up a generous group of sponsors who make our cycling kits possible. Some of these folks ride on our team, and we're very happy to have them. The sponsors are:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Morris & Campbell – Mike Morris (Mike is coming up all the way from San Diego to ride with Team WinCo!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Commercial Realty Advisors - Alex MacLean & Bob LeFeber</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mountain West Retail - Chad Moore, Joe Cooley, Patrick Bodnar (all coming up from Salt Lake City to ride with Team WinCo)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Newmark Grubb/ASU & Assoc. - Scott Underhill</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">SRS Real Estate Partners - Ed Beeh</span></li>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Team WinCo rider Steve Baggerly worked on the kit design, and they turned out great. Here's a good look:</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMbMByk8TGiOeSb9yccvn6Mh0iO_0bnwXY5Sj56fpAUx-CafLHqeQUTPg0zTbMg_Bc5De7-EDJOoLjkSqIuZVAt2ykSHtAIpJs8_JsExwhn0iQkeGD2ElL4GpfKm0T8lhG-4j16ekU34/s1600/WinCo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMbMByk8TGiOeSb9yccvn6Mh0iO_0bnwXY5Sj56fpAUx-CafLHqeQUTPg0zTbMg_Bc5De7-EDJOoLjkSqIuZVAt2ykSHtAIpJs8_JsExwhn0iQkeGD2ElL4GpfKm0T8lhG-4j16ekU34/s1600/WinCo+1.JPG" height="320" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jersey Front</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-p1UhcjJzX8Sq-AKItqM8VLrvs4dLOHs5jLpLkfZ5pcdzwA24iy3K9torbpl1rygrBA2F2TGM7ChMeSzObfzyj7G1zX5MsQ_ONV4EtqBf_qUZEtGiWUe7akJnvImTmDovSpn5D7fmh4k/s1600/WinCo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-p1UhcjJzX8Sq-AKItqM8VLrvs4dLOHs5jLpLkfZ5pcdzwA24iy3K9torbpl1rygrBA2F2TGM7ChMeSzObfzyj7G1zX5MsQ_ONV4EtqBf_qUZEtGiWUe7akJnvImTmDovSpn5D7fmh4k/s1600/WinCo+2.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jersey Back, with Sponsor Logos</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj7tojKMpEy3tvbVEdiiJE0eFnv9P3SmgynSaLUzZJqumWa7HDf17r_Ea1Vy0zOW20dZhO15b1xIL2fXhJHVkW4z7uLqObsWc79vMuwpjFVtWzRZHBiRyYW_ogLcPsRZEXDWAK9Mk0mU4/s1600/WinCo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj7tojKMpEy3tvbVEdiiJE0eFnv9P3SmgynSaLUzZJqumWa7HDf17r_Ea1Vy0zOW20dZhO15b1xIL2fXhJHVkW4z7uLqObsWc79vMuwpjFVtWzRZHBiRyYW_ogLcPsRZEXDWAK9Mk0mU4/s1600/WinCo+3.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bibs</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222;">I love that we have the Bike MS 2014 logo on the kit this year, I don't believe we did that last year. At any rate, we're going to look good this weekend. Thanks again to our sponsors!</span></div>
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Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-70902924697162396802014-06-13T13:34:00.000-07:002014-06-13T13:34:01.271-07:00Bike MS 2014 - Training and Fundraising Update #1Hi all, I've been quite on the training and fundraising front this year - I'm overdue for an update on how fundraising and training have been going for <a href="http://bikeutu.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?fr_id=22337&pg=entry" target="_blank">Bike MS 2014 - Harmon's Best Dam Bike Ride</a> on June 28th and 29th. So here we go with the first update! Fundraising is going well, at 62% of goal - but is also down quite a bit at the same time. Details after the jump...<br />
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<a name='more'></a>If you take a look at the fundraising progress gadget at the right-hand side of this blog, you'll see that we're at $4,931, or 62% of goal. That is a great amount, and we're sitting at 6th place overall in fundraising to-date. Before I go any further, I have to say THANK YOU to everyone who has donated so far. All individual donors but one are repeat donors, and the continued support year-over-year means so much.<br />
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I thought I'd better include at least ONE picture in this blog article, so here's my "water bottle" progress chart from my <a href="http://www.nationalmssociety.org/goto/rexparker" target="_blank">personal MS Society fundraising page</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY87c63DVBkI3De7dp9kXSfYjHkW8u3-MTO6h7hY6Fd7HeNpQKISTndEHfC-LT6ZFL0vl6PuGqV2-Jye0gG6ePtehn4pCepinGf6DsYrpwd28VaM6wbiZmHhvtm24bQ1SoWbXxKrN9K9g/s1600/june13fundraising+progress.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY87c63DVBkI3De7dp9kXSfYjHkW8u3-MTO6h7hY6Fd7HeNpQKISTndEHfC-LT6ZFL0vl6PuGqV2-Jye0gG6ePtehn4pCepinGf6DsYrpwd28VaM6wbiZmHhvtm24bQ1SoWbXxKrN9K9g/s1600/june13fundraising+progress.JPG" /></a></div>
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(SIDE NOTE: My friends who build data analytics and data visualizations for a living would say that this is a flawed chart - the bulk of the volume of the water bottle is below the neck, and the neck is narrower than the body - this water bottle is probably closer to 80% full. But I digress...)</div>
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I have a couple of takes on my fundraising progress. I have to warn you, this is pretty dry reading...<br />
<h3>
Take 1 - Fundraising is Down...</h3>
$2,486 of my fundraising total to-date came from one source, one event - the February Charity Night at <a href="http://www.10barrel.com/#boise" target="_blank">10 Barrel Brewing</a> here in Boise. Taking away that one event, we would be sitting at $2,445, or 31% toward the goal of $8,000 - which would be significantly lower than where we were at this time last year.<br />
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More specifically, at this point last year, I'd just crossed the $5,000 mark. Overall, I'm about where I was last year at this time. But, take out the 10 Barrel Brewing donation, and I'm running at about 50% of last year. So that tells me that I have not done a good job of engaging the "base" this year so far.<br />
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I've thought about this from a number of angles, and I think the main reason that fundraising is slow this year is simple: I started much later than usual, and have not been putting my typical time and effort in getting the word out.<br />
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Many of you know that I am moving, working on remodeling a house, and have been traveling for work more lately. All of which have taken time away from fundraising activities (and training! more on that later...) This probably sounds like an excuse, and that is exactly what it is. I do feel that it's my job to initiate the fundraising, communicate with all of you who comprise the "base" and also find new folks to connect with. I struggle with how best to do this at times.<br />
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I've been told by fundraising professionals that it takes an average of THREE emails to secure a donation. And so many of you are busy, and have little time to read personal email and sort through the many requests you all get from various worthy charities. Thankfully, the vast majority of the feedback I receive to my emails is that you appreciate the communication and the reminders. So, I will be stepping that up a bit in the next couple of weeks as we approach the event - so I can get to that magic number of three requests soon.<br />
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Also, I know that many folks plan their giving around early-month pay periods. So, my late start this year only gave me room for ONE early-month pay period (June 1) before Bike MS. Fundraising will continue for some time after the event, though, so I hope to help make that planning a bit easier for folks who would like to hit pay period events in early July and August.<br />
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To summarize, I will be stepping up the communications over the next two weeks! Hopefully with concise, on-point communications which serve as a reminder of the upcoming event, educate about the event and the need for fundraising to help fight multiple sclerosis. And as always, please feel free to give me feedback about the content and frequency of my communications, or to opt out.<br />
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Take 2 - Fundraising is <i>Not Really</i> Down...</h3>
My entire analysis above is flawed. I know that many of you attended the 10 Barrel Brewing fundraiser and contributed by spending money on food and drink, or dropped money in the cash jar. If I were able to parse out everyone's individual contribution at the 10 Barrel event, I think the outlook would be much better - and I'd find that my donor base has contributed closer to %75 of last year's total to-date. So, I should probably just relax and focus on communicating with you the RIGHT amount, and on training. In my experience, if you just focus on doing the right things, then good things happen. But, I can't help but over-analyze things sometimes.<br />
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Anyway...that's MORE than enough about that.<br />
<h3>
Training</h3>
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On to the fun part...training. I can say much the same thing about training - not nearly as much time on a bike this year. In fact, I believe I finally cracked a 100 mile week last week (June 1 - June 7.) The training included a great weekend in Red Lodge, MT riding the <a href="http://cyclepass.com/t_pwy_Beartooth.html" target="_blank">Beartooth Summit</a>. I've written a separate article about this ride, with lots of pictures - you can check it out <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2014/06/biking-in-red-lodge-mt-beartooth-summit.html" target="_blank">here</a>!<br />
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And I have a great couple of training rides queued up for the weekend, and on through next week, including my first Bogus Basin ski resort summit ride of the year on Saturday, June 14.<br />
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Frankly, I am relying on the fitness foundation I laid last year to overcome the 20+ extra pounds I'm carrying and get me through the 150 miles at Bike MS. I'll likely ride slower, and be much sorer than last year, but the miles will be ridden.<br />
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As always, thanks for reading! Be sure and check out some of those <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2014/06/biking-in-red-lodge-mt-beartooth-summit.html" target="_blank">pictures </a>from Beartooth Summit, and I'll be talking with you again soon!</div>
Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-67577546055786696192014-06-13T13:03:00.001-07:002014-06-13T13:03:48.161-07:00Biking in Red Lodge, MT - Beartooth Summit!I finally got in a full weekend of significant riding on June 7th and 8th. I met my good friends and Bike MS supporters Jan van Dijk and Evelien Rodrigus in Red Lodge, MT for two days of cycling. We covered over 80 miles and 8,000 feet of climbing in those two days. (And three breweries!) Details and photos after the jump...<br />
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Ride One - Beartooth Summit</h3>
The main goal of the weekend, and the ride that we traveled to Red Lodge for - was the <a href="http://cyclepass.com/t_pwy_Beartooth.html" target="_blank">Beartooth Summit</a>, the high point on the Beartooth Highway between Billings, MT and Yellowstone National Park. I haven't done many rides prettier than this one. It was a hard, long climb, but I got it done - which give me some confidence about covering the 150 miles at Bike MS in a couple of weeks. My GPS log of the ride can be found here: <a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/151055013">http://www.strava.com/activities/151055013</a><br />
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We started the ride in Red Lodge, about 32 miles from the summit. As you can see from the elevation profile below, it is all climbing on the way up - no rolling hills, no relief. Thankfully the grade is not too steep, it was just a long grinder.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLyDR8a26m4NeZCrY0ltI_5C8XZzVjjpf34NeLP84dw2P4nWtdv67RTjE-bES2YPUyAIalKZIBtGsUYz6ug_KNIyepKYxc54ZKQO-u3YD3iNZ3V1-H9IxaCzCkBxtXqk5maS5Td-pwdE/s1600/beartooth+elevation+profile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLyDR8a26m4NeZCrY0ltI_5C8XZzVjjpf34NeLP84dw2P4nWtdv67RTjE-bES2YPUyAIalKZIBtGsUYz6ug_KNIyepKYxc54ZKQO-u3YD3iNZ3V1-H9IxaCzCkBxtXqk5maS5Td-pwdE/s1600/beartooth+elevation+profile.JPG" height="108" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beartooth Summit Elevation Profile</td></tr>
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The ride was very gentle in the first 10 miles or so, nice green hills, Rock Creek, and the edge of the Custer National Forest. Here's Jan at a particularly nice stretch of road before we entered the mountains.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8uWB9z0W-RtUFc09t8guIo9F5QbbezEXK5hCLjfzSVlfBesdGcdhW_RDk-QcVOWSfalXITvMciTSs0zydCKmuOEjnqRpqg1Wdssnw917jjj0x5jWbfF971Fe5Mbw9u_yx7OOsGnqcWE/s1600/WP_20140607_10_06_57_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8uWB9z0W-RtUFc09t8guIo9F5QbbezEXK5hCLjfzSVlfBesdGcdhW_RDk-QcVOWSfalXITvMciTSs0zydCKmuOEjnqRpqg1Wdssnw917jjj0x5jWbfF971Fe5Mbw9u_yx7OOsGnqcWE/s1600/WP_20140607_10_06_57_Pro.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jan in the Foothills</td></tr>
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Once we really got into the mountains, at about 15 miles, we started to see all the familiar elements of a Rocky Mountain (or Alps) road bike ride. Sharp switchbacks, snow-covered mountains, dropping temperatures and bursts of wind.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFb2NTx5jtL5692n3Gxm6XzKn7r1P6MLh_nNaVRBso_RZQf3om6DnDS-Cj-n9eYpMIEol94HqyMC4Y0fNtf0kRiF36U2lgN0M9hoMflf8XbqV1KmFiwTn7HU_kZExDbkBDzi4ihswE_Y/s1600/WP_20140607_12_09_31_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFb2NTx5jtL5692n3Gxm6XzKn7r1P6MLh_nNaVRBso_RZQf3om6DnDS-Cj-n9eYpMIEol94HqyMC4Y0fNtf0kRiF36U2lgN0M9hoMflf8XbqV1KmFiwTn7HU_kZExDbkBDzi4ihswE_Y/s1600/WP_20140607_12_09_31_Pro.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rex at about 8,500 ft</td></tr>
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At around the 26 mile mark, we entered the state of Wyoming. And the wind and lowering temps were really starting to kick in. I rarely wear a jacket when I'm climbing since my body generates so much heat and I hate to get wet and sweaty. But I did stop and put my jacket on this time. And, as you can see, there is still quite a bit of snow up here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYWZZ6I_SOxAQnxnO1V4QIUPPvsc8N-gL6ymC7xMQyPxalBSyoRhAu0JjGdWr1fY_RDYX8HU15tC-tIEHu0DIU5tz8uj40rEUB8HvYGZoob9bT6JAgYuJ1bpgUqeshIYgyWvnHuWVY_A/s1600/WP_20140607_12_27_14_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYWZZ6I_SOxAQnxnO1V4QIUPPvsc8N-gL6ymC7xMQyPxalBSyoRhAu0JjGdWr1fY_RDYX8HU15tC-tIEHu0DIU5tz8uj40rEUB8HvYGZoob9bT6JAgYuJ1bpgUqeshIYgyWvnHuWVY_A/s1600/WP_20140607_12_27_14_Pro.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Montana</td></tr>
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At this point, I am feeling the effects of the climbing on my legs, and the elevation on my lungs. I'm not in good climbing shape yet - I was probably more physically tired at this point than on any ride since mid-2012. But, the beautiful views kept my mind off of my sore legs. At about 10,000 feet, the views of the Beartooth and Absaroka mountain ranges were breathtaking.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVAE3yeVobQNtJXvcXPnBfhLIUg2bAVV50srEdFGAYqD8bnDSjOasIa9O0GSUVRViuVJcXvA3Xe1etGFRHesl90mJBuWmXyu5JA7S_H3rkgR4Kh5qLNiCXsbUQbyQJOrbeXIjNOwppHc/s1600/WP_20140607_13_54_04_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVAE3yeVobQNtJXvcXPnBfhLIUg2bAVV50srEdFGAYqD8bnDSjOasIa9O0GSUVRViuVJcXvA3Xe1etGFRHesl90mJBuWmXyu5JA7S_H3rkgR4Kh5qLNiCXsbUQbyQJOrbeXIjNOwppHc/s1600/WP_20140607_13_54_04_Pro.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View at 10,000 feet</td></tr>
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We hit a number of great sites during the 4-5 miles and 800 feet of climbing - including a running ski lift and about 100 snowboarders. But I was too tired at that point to stop and take a proper picture. After a false summit near mile 30, we pushed on to the real summit at mile 32.5 at 10,800 ft. We stopped here for a rest and got some nice pictures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIgnzhBs75DD-UTmXubcsUdAJwhGhLODnPmm2Dr72oTwAtBHB9m7v7TA2fVJuVWZGxJrB-q0m1Tzothcxa4I5WHXpD24c2qpEbBnc22rlgFvgl46QyIGqZghAXO0Oj_D3HxFOi1rqWA4/s1600/WP_20140607_13_27_16_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIgnzhBs75DD-UTmXubcsUdAJwhGhLODnPmm2Dr72oTwAtBHB9m7v7TA2fVJuVWZGxJrB-q0m1Tzothcxa4I5WHXpD24c2qpEbBnc22rlgFvgl46QyIGqZghAXO0Oj_D3HxFOi1rqWA4/s1600/WP_20140607_13_27_16_Pro.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Obligatory "Bike in Snow" Picture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And here's Jan and I at the summit. We happened to be wearing matching bike jerseys from <a href="http://www.boneyardbeer.com/boneyardbeer/HOME.html" target="_blank">Boneyard Beer</a> in Bend, OR - which looks pretty funny in this picture. On facebook, Jan's friend called us the "Pirates of the Beartooth". I like it!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlKJf1RRoBife2rZ-N9HrS_APN2gnkYXvAVFzs_rPTY4EHtidJiTNHeG7ciChd2iSnWWXj8yjp9qzwGkfsP7nL0nA3NgBZbwIL2S0BfOVcxWDUHKqH8xEACneze2UoguCOCLP94kh_q8/s1600/10344133_10203085829725355_8341148959429197774_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlKJf1RRoBife2rZ-N9HrS_APN2gnkYXvAVFzs_rPTY4EHtidJiTNHeG7ciChd2iSnWWXj8yjp9qzwGkfsP7nL0nA3NgBZbwIL2S0BfOVcxWDUHKqH8xEACneze2UoguCOCLP94kh_q8/s1600/10344133_10203085829725355_8341148959429197774_o.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Pirates of the Beartooth!</td></tr>
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<div>
We didn't stop for pictures on the way down. It gets pretty darned cold at 10,000 feet when you're barreling down a mountain at 30 to 40 miles per hour. For the first 1/3 of the descent I had to constantly work my fingers around to keep them from going numb. It warmed up quickly, though, and soon enough we were back at the house for a shower, nap, and drive to Billings to return Jan's rental bike.</div>
<h3>
Ride Two - Upper Luther Road</h3>
<div>
Sunday was definitely a recovery ride for me. I think Jan would have had no problem pulling off another tough ride, but I didn't have the legs for it. We ended up riding a 21 mile out-and-back on Highway 78 north out of Red Lodge towards Columbus, MT, turning around after a short segue on Upper Luther Road. This was also a very pretty ride - rolling green farmland nestled against the mountains. The GPS log of the ride can be viewed here: <a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/151256714">http://www.strava.com/activities/151256714</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6q_moeaLkY6FzxBUlIuIpc7ydabTnFYYFenYV8-TgyTra-sdxSGo00CT59lTAF3_PxcCBrOz3SjE4-02G8qmdhDvYgHKU2BTF2x7xWtRZlBOSPWIOzI6H-uvnyT7tXSfy5EWZRw0dCo0/s1600/WP_20140608_13_22_22_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6q_moeaLkY6FzxBUlIuIpc7ydabTnFYYFenYV8-TgyTra-sdxSGo00CT59lTAF3_PxcCBrOz3SjE4-02G8qmdhDvYgHKU2BTF2x7xWtRZlBOSPWIOzI6H-uvnyT7tXSfy5EWZRw0dCo0/s1600/WP_20140608_13_22_22_Pro.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolling Green Hills on Hwy 78</td></tr>
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Not much else to say about this ride, except my legs held up well and I got to ride Rick's '87 Schwinn SuperSport for the second time this year. That bike is still fun to ride.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQFIxdXxoW7_Zs6ymuShchIsMHTyowsU5Epf1fU3XR-66dSS6duQD82pcXmT9Is3SSCqG8BSxBxTUzh0RgUim3HX7et50Gpu_aW1MbkRx0DcR2C-pDsryiU6z7vdfTIQIp2Br-hZBOa0/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQFIxdXxoW7_Zs6ymuShchIsMHTyowsU5Epf1fU3XR-66dSS6duQD82pcXmT9Is3SSCqG8BSxBxTUzh0RgUim3HX7et50Gpu_aW1MbkRx0DcR2C-pDsryiU6z7vdfTIQIp2Br-hZBOa0/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pink Bike!</td></tr>
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<div>
It looks like Upper Luther Road would have been a great ride - continued rolling hills in lush green farmland with little to no traffic. But, I thought it best if I turn around while my legs still felt okay as we had plenty of hills to climb on the way back.</div>
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All in all, it was a great weekend of cycling, contributing most of the 100+ miles I put in last week. I have more work to do, but I think I'll be okay for the MS Ride later this month...</div>
Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-15469488577995571052014-05-19T22:11:00.004-07:002014-05-20T10:31:14.404-07:00...and here we go (again) - Bike MS 2014!Hi everyone! This blog article is my official kick-off for Bike MS 2014 fundraising. Bike MS is in Logan, Utah this year on June 28th and 29th. I wanted to start my fundraising by reviewing last year's ride and giving you some highlights from the 2013 Chapter Annual Report - so you see more about how your money was used last year. And lastly, I'll show you how to donate to Bike MS 2014, I hope I can count on your continued support this year. Details after the jump...<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>First off, THANK YOU for helping make Bike MS 2013 a success, and for helping make life better for those folks affected by MS in our local communities. Here's my <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/07/bike-ms-2013-recap.html" target="_blank">detailed recap from last year's ride</a> - including lots of pictures, GPS routes of our riding, and a few stories about people I met that weekend who really touched my heart. I treasure the connections I make on these rides more than anything else...<br />
<br />
Here are some updated, finalized statistics from Bike MS 2013, and my and Team WinCo's fundraising efforts.<br />
<ul>
<li>2,500 riders teamed up to raise $1.57 million for the Utah-Southern Idaho chapter of the National MS Society! (More info about the significance of this amount later in the article...)</li>
<li>Team WinCo raised a total of $17,520! This earned us the <a href="http://bikeutu.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BIKE_UTU_Results_UT" target="_blank">"Top Rookie Team"</a> award!</li>
<li>We (you and I) teamed up to raise $7,800 - which placed us at 13th place overall. This was a slight increase in fundraising from last year, but the fundraising ranking decreased from 8th to 13th. That is all good news in my mind, as that tells me we had more big-dollar fundraisers on the ride in 2013 than we had in 2012.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;">Team WinCo placed three riders in the "<a href="http://bikeutu.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageNavigator/BIKE_UTU_Results_150_Club.html" target="_blank">150 Club</a>", which recognizes the top 150 fundraisers: Rex Parker (13), Greg Goins (27) and Eric Jeglum (72). The "150 Club" represents the top 6% of all the riders in Bike MS last year, so it's a small group of dedicated fundraisers. I'm proud to be in this group, and proud of my teammates!</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;">Most of our team rode the full distance: 175 miles in two days. Cumulative riding for the team was <span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px; text-align: start;">1,790 miles! </span>The riding was fantastic, and the weather was HOT - as evidenced by one of my favorite pictures from last year, our team captain Greg cooling off by sitting on some ice blocks with other riders and volunteers.</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg on Ice</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
If you're interested, all of our pictures from the event can be viewed <a href="http://1drv.ms/1p6O62L" target="_blank">here</a>. As you can probably tell, we had a great time, as did everyone else I met that weekend. And we're sure looking forward to fundraising and riding again this year.</div>
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So, on to one of my favorite things to share with you all - the 2013 Annual Report for the Utah-Southern Idaho chapter of the National MS Society. What are some of the things you helped make possible this year? Some highlights from the report...</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ul>
<li>More than 6,700 people have sought services from our chapter</li>
<li>1,412 people attended 80 different programs, including education, emotional health, family, social, physical wellness, and professional education</li>
<li>Over 16 scholarships were awarded to students with or impacted by MS, totaling $24,500</li>
<li>118 people received direct financial assistance to help them remain independent and in their homes, or to assists them through a hardship and time of need - 30% of those dollars are spend on utilities and housing expenses. You may recall that a portion of the <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/12/hoppy-holidays-busted-wagon-holiday-ipa.html" target="_blank">Busted Wagon fundraiser</a> proceeds here in Boise was earmarked for direct financial assistance as well, and it's clearly needed.</li>
<li>There has also been exciting news on the research front, <a href="http://www.tecfidera.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Branded+Full+Patient&utm_term=tecfidera&utm_content=Information|mkwid|s1jUJOj77_dc|pcrid|25491086347&utm_brand=Tecfidera" target="_blank">with a 10th form of treatment approved last year</a>, and a new research focus this year on progressive MS - which could really help folks like my brother Rick.</li>
</ul>
<div>
On the financial side of things, I wanted to highlight just how important Bike MS is to our chapter. Total revenue for the chapter last year was $2.47 million dollars. Bike MS bought in $1.57 million on its own. That's roughly <b>%64</b> of total revenue for the year. From ONE EVENT. Bike MS raises over three times the amount of all of the Walk MS events in our chapter combined. Bike MS is a huge event, with a huge impact to our chapter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2RKl51yn5NqEUI_y7ll9YNC3ftNWuwxbK29Ou8z6t-0pIz7VH8Va8OA_SLv2yEzgkBxYTx9Rke1j9iI_8_nZQ5g_lj1_fMjFrubmE-r35O6_KHgzEiYW8PwwNqsoc-NuBR8st5FM4Oc/s1600/ms+utah+revenue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2RKl51yn5NqEUI_y7ll9YNC3ftNWuwxbK29Ou8z6t-0pIz7VH8Va8OA_SLv2yEzgkBxYTx9Rke1j9iI_8_nZQ5g_lj1_fMjFrubmE-r35O6_KHgzEiYW8PwwNqsoc-NuBR8st5FM4Oc/s1600/ms+utah+revenue.JPG" height="320" width="284" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Total Chapter Revenue, Page 8, 2013 Annual Report</td></tr>
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Another interesting number: Programs and Services cost $2.01 million to run last year. Bike MS bought in enough money to cover <b>%78</b> of the cost of these Programs and Services! Now, my percentages are not exact, I'm not allocating Benefit to Donor Costs or expenses for each special event or revenue source...but they are close, I'm sure, and my intent is to communicate how important Bike MS is to our chapter.</div>
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I'd hate to think of where we'd be without Bike MS, and I'm proud to participate, and I hope that you are as well.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
You can access the 2013 annual report <a href="http://www.nationalmssociety.org/NationalMSSociety/media/Utah-Southern-Idaho/About%20this%20Chapter/Files/AnnualReports/UTU-FY2013-AnnualReport.pdf" target="_blank">online here</a>, and I would absolutely encourage you to do so. It's a quick 11-page read, and you can check out my good friend and teammate <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/06/other-voices-why-gordy-rides-bike-ms.html" target="_blank">Gordie Myre</a>, posing with the rest of the "I Ride With MS" riders at Bike MS 2013 on Page 5.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
To wrap this up, I'll just say one more time - THANK YOU for your generous support of me, Bike MS, and the National MS Society over the past two years - and I'd be honored to receive your support again this year. Team WinCo's goal this year? Double the riders, double the fundraising. And with your help, I know we can do it. </div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
You can donate to Bike MS 2014 by clicking on the DONATE button above, on the banner at the top of this page, or you can go directly to my <a href="http://www.nationalmssociety.org/goto/rexparker" target="_blank">fundraising page here</a>.<br />
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Here we go!</div>
Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-62906492838690236892014-04-28T09:49:00.000-07:002014-05-02T12:14:05.923-07:00Bike MS 2014 - Fundraising Kickoff is Near!Hi everyone,<br />
<br />
Well, I'm very close to launching the Bike MS 2014 fundraising campaign. More details on 2014 planning after the break...<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
So, I'm starting fundraising later than most years. There have been lots of things going on that have taken focus away from getting the fundraising organized and launched. Moving, work travel, etc, etc. But, I've been very pleased and surprised that some of you have already donated, and have been asking me what the hold-up is :) So - I hear you, and I'm getting organized and ready to launch fundraising this weekend.<br />
<br />
Part of this launch will be to write a blog article on last year's annual financial report for our chapter. Lots of good stuff to read in that report - you'll not only get a recap of how your money was spent last year, but exciting news about focus areas for 2014. Other topics that I'll be touching on in the coming weeks will include:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>2014 training plans and team goals for Team Winco. We hope to double both the size of our team and the amount of money we raise this year, and we're well on our way.</li>
<li>News about a Bike MS 2014 informational session here in Boise on Wednesday, May 7th</li>
<li>Overview of 2013 MS Society Impact Award winners in our chapter. I was honored to be included in this list of inspiring people this year, and I'd like to introduce you to these folks who are our making a real impact throughout our chapter.</li>
<li>Recaps of recent Boise area fund-raisers at 10 Barrel Brewing and Payette Brewing</li>
<li>An update on some work that I'm helping with at the national level of the Society to improve Constituent Relationship Management (that's you) - with new processes, systems, and data management.</li>
</ul>
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If there are any other topics you'd like to hear about via this blog, please do let me know via email, or by leaving a comment below. I'd love to hear from you, and would also like to make sure I'm pushing out relevant and interesting content.<br />
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And as always, please feel free to click on the banner image above, or on the "Click To Donate" button to your right to make a donation to help in the fight against MS. Or, just go to my personal fundraising web page here: <a href="http://www.nationalmssociety.org/goto/rexparker">http://www.nationalmssociety.org/goto/rexparker</a></div>
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Thanks! Look for more news on the fundraising launch soon, and I'm looking forward to engaging with you all again for a very successful Bike MS 2014 fundraising season.</div>
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<div>
-Rex</div>
Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-27219995636765242882013-12-16T11:39:00.002-08:002014-05-08T12:25:40.285-07:00UPDATED - Hoppy Holidays! Busted Wagon Holiday IPA & the MS Society<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
05/08/14 - UPDATE! Back in March, we received the total fundraising amounts from the Payette Brewing / Hayden Distributing Holiday fundraiser - and I wanted to share them with you all. The totals are:</div>
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Payette Brewing: $3,596.60</div>
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Hayden Distributing: $1.265.00</div>
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That's a total of $4,860.60 to our chapter of the MS Society! Funds raised were earmarked for providing local financial assistance and support for those in our communities impacted by MS. For more detail, please read the original blog post below. Thanks to all who came out and supported this effort by enjoying some delicious Busted Wagon Holiday IPA! And a huge thank you to Payette Brewing, Hayden Beverage and to all of our local eating and drinking establishments who proudly served Busted Wagon!</div>
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<a href="http://www.payettebrewing.com/" target="_blank">Payette Brewing Company</a> and <a href="http://www.haydenbeverage.com/" target="_blank">Hayden Beverage</a> here in Boise, ID are holding a great holiday fundraiser for the National MS Society - Utah and Southern Idaho Chapter. And you can help, simply by having a delicious, hoppy, well-balanced holiday beer at your favorite establishment this month! Learn how after the break...</div>
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So...Payette Brewing Company has supported local charities and causes as long as they've been around. I don't know of any other company in Boise that does more to help the community than Payette Brewing. One example is their weekly "Kegs 4 Kause" event - where they donate a % of proceeds in their taproom to a local charity. The MS Society has been a Kegs 4 Kause recipient multiple times over the past couple of years.<br />
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Another example is a fundraiser this holiday season that is very near and dear to me - Busted Wagon Holiday IPA. Busted Wagon is a seasonal beer that Payette releases every December. Payette and their distributor, Hayden Beverage, donate 100% of the proceeds from Busted Wagon to a local charity. This year, the MS Society - Utah and Southern Idaho Chapter is the recipient of this fundraiser!</div>
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To put this in context - Payette brewed 45 barrels of this beer, or approximately 80+ kegs. These kegs have been sold to drinking and eating establishments all throughout the Treasure Valley (and one in Twin Falls.) Every penny that Hayden Beverage and Payette collects from those keg sales is being donated to the MS Society. Not being in the industry, I'm not sure how much the kegs sell for, or what the margin is - but I think it's safe to say that this is a multi-thousand dollar fundraiser.</div>
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Some Busted Wagon History...</h3>
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I have some personal history with this beer also. The beer was conceived three years ago, as part of a live auction fundraiser during for the Centennial Gala for the Women's and Children's Alliance (WCA) here in Boise. Bea Black (WCA Executive Director), Katherine Johnson (WCA Marketing Director at the time), Mike Francis (Owner, Payette Brewing Company), and Jacob Black (Sales Director, Payette Brewing Company) brainstormed this auction package that would give the winning bidder the opportunity to brew their home-brew recipe at Payette Brewing on professional brewing equipment. Additionally, that beer would be kegged, bottled, and distributed to local bars, proceeds to be donated to the WCA. Oh, and the winning bidder got to host a "beer premiere party" at the brewery for 50 of his or her friends, local catering included. Good times!</div>
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My friends and I put together an "investment group" (headed up by my pal Eric Nelson) of about 25 guys who ended up winning the auction. The top five investors got to brew the beer hands-on at Payette (the rest of us attended the release party.) My friends Steve Delnista and Scott Jeide provided the recipe - and that beer was Busted Wagon. I should note that Steve and I won the first and (so far) only "Busted Wagon Cornhole Tournament" that night. I, for one, am glad to retire that trophy while we're on top...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top Cornholers Rex and Steve</td></tr>
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Busted Wagon was so successful that first year that Payette brewed the recipe again last year, increased the batch size, and chose a local charity to donate the proceeds to. This year, the batch size was increased again (to 45 barrels) and Payette invited local charities to apply to be the recipient of the proceeds. When the application process was announced, I immediately contacted my friend <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/06/other-voices-why-megan-supports-ms.html" target="_blank">Megan Nettleton</a> at the MS Society, and Megan submitted a terrific application package. We were notified shortly thereafter that the MS Society was one of three finalists, and then ultimately that the MS Society was the winning charity this year!</div>
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<h3>
Busted Wagon 2013 - The Release</h3>
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Sheila Francis (Marketing Director, Payette Brewing Company) sent out a nice<a href="http://www.payettebrewing.com/adventure-log/busted-wagon-to-benefit-the-national-ms-society" target="_blank"> press release</a> about Busted Wagon and the MS Society earlier this month. In the press release, Sheila commends the MS Society "...for their dedication to helping not only those who are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis but also their family members..." and also notes that "...the local chapter of the MS Society has been very active in fundraising through activities such as cycling races and walks." </div>
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I couldn't agree more! </div>
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Furthermore, Hayden Beverage expressed interest in earmarking the donation for the personal financial assistance program that the MS Society offers. I love this program, which helps those impacted by MS manage the daily challenges presented by MS. In our family, there were many such challenges as my brother Rick was unable to work, and was having a difficult time receiving Medicaid. Things like paying for in-home physical therapy, a care-giver, wheelchairs, cooling vests, or even paying utility bills were very trying at times. The family rallied and helped as much as we could, but it never quite seemed to be enough. Please consider visiting our local <a href="http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/utu/programs--services/financial-assistance/index.aspx" target="_blank">MS Society chapter's web site here</a> to learn more about the financial assistance program.</div>
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Payette threw a great release party on Monday, December 9th in their taproom. Megan and Becky Lyttle (Vice President, Community Development) with our MS Society chapter office in Salt Lake City were on hand. Greg Goins, Doug Jenkins, and Gail McGarry from our Bike MS team, Team WinCo, were there as well - along with a whole bar full of friends, family, and MS Society supporters. We blew through an entire keg of Busted Wagon, and made a dent in a second, and I had a great night with my friends and new acquaintances. It was a successful kickoff for sure!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating Busted Wagon Holiday IPA 2013! <br />
From left to right: Doug, Terri, Greg, Rex (me), Becky, Megan, Heather<br />
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And lastly, I really appreciate Payette's vetting process for this fundraiser, and their focus on outcomes - how the charities are helping people in our community, in real and tangible ways. Megan said that <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"...It was one of the most rewarding application processes for me because they asked for stories and pictures of actual people we are able to help through the Society. Most applications are very mandated, but Payette gave me the chance to put together three personal stories along with some candid photos - by the time I submitted it I was getting all teared up myself!" Me too. You may have read about a couple of these folks on this blog earlier in the year - my friend <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/06/other-voices-why-gordy-rides-bike-ms.html" target="_blank">Gordy Myre</a>, and my brother <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/05/why-i-ride-rick-parker.html" target="_blank">Rick Parker</a>.</span></span><br />
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How You Can Help!</h3>
<b>So - here's where we need your help!</b> As I see it, this fundraiser is predicated on selling kegs of Busted Wagon to local establishments. If Busted Wagon is wildly popular, then those establishments will certainly be inclined to order Busted Wagon again next year (paying it forward to the next deserving charity.) So - <b>we need to find where Busted Wagon is being served, and go support those establishments</b>. And, the fact that Busted Wagon is a fantastic beer should make this an easy decision!<br />
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<b>How will you know where to find Busted Wagon?</b> Sheila provided a list of local establishments that ordered Busted Wagon this year...you can find the list <a href="http://www.payettebrewing.com/adventure-log/where-can-i-find-busted-wagon-on-tap" target="_blank">here</a>. Now...we're not sure when each establishment will be putting Busted Wagon on tap - so you may want to phone your favorite places and ask. Also, I'll try and post to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rex.a.parker" target="_blank">Facebook</a> every time Busted Wagon is spotted on tap and where - using the hash tag <b>#BustedWagon</b>. If you're an <a href="https://untappd.com/" target="_blank">Untappd </a>user, check out the <a href="https://untappd.com/b/payette-brewing-co-busted-wagon-holiday-ipa/526943" target="_blank">Busted Wagon Holiday IPA check-in list</a> for locations.<br />
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Also - Payette produced a poster and a very cool tap handle for Busted Wagon. Look for these at your local eating and drinking establishments throughout this month!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Busted Wagon Poster</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Busted Wagon Tap Handle</td></tr>
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For example: I enjoyed a Busted Wagon (okay, I had more than one...) the other night at the River Room in Whole Foods. Check out the awesome Busted Wagon tap handle. Beautiful!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Busted Wagon at the River Room in Whole Foods</td></tr>
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And - don't forget to visit the <a href="http://www.payettebrewing.com/about/#contact" target="_blank">Payette Brewing taproom</a>! Stop by, have a pint or two of Busted Wagon, take some home in a growler.</div>
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Hope to see you out on the "Busted Wagon Trail" this month!</div>
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And thank you so much - Payette Brewing Company and Hayden Beverage - for your continued support of the MS Society!</div>
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Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-81163401281537626582013-07-11T19:22:00.001-07:002013-07-11T19:22:24.493-07:00Other Voices - Why Patti Supports the MS Society<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My friend Patti Bernhardt was kind enough to contribute an article to "Biking MS" this week. This is a must-read story about how MS has affected her family, but also a story about one of the toughest women I know. In my opinion, this will likely be the best article you will have read on this site all year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's Patti's story...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Two years ago my brother died of pneumonia as a result of MS. Well, really MS is what I say he had. He had Devic's syndrome, a special form of MS known to be severe. There were around 2000 cases in the world when he was diagnosed. The disease and treatment closely follow MS and research and work done by the MS society helps those with Devic's. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It all started 12 years ago when my brother Tommy was having some leg pain. He was literally walking into the building for a doctors appointment to check out the pain when it got so bad he needed to sit down on a park bench. He never walked again. He was 35 years old. Quickly he was paralyzed from the rib cage down and lost sight in one eye. Additional attacks would affect the vision in his other eye, the use of his arms. Luckily through treatment these came back. When diagnosed the prognosis was 5-15 years. He knew the battle ahead of him. Did I mention his wife was pregnant with their first child when he was diagnosed? To say he had a lot to live for is an understatement. He battled the deterioration of his body, difficult rehabilitation, depression, difficulties with family, friends. But his son Jeffrey was the center of his life. Guaranteed smiles. He saw Jeffrey turn 10 years old shortly before he died. I wish they could have had more time together and at the same time thankful they had the time they did. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are a few images of Tommy that stick with me from the time he was sick. One day he took his dog out for a "run" while he raced along in his motorized scooter. He didn't notice his foot was dragging the whole time and it was a banged up mess by the time he got back. The simple task of exercising the dog is not so simple when you are paralyzed. Another is visiting him in hospice and watching him struggle for breath. I was so mad at the world. Life is so unfair. I had just started doing triathlons again after a long break and thought that no matter how hard it gets, it is nothing compared to what Tommy is going through. Then it was time to say goodbye. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My health and determination are a gift. A gift I am more aware of because of Tommy. I recently completed Boise 70.3, a local half ironman. This was a race I always thought I would do "someday" when the kids are older, blah, blah. Then I thought, life is short, do it now. It was really hard. Training was consuming and I had unplanned gall bladder surgery 17 days before the race. Recovery went well and I raced. Not particularly well, but I finished. And that means I won! Do I run triathlons for my brother? No, I run triathlons because I love them. And I can. And remembering my brother is that push when I need it most. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That pretty much sums up my MS story. Support people and causes that are important to you and cherish the gift of health. Walk the dog, climb a mountain, go to a yoga class, bike to work, whatever you love that gets you moving. And take as many people along with you as you can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cheers, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Patti"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This story really touches me - there are a lot of parallels here with me, for one thing - having both lost brothers in their prime. But you also have to love that contagious positive attitude and determination. I was at Patti's house shortly after her surgery, watching a formula one race with her husband, Greg. I could see Patti was in some pain, but was already talking about the walk she was going to take that afternoon, and how she was going to go ahead and do the Ironman race that was coming up in just two weeks. I'm fortunate to know Patti and many others here in Boise who motivate me to stay active and fit, and try things that I would not have imagined doing just a few short years ago.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thanks so much for sharing, Patti.</span></div>
Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-14703058749907470312013-07-03T08:35:00.001-07:002013-07-03T21:47:34.526-07:00Bike MS 2013 Recap!Bike MS: Harmon's Best Dam Bike Ride 2013 is on the books! Team WinCo rode a cumulative 1,790 miles and raised $15,625 (and counting) to help in the fight against MS. Here is a recap of this amazing weekend.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Bike MS 2013 was huge! Here is a quick overview of some key statistics from the event...<br />
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<li>As of today, my fundraising total is <b>$6,505</b> (and counting!) with several donations coming in over the weekend - currently good for 12th place overall in individual fundraising</li>
<li>Team WinCo has raised nearly <b>$16,000</b> (and counting!)</li>
<li>Overall, the event has raised<b> $1.5 million dollars</b> for the fight against MS! The goal is 1.6 million, so we're hoping to close that gap during the month of July...</li>
<li>2,600 riders registered for the event - down from nearly 3,000 last year. Speculation is that forecasts of extreme heat (101 degrees was predicted for Saturday) caused the ridership to decline a bit this year. This makes the fundraising total all the more impressive!</li>
<li>Top Fundraising Team: Bad Ass Coffee - $114,000 (I forget the exact number)</li>
<li>Top Individual Fundraiser(s) - Willie and Linda Blocker with an incredible $30,000 each. When asked how they accomplished this, they simply credited the generosity of their friends and family. This is something I can certainly identify with.</li>
<li>Top Rookie Team: TEAM WINCO! Woo-hoo!</li>
<li>Largest Team: Harmon's Grocery - I believe they had about 140 riders. Wow!</li>
</ul>
<div>
Before we get into the ride in more detail, here's a quick introduction to Team WinCo...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Team WinCo</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsJMfIHHVG-m6nYcrpzaZ4a0a0HuBJbIuAIgh5LTDWmt4o9udDhhta2m5Xz9y314GrhTH8kANO6IvT1izjGaE5TsdB8oZ2Oav5TIiRr6SzqQgfppuZVmczmeCw5zjZzUJBvmZydBJV3I/s1600/1039854_10201420193205139_499417631_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsJMfIHHVG-m6nYcrpzaZ4a0a0HuBJbIuAIgh5LTDWmt4o9udDhhta2m5Xz9y314GrhTH8kANO6IvT1izjGaE5TsdB8oZ2Oav5TIiRr6SzqQgfppuZVmczmeCw5zjZzUJBvmZydBJV3I/s400/1039854_10201420193205139_499417631_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team WinCo, Day One</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
From left to right in this photo, the team members (and city of origin) were:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Steve Baggerly, Boise</li>
<li>Rex Parker (Me!), Boise</li>
<li>Doug Jenkins, Boise</li>
<li>Eric Jeglum, Boise</li>
<li>Kathleen Romito, Boise</li>
<li>Mike Morris, San Diego</li>
<li>Greg Goins, Boise</li>
<li>Mark Lavin, Boise</li>
<li>Joe Cooley, Salt Lake City</li>
<li>Scott Brady, Salt Lake City</li>
<li>Chad Moore, Salt Lake City</li>
<li>Gordy Myre (not pictured), Boise</li>
<li>Gail McGarry (not pictured), Boise</li>
</ul>
<div>
Greg was our team captain, and did a great job this year on a number of fronts. Greg secured sponsorship for our team jerseys, recruited all of the non-Boise riders to the team, and personally raised an amazing $4,150 in donations. Speaking of jerseys, thanks to Steve Baggerly for designing those great looking cycling kits.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm also very proud of the fact that we had two riders with MS this year. One of those riders, Gordy, you may know about - you can read all about Gordy <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/06/other-voices-why-gordy-rides-bike-ms.html" target="_blank">in this article I published last week</a>. Gordy rode 25 miles each day last weekend. Here's a great photo of Gordy finishing up on Day 2. </div>
</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILNnE6SBSG-4nKMd1jrsZrzuqrJj0OcNfKkibWPyP8IELUsVcGyY6KBnnk25lWz5SX5qWihDz3l7a0MJI11uH1ihd-3sn2YL4Mzj32hAx6RlkjSFayyVfno1YuWLMnx11qsnN4O4Lq1w/s640/bike+ms+-+gordy+day+2+finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILNnE6SBSG-4nKMd1jrsZrzuqrJj0OcNfKkibWPyP8IELUsVcGyY6KBnnk25lWz5SX5qWihDz3l7a0MJI11uH1ihd-3sn2YL4Mzj32hAx6RlkjSFayyVfno1YuWLMnx11qsnN4O4Lq1w/s320/bike+ms+-+gordy+day+2+finish.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gordy finishing up on Day 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
The device around Gordy's neck is a cooling device - heat can wreak havoc with MS, and there was plenty of heat this weekend, especially on Sunday (more on that later)! I've only been doing Bike MS for a couple of years, but I already can not imagine this event without Gordy. As I've mentioned before, Gordy really is the "face" of Bike MS for us Idaho riders, and we were very proud to have him on the team this year.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Day One</h3>
<div>
Saturday was our 100 mile day. Here's a map of the course we rode.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLI4JQRUDFiz_STUGm9FtbYFAdT3d3XpQklnlZP8ITUSXngEj7hktH_fBxZkPYq7HL4x-EtQFyN9XtCU96kREfEbdeDOLVGMGjHLvefZW6eRzGjFsto-2Xl5fjAwYlrfgnq6VTL49_x4/s688/bike+ms+-+map+day+1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLI4JQRUDFiz_STUGm9FtbYFAdT3d3XpQklnlZP8ITUSXngEj7hktH_fBxZkPYq7HL4x-EtQFyN9XtCU96kREfEbdeDOLVGMGjHLvefZW6eRzGjFsto-2Xl5fjAwYlrfgnq6VTL49_x4/s320/bike+ms+-+map+day+1.PNG" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike MS Route, Day One</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
And here's <a href="http://app.strava.com/activities/63660578" target="_blank">my GPS log of the day one ride</a>, on strava.com. (You can also access this via the strava "widget" on the right-hand side of this blog)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Bike MS started each day at the Cache Valley Fairgrounds. Day one started pretty darned early. It seems that I always have to get up at 5:00 am or earlier to start these long rides. You saw the team picture above, of us waiting to start. Here's a great shot of me, Doug, and Megan hanging out at the fairgrounds prior to the ride.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwokir7izEvOr3F0aueUXfarM4_Fr4Gr2uShlA82wfCIYFVPUvJvATzeUKvfu_3BLM8zLhDNlN2qVnGaAK-X8N1invv3JxAeTtRmUX0NEwZYy5Izw-mP8moebHCNha9Q1zXFSyNDqJ4s/s1215/1039622_10201420190645075_1876591026_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwokir7izEvOr3F0aueUXfarM4_Fr4Gr2uShlA82wfCIYFVPUvJvATzeUKvfu_3BLM8zLhDNlN2qVnGaAK-X8N1invv3JxAeTtRmUX0NEwZYy5Izw-mP8moebHCNha9Q1zXFSyNDqJ4s/s320/1039622_10201420190645075_1876591026_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Megan, and Doug - ready to start the ride</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
There were so many riders, that we had to start in "waves". Here's an idea of what it's like to have over 2,500 riders queued up waiting for their wave to start. We got a late start to the day, as someone decided to move a house along the route right before we were supposed to start.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9uctz8Od6sMwEfQ_n1ruguU3uqXWd5FR1MIR8c29qj6ih9c5pGnYwBo9ocXs63e0sC1TuHGVmrr6Zx4IavrI7-4T32zlN1ahbuIBgEV6VQQAriFhJouDyuN6MhcvoQho1zIa4EBe0B4/s1279/WP_20130629_008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9uctz8Od6sMwEfQ_n1ruguU3uqXWd5FR1MIR8c29qj6ih9c5pGnYwBo9ocXs63e0sC1TuHGVmrr6Zx4IavrI7-4T32zlN1ahbuIBgEV6VQQAriFhJouDyuN6MhcvoQho1zIa4EBe0B4/s400/WP_20130629_008.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queued up waiting for our start "wave"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You may have noticed in this picture that we wore bib numbers on the back of our jerseys. I was very proud of my bib number, shown below. The yellow color indicates that I was in the "MS 150" - the top 150 fundraisers from the 2012 rides in Utah and Idaho. The number 8 indicates that I was the 8th place fundraiser overall in 2012 (of a combined 3,080 riders.) My teammate Eric also had the honor of wearing a yellow bib number this year - and Greg will no doubt be joining us with a yellow bib next year.<br />
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIz9Q73M3IpD_GSo_GgLmS0lEEgR36gFgxctPxNDOaUbYpsmDiMtWJjW83umDeNiL0SgvnJRvj96MinOSruBQlsxUqvGth4er69CXjf0sLpv_EYtdmMfeovLWRsraumHFYZfKvdQ8pEg/s1279/WP_20130628_007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIz9Q73M3IpD_GSo_GgLmS0lEEgR36gFgxctPxNDOaUbYpsmDiMtWJjW83umDeNiL0SgvnJRvj96MinOSruBQlsxUqvGth4er69CXjf0sLpv_EYtdmMfeovLWRsraumHFYZfKvdQ8pEg/s320/WP_20130628_007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike MS 2013 jersey and the Team WinCo jersey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Anyway, back to the ride...we did finally start at around 7:30am, which was a 30 minute delay from the intended start. The heat was a constant concern this weekend, but thankfully we had a nice cloud cover for at least the first half of the ride on Saturday, which kept the temperature in the 80's. The ride Saturday was beautiful. We rode through small towns and farm lands north into Idaho, and back to Logan. Every rest stop we hit was fantastic, and the rest stops were plentiful. Here's a nice shot of Kathleen kicking back at the second rest stop of the day.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKO7AIvMJg_Guby9QJ_U755oxd3KJxCDaQiHsRdtvJAP7c9cI90xpbJgV3VXe6n059RgxU4i5bgE-gqCgpCBp9igNl74GJgcuR-NQnp-7nWLUqG4_bPKz_5mRjh_sMzH9kBnOHOq6ySsg/s1279/WP_20130629_014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKO7AIvMJg_Guby9QJ_U755oxd3KJxCDaQiHsRdtvJAP7c9cI90xpbJgV3VXe6n059RgxU4i5bgE-gqCgpCBp9igNl74GJgcuR-NQnp-7nWLUqG4_bPKz_5mRjh_sMzH9kBnOHOq6ySsg/s320/WP_20130629_014.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathleen among the bikes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Day one was memorable for the <a href="http://www.lostrivercycling.org/paceline.html" target="_blank">pace line riding</a>. I don't ride in pace lines very often, as I don't ride in large groups in Boise. But we had a single pace line going for much of the day, and it was good practice for me. I hear that you can ride with as much as 30% less effort in a pace line, and I believe it. You can be working fairly hard at keeping up an 18 mph pace, but in a pace line you will feel less effort and find that you're doing 20 mph. We also sucked a few riders from other teams into our pace line, which gave us a line of 12-15 riders at times.<br />
<br />
We had one exhilarating stretch from Rest Stop 2 to Rest Stop 3, where we had a lot of downhill and wide sweeping corners - and five of us formed a fast pace line, exceeding 30 miles per hour at times. Mike (our oldest rider) started the whole thing by setting a blistering pace leaving the rest stop. I think the pace line consisted of Mike, Mark, Kathleen, Scott, and myself. By the time I got to the front of the line, we were just starting a downhill stretch - and I remember glancing down at my GPS and seeing that we were well over 30 mph - I glanced backwards, and saw that everyone was still formed up in the line, right on my wheel - so I kept up the pace during my time in front. It's hard to describe what it's like to ride that fast within inches of the bike in front of you - but it was fun. And, you really have to focus hard on maintaining speed, riding consistently, and communicating with your fellow riders via hand signals. This kind of focus can really make the time fly on these rides.<br />
<br />
As it got hotter and hotter later in the day (well into the 90's), the volunteers at the rest stops really stepped it up to help us riders out. At most of the rest stops, the volunteers were hustling over to fill our water bottles without us having to get off our bikes. This support was greatly appreciated.<br />
<br />
Not much else to say about day one's ride, except that it really was a nice course, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I was sure ready to get off my bike after 100 miles, though. There were a great group of folks sitting on bleachers cheering us on at the finish line, and some volunteers handing out our finishing medal, which you can see in this picture.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgFdR_UP-7DNBpr4vCyVuEk6ixNgBY6qnt0N6_leAEEtwWVDsqbQGI3TG1Zqr-dg5YpzBMMOOT0FUqa4Q6Qg-rn7bJdvPeT8Pf9L-5BsxULpbX_gwd42tklvxlvtm8wMZU6vQST5K6LE/s1279/WP_20130629_018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgFdR_UP-7DNBpr4vCyVuEk6ixNgBY6qnt0N6_leAEEtwWVDsqbQGI3TG1Zqr-dg5YpzBMMOOT0FUqa4Q6Qg-rn7bJdvPeT8Pf9L-5BsxULpbX_gwd42tklvxlvtm8wMZU6vQST5K6LE/s320/WP_20130629_018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glad to be done with day one!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
One of the spectators noticed my yellow "MS 150" bib and my 8th place fundraising finish - and gave me a huge cheer for that. That really made my day, and was a perfect way to end the ride.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Day 2</h3>
Sunday was our 75 mile day. Here's a map of the course we rode.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2c4GjJBu28x9ELQ32Rww49gZCfw6oIpRnUPzDFkXOH-T8iJxnmq9KzI8UyTYn43sr4tK_ZC99lnIq4eqggdbN4u2K1Ui1CDY3XJf-NHbSJKoCK6jwdC9FR6Vo5OGwG_0mr5efyx2hEA/s890/bike+ms+-+map+day+2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2c4GjJBu28x9ELQ32Rww49gZCfw6oIpRnUPzDFkXOH-T8iJxnmq9KzI8UyTYn43sr4tK_ZC99lnIq4eqggdbN4u2K1Ui1CDY3XJf-NHbSJKoCK6jwdC9FR6Vo5OGwG_0mr5efyx2hEA/s320/bike+ms+-+map+day+2.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike MS course, day 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And here's <a href="http://app.strava.com/activities/63885982" target="_blank">my GPS log of the ride</a> on day two. Not to be repetitive, but Sunday was again a beautiful ride - highlighted by a climbing ride up Blacksmith Fork Canyon Road to <a href="http://wildlife.utah.gov/hardwareranch/visit.php" target="_blank">Hardware Ranch</a> and a nice ride by <a href="http://stateparks.utah.gov/park/hyrum-state-park" target="_blank">Hyrum Dam</a>. We were short a few riders on Sunday, as the Salt Lake contingent went home Saturday night and passed on day two.<br />
<br />
The canyon climb covered about 900 ft elevation gain over 14 miles (it felt like more climbing than that). A pretty gentle climb, actually - but there were side and head winds at times that made it a bit more difficult. Mark, Doug, and I climbed together in a small pace line and we made pretty good time. The descent was actually hard at times - going into a headwind once again (as if the wind changed directions in places). I peeled off to push the pace on the descent, and to take the opportunity to get a little bit of training work in - and Mark came with me for a descent that averaged about 27 miles an hour over 13.6 miles. It was another exhilarating part of the ride that I'll remember for a long time. Thanks Mark!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6jqw7pW_2v8M5BMt2yCnw52yIUHbSZpTNJGUbEjK2JOuEr3PP0FImNMmYdnFY5sZvBvFaTA7Hk61-KZcTULcVWGmPPz30Je_gObazEGht5-y9nDHiz0sGs4zhLablr-IOhtJDu6FdPU/s852/1013672_10201538572612032_1085453652_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6jqw7pW_2v8M5BMt2yCnw52yIUHbSZpTNJGUbEjK2JOuEr3PP0FImNMmYdnFY5sZvBvFaTA7Hk61-KZcTULcVWGmPPz30Je_gObazEGht5-y9nDHiz0sGs4zhLablr-IOhtJDu6FdPU/s320/1013672_10201538572612032_1085453652_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The team at Hardware Ranch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sunday was hotter than Saturday, as we did not have any cloud cover. But, we generally kept a good pace line going, and the day flew by. Once again the volunteers at the rest stops were fantastic. Literally rushing towards us, at times, to supply fresh water and ice for our bottles. The ride would have been a different experience without those volunteers, that's for sure. The volunteer station at Hardware Ranch was probably my favorite of the weekend. The volunteers decorated the stop in a Hawaiian theme, complete with leis when we rode up. The kicker though, was the ICED COFFEE. Not the most nutritional thing to put in your body at a rest stop, but it was a nice surprise - and it was cold and delicious.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful, just really nice. But, boy it did get hot. The heat can do some nasty things to you when you're riding - not the least of which is cramping, which I know some of the riders on our team were fighting. Heat can also introduce fatigue. And just drinking fluids does not always solve those issues. It's also important to cool your core down - which is why the iced water is so important. I have no idea how many bottles of water and cups of Powerade I drank over those two days - but the fluids I ingested numbered in the gallons, I'm sure. Just to give you an idea of the road temperatures we faced those two days, here are the temperatures that my Garmin GPS recorded on Day 1 and Day 2.</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmokan0AosFEPL_7kahj046WLcVZkTGCB_V9f7j-tausAoFNvtZYNhyQZini2lisg_RffjsNx6313QCdGXtVK76njpoCBVJMgEZTVvnLzowaQN1wiA-8CFxoD18OfBedPPApeSFYZCV_c/s587/bike+ms+-+day+one+temperatures.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmokan0AosFEPL_7kahj046WLcVZkTGCB_V9f7j-tausAoFNvtZYNhyQZini2lisg_RffjsNx6313QCdGXtVK76njpoCBVJMgEZTVvnLzowaQN1wiA-8CFxoD18OfBedPPApeSFYZCV_c/s320/bike+ms+-+day+one+temperatures.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day One Temperatures</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JAF5nT3eIvOHge4n3kJs5YsDXNWEONkP-6Y2OFJXT-9NyRhrOgrqlNrYkDsFCvSbSxhmr7VsZEN_Ny7-kh17WNqstvkeH0eUPs2LlGlTDfcqKejOc06gDE8yGTTDFsnuUWUEZ4S_SzQ/s588/bike+ms+-+day+two+temperatures.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JAF5nT3eIvOHge4n3kJs5YsDXNWEONkP-6Y2OFJXT-9NyRhrOgrqlNrYkDsFCvSbSxhmr7VsZEN_Ny7-kh17WNqstvkeH0eUPs2LlGlTDfcqKejOc06gDE8yGTTDFsnuUWUEZ4S_SzQ/s320/bike+ms+-+day+two+temperatures.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day Two Temperatures</td></tr>
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<div>
As you can see, the road temperature approached 110 degrees both days. And on Sunday, it got hotter sooner in the day than on Saturday. I should note that the road temperature from my Garmin always runs hotter than the actual air temperature - because, I believe, we're also picking up heat that's radiating from the pavement. But, we pick up that heat on a bike, and it can get to you. Here's how Greg dealt with the heat at the last rest stop of the day - sitting on bags of ice! That really looked refreshing.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWM-4OrV2Rc9_OLdK46BmuPe9aU-Gn4JW6ajtNEdM7iaHKbh-jOti50Osli2i_yLX4tMpJ4bGeUgjqwZYsdPDA1GHcYAeSJ_Xxi6YHMbBpkEevYxBg9OlQkAuvvE1wmKlmkBlriDOz2s/s603/DD67829B-D4EC-409D-88D5-3228A485A0E6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWM-4OrV2Rc9_OLdK46BmuPe9aU-Gn4JW6ajtNEdM7iaHKbh-jOti50Osli2i_yLX4tMpJ4bGeUgjqwZYsdPDA1GHcYAeSJ_Xxi6YHMbBpkEevYxBg9OlQkAuvvE1wmKlmkBlriDOz2s/s320/DD67829B-D4EC-409D-88D5-3228A485A0E6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg cooling off at the final rest stop</td></tr>
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<div>
One last note about the heat - I am so impressed with the 50 or so riders with MS over the weekend. How tough are they that they got out and rode that course while managing their condition in that heat? I saw one of those riders hand-cranking a tricycle up the climb to Hardware Ranch in this heat. I'd seen him earlier in the day and chatted with him a bit. When I saw him again, climbing up the canyon, his shirt was off, his neck cooling device was on, and he was making good time. What a stud.</div>
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<div>
Anyway, we all got to the finish, and were happy to do so. Had some time to chat with and say goodbye to some of the folks with the MS Society including Annette, Becky, and Julianne. And, of course, to take one last team picture...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qfnQdi4CdcPXmf6h4fsMCFmrGw1hJ_Cn6qQNaPwwrUS1up-HMMayJYooZHjfZhj8SzDCv5oZ4xdyvT1WKAm2aktCJBFz5KD_gNauSMMFtFRkMyVqmpr-EXKQLlJTcnwY8Lnhb3tPHBw/s800/bike+ms+-+team+winco+finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qfnQdi4CdcPXmf6h4fsMCFmrGw1hJ_Cn6qQNaPwwrUS1up-HMMayJYooZHjfZhj8SzDCv5oZ4xdyvT1WKAm2aktCJBFz5KD_gNauSMMFtFRkMyVqmpr-EXKQLlJTcnwY8Lnhb3tPHBw/s400/bike+ms+-+team+winco+finish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike MS 2013 - DONE!</td></tr>
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<h3>
Odds and Ends</h3>
<div>
I wanted to mention a couple of more things about this ride. There was a nice dinner and awards banquet Saturday night, and several people with MS spoke to the group. Two of those speakers were a husband and wife who both have MS - Drake and Paulette Kirkham of Rexburg, ID.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8tcTVAHE3v14NA4Q8hF0IRq6t6OKZ62a5c2iaSv04FOvAvgEJtoF6FUUJtkzvWNRtC0NbgLxovDq_K7OUojtpIOyToTju4ReH1ZfnEnXF9EitGdPg1UY58NuQdehIMOqAvX7zRzPW6c/s1024/9185694451_e40bff731e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8tcTVAHE3v14NA4Q8hF0IRq6t6OKZ62a5c2iaSv04FOvAvgEJtoF6FUUJtkzvWNRtC0NbgLxovDq_K7OUojtpIOyToTju4ReH1ZfnEnXF9EitGdPg1UY58NuQdehIMOqAvX7zRzPW6c/s320/9185694451_e40bff731e_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kirkhams</td></tr>
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<div>
Drake has a very aggressive form of MS - and he stated flat out that <u>new treatments have saved his life</u>. He would not be up on stage addressing us all that evening if not for research that is funded by the money we raise for Bike MS. </div>
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Did that sink in? </div>
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Just to reiterate, Drake WOULD NOT BE ALIVE TODAY without research funded by the National MS Society. That made an impression on me. Local programs and services are great, and I believe they do much good. But what is really needed is a CURE FOR MS. And research is expensive. If that doesn't give us a reason to ride, than what would? I'm so glad I got to hear the Kirkhams speak that night, and I wish you all could have been there.</div>
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To wrap this up...here are a couple of links you should check out...</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56521536-78/ride-bike-saturday-mile.html.csp?page=1" target="_blank">Here's a great article in the Salt Lake Tribune</a> about Day One of Bike MS. The Kirkhams are mentioned, as are several other riders with MS</li>
<li><a href="http://sdrv.ms/14KEJLA" target="_blank">Here is a link to our entire Team WinCo photo album</a> from the event. There's about 50 pictures up here now, and we're still aggregating all the photos/videos from the ride - so feel free to check back often</li>
</ul>
<div>
Thanks again for all of your support this year! As I said last year - it seems that all my friends and I did was show up and have fun this weekend. You (donors and supporters of me and Team WinCo), those riders out there with MS, event volunteers, and staff from the National MS Society put in all the hard work with your donations and support. I was really honored to be part of this event again this year, and am already looking forward to, and making plans for next year.</div>
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And, I can't let you go without one last reminder that we are continuing to raise funds through the month of July. So, please consider making a donation by clicking on the banner at the top of this page.</div>
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Thanks for reading! If you have any questions about the event, please leave a comment!</div>
Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-15929406326060850652013-06-27T18:15:00.001-07:002013-06-27T18:18:38.619-07:00Other Voices - Why Gordy Rides Bike MS<div>
I talk a lot about my teammate Gordy Myre on my facebook updates and in this blog. I admire Gordy for many reasons, and am proud to ride with him in Bike MS this year. Gordy is riding with us, but he's also riding with MS - on a tricycle that he cranks with his arms. Gordy is an inspiring man, and to many, he is the "face" of Bike MS here in Idaho and throughout the entire chapter. Gordy was kind enough to share his MS story with me, here it is...</div>
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<a name='more'></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoMgVkWCZk22O0w6zzQ3Mv-rZ-wSR3nnhCJVcRor2OPXzJlE-iGulF_njBSIYm992i1Vujx4fBlPa41Shm9RIExqHLr2xwvuk-3Ps-3O87_m6V8C30kmJrdfJfBZWXYSRrE38U1h0D_c/s1600/981096_10200656683753316_1395544740_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoMgVkWCZk22O0w6zzQ3Mv-rZ-wSR3nnhCJVcRor2OPXzJlE-iGulF_njBSIYm992i1Vujx4fBlPa41Shm9RIExqHLr2xwvuk-3Ps-3O87_m6V8C30kmJrdfJfBZWXYSRrE38U1h0D_c/s400/981096_10200656683753316_1395544740_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right: Gordy, Me, Megan, and Doug at the Wiseguy Pizza Fundraiser</td></tr>
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Gordy's story in his own words, stick around for a bit of commentary from me at the end...<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">"I was diagnosed with MS 24 years ago. I began working in the plumbing and heating wholesale business in 1979, after serving 4 years in the Air Force. Ten years later, in 1989, I was diagnosed with MS. I continued working another 15 years until my symptoms started affecting my job. It became difficult moving water heaters and air conditioners around, when it was all I could do to just maintain my own balance. So in 2004 I retired. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Prior to having MS, I competed in marathons, triathlons, and 100-mile bike rides, and also played on both fastpitch and slowpitch softball teams. While helping my daughter and niece with their animals at the fair one year, my ex-wife and sister-in-law noticed that I was tripping and falling quite often, and my speech was very slurred. I was also playing short-stop in a weekend softball tournament, when I picked up the ball and tried to throw it towards 1st base. My hand released and the ball went toward home plate instead. My ex-wife, being in the medical field, knew what these symptoms meant. Little did I know then that heat and overexertion could make the symptoms of MS worse.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So my ex-wife asked me to go see a neurologist. After an MRI and several other tests, he told me that I had MS. When I asked him what he could give me for it, he said there was nothing available at that time. Seven years later, when the first medication came out to slow the progression of the disease, he had me start it. This was a self-injectable medication that you had to give yourself, a shot once a week. This was an intermuscular shot with a 1 1/4 inch long needle. Good thing I knew lots of nurses because it was no fun to do myself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now there are several different medications on the market to slow the progression of MS, but none that will stop or repair it yet. (</span>Note from Rex - I believe a new drug that just hit the market, Tecfidera, has promise to repair some damage for some forms of MS - this drug made possible by the type of research funded by the money we raise for Bike MS) <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">These range from injections to chemo, to now an oral drug. I have tried most of them, but my MS has advanced enough that only the oral one has been proven to help.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I got remarried 4 years ago to a wonderful lady that I met on the internet. We have a 16 year old daughter, and I also have a 30 year old daughter and a 8 year old granddaughter who live in California. I volunteer every day of the week at 2 different elementary schools in the 1st through 5th grades. I began helping in 2004 when I retired from work. I have been helping the same teachers in Kuna since then. While helping the kids in 2nd grade several years ago, they nominated me to be KTVB’s Seven’s Hero, of which I was selected. The kids told me that all of the time and help that I gave them made me a real hero. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After riding in the MS bike ride this July, for the 6th year now, I received the honor of Seven’s Hero again, for my ability to ride 50 miles on a hand cycle. I use only my arms to pedal it, and it is another way I use to raise funds to find a cure for MS. I also participate in the MS Walk each year. I personally raised $5,002 for the event and my team raised over $6,400. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOc4slOSU-L3bMKxTQzYRZjkSiTj13Fa0n6aOKSzchyKHR66tnj2rmKaoF1Xknuo-GT87-CcDpFcsTSfoXk71mbMz0NwqMOTjU__HGusciv8LxoBYuGFYB1JBJdrGDvfGxTByA6eFVQw/s1600/289516_585797884775885_842658760_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOc4slOSU-L3bMKxTQzYRZjkSiTj13Fa0n6aOKSzchyKHR66tnj2rmKaoF1Xknuo-GT87-CcDpFcsTSfoXk71mbMz0NwqMOTjU__HGusciv8LxoBYuGFYB1JBJdrGDvfGxTByA6eFVQw/s400/289516_585797884775885_842658760_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gordy on his bike</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I am also part of a local support group. We meet once a month to talk about what is new in research and what each of us are trying to do to make life more accommodating."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
I would like to call out a few things from Gordy's story that I find interesting.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Gordy mentions several things that are made possible in part by the funds we raise in Bike MS: research and new medications, support groups, and financial assistance for wellness - including special equipment such as Gordy's bike</li>
<li>Gordy does as much or more to help himself and others than anyone I know. Gordy is always a top fundraiser in MS Society events, and volunteers for the MS Society in addition to his work in the Kuna schools</li>
<li>Gordy rides his bike 50 MILES in Bike MS. Before I started training for Bike MS, I'm not sure I ever rode that far in a weekend. What a stud.</li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, Gordy is signed up for the <a href="http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/UTU/chapter-news/chapter-news-detail/index.aspx?nid=7886">"I Ride with MS" program</a> sponsored by Genzyme and MS One to One. It's a new program for Bike MS and is happening at a dozen plus rides across the country. The program celebrates those riding with MS while also connecting all cyclists at Bike MS - inspiring and empowering them to pedal a bit harder. I know it inspires me and the entire team, and we are SO PROUD to have Gordy riding for Team WinCo this year.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
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So, thanks Gordy, for your inspiration and all that you do! See you out on the road, buddy!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">To learn a bit more about Gordy, check out this <a href="http://www.kboi2.com/familymatters/Boise-Walk-MS-Gordy-Myre-203495501.html?tab=video&c=y">KBOI "Family Matters" story on Gordy from April, 2013</a></span><br />
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<br />Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-51162850870793883542013-06-24T12:23:00.001-07:002013-06-24T12:25:04.001-07:00Weekly Fundraising and Training Update - Ready to Roll!Bike MS is THIS WEEKEND! We're charging towards last year's fundraising total! I wrapped up my last huge training ride before Bike MS! I'm ready to ride. Details after the break...<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Just 5 days of fundraising remain before Team Winco rolls out on Bike MS: Harmon's Best Dam Bike Ride! We raised another $905 last week as we charge towards last year's fundraising total. We're now at $5,978, 77% of last year's total of $7,745!<br />
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Every time I've thrown out a fundraising challenge, you all have responded big-time. The thank-you notes are getting harder and harder to write. I just don't have any words left to express the appreciation I have for each and every one of you, and the support you give to me, my family, and the National MS Society.<br />
<br />
Having said that, here's some shout-outs and highlights from the week's fundraising:<br />
<ul>
<li>Thank you Shannon Keegan, for a very generous donation. Like the vast majority of you, Shannon is a multi-year donor to Bike MS - and that yearly support is so critical. Shannon, you're awesome and I hope to see you again soon to thank you in person! And you as well, Lisa!</li>
<li>We had a couple more "blue-bird" donors! Blue-bird donors are great, because they not only help with the donation totals, but are new additions to the yearly "pipeline" of donors. Thanks John and Kim!</li>
<li>And thank you Piper for your donation. Piper and her husband Andrew are old and dear friends and former neighbors. Piper's mother suffered from MS - and it's always special for me to add another person to the list of people for whom we ride.</li>
</ul>
I would also like to re-iterate that we will be collecting donations for roughly four weeks after the actual event this week. So I will be continuing the fundraising push through the month of July.<br />
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To follow up on <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/06/weekly-fundraising-and-training-update_17.html">last week's stat-fest</a>, in which I outlined why exactly I believe we can blow by last year's fundraising total...</div>
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<ul>
<li>We added 5 donors last week, so we are now only 32 donors short of last year's total of 91</li>
<li>If all 32 remaining donors contribute this year's average amount of $89, that gets us another $2,848 - which would give us a total of <b>$8,826</b>!</li>
<li>I did a quick "scrub" of the remaining pipeline of donors (75 total donors remain in the pipeline) - and I marked 22 of them as "highly probable." If I'm correct, and all 22 of my "highly probable" donors hit the average, we will pull in another $1,958 for a total of <b>$7,936</b>!</li>
</ul>
I hope I've made my case over the past two weeks for why I fully expect to blow by last year's fundraising total. And I absolutely cannot wait to announce when that happens! I actually think that will happen by the end of the first week of July. That may be optimistic, but I have learned to not underestimate the caring and generosity of my network of friends and family.</div>
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So, how is the <b>team </b>doing with our fundraising goals? I don't think I've ever updated you on how Team WinCo is doing as a whole, and it's about time. We're doing quite well. We had a team goal of $15,000 and are now sitting at $12,447 - or 83% of goal. Team captain Greg Goins has really stepped up the fundraising this year. New teammate Kathleen has been a very welcome addition to the team, and is just killing it with her fundraising as well. And, I heard a rumor that Eric is about to drop a very large corporate donation on us soon, so we're looking good to exceed our $15,000 goal. I'll hold the "official" team congratulations until we get there - but, great job everyone! I'm really proud to be riding with all of you.</div>
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<h2>
Training</h2>
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I had a nice week of training again again as well. And, I'm ready to say that I AM READY FOR BIKE MS. No question. This month as been my highest-mileage cycling month ever, with 553 miles as of June 23rd. I had never exceeded 500 miles in a single month before. And there's 8 days left in the month!</div>
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I completed my second century ride of the year last weekend, the <a href="http://www.bluecruiseidaho.org/">BlueCruise of Idaho</a>. Despite some major issues with my front tire, it was a fun day. Steve from Team WinCo joined me on the ride, as did an old friend of Steve's named Dick. I thoroughly enjoyed riding with Steve and Dick this weekend, and I'll post a more detailed recap of the ride at some point in the coming weeks. I did want to share a couple of nice photos from the event...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6rn29ImDOYaE7ubD_ShGNlMkB0XxIeds3UfQeMpzwbMlM-ukKmLOfqvKJnjXvu1lUUUujmyhnT2t-asVwWeWsXucNmA03k-2cxpWpLJdZSOawK1RFBdj88iziW7wPTWaqBx8oCLvQ9Q/s1600/1040338_10200751051592453_530923139_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6rn29ImDOYaE7ubD_ShGNlMkB0XxIeds3UfQeMpzwbMlM-ukKmLOfqvKJnjXvu1lUUUujmyhnT2t-asVwWeWsXucNmA03k-2cxpWpLJdZSOawK1RFBdj88iziW7wPTWaqBx8oCLvQ9Q/s320/1040338_10200751051592453_530923139_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve (left) and Dick at the BlueCruise starting line</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ZGwxLpBITLCv9y_4ZGK0alyAMkjirezQft9AO3tNwOjeCFWmgKLlfO4nPg7_lTN79iLiJmN6NLhtt0xv4ADupgFsZa8H4IzT6X80jyHYDV7kJtDvcaNJaqh1PIuBYwSGmLi967eO78A/s1600/1015336_10200751065032789_128857143_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ZGwxLpBITLCv9y_4ZGK0alyAMkjirezQft9AO3tNwOjeCFWmgKLlfO4nPg7_lTN79iLiJmN6NLhtt0xv4ADupgFsZa8H4IzT6X80jyHYDV7kJtDvcaNJaqh1PIuBYwSGmLi967eO78A/s320/1015336_10200751065032789_128857143_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dick and I on the course, near the mid-way point</td></tr>
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With the 175 miles I'll get in over the weekend at Bike MS, and a few easy rides this week, I should get to 800 miles for the month! I have some friends who do that routinely, but it's a milestone number for me. </div>
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What I hope to accomplish by rattling off all of these mileage numbers is to let you know that I'm putting in the work and mileage while you're putting in the $$. I take this obligation seriously - and will continue to make sure that I can ride as many miles as physically able next weekend at Bike MS. I feel that it's the least I can do to honor the support and commitment that you all have made with your donations over the years.</div>
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As always, please check out the Strava "widget" at the right-hand side of this blog for details on any of my training rides. FYI, the BlueCruise ride is split into three rides (all dates 6/22) for reasons that I'll go into in a future article!</div>
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Thanks again for reading!</div>
Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-38579769221603130442013-06-21T10:15:00.001-07:002013-06-21T12:07:15.128-07:00How to Screw Up a Flat Tire RepairAs much as I ride, you'd think I'd be able to handle flat tires quickly and efficiently. But, I got my first road flat of the year yesterday, and I did just about everything wrong. Here's some lessons learned...<br />
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DISCLAIMER: I am a lousy bike mechanic. But, I'm typically able to fix a flat in a reasonable amount of time. Yesterday, not so much. Here's the post-mortem on what happened, and things I can do in the future to prevent the same issues. Thought I'd share this, as it will happen to every bicyclist at some point. (Note: this article is for tubed tires only, if you're running tubeless tires, there's nothing here for you...)<br />
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The Debacle</h3>
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So, I needed a short lunch-time ride that included some climbing work. So, I decided to ride up Shaw Mountain Road to Tablerock Road, and do as many hill repeats as I had time for (from the end of the housing on Tablerock Road to the end of the pavement). Here's the route I ended up riding...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECWxC1WcSNcpj0gcvfiy94Bqa8Csz6Xh1Cwzx6Ptb3hFBuoLR7P-ssTnZwxfuKF7syBz6WTT-sts0Ydhz70SJn5j6O7qbFq9TgLLWo5tsTU8e-o4OvHMJDEgrDHjPGOUE9JYQ8thf5zI/s1600/bike+ms+-+tablerock+repeats.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECWxC1WcSNcpj0gcvfiy94Bqa8Csz6Xh1Cwzx6Ptb3hFBuoLR7P-ssTnZwxfuKF7syBz6WTT-sts0Ydhz70SJn5j6O7qbFq9TgLLWo5tsTU8e-o4OvHMJDEgrDHjPGOUE9JYQ8thf5zI/s320/bike+ms+-+tablerock+repeats.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://app.strava.com/activities/61753511">http://app.strava.com/activities/61753511</a></div>
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Very near the end of my third repeat, I got a flat. No problem, I thought - I had a spare tube, a pump, and a patch kit. I got the tire off quickly enough, and thoroughly inspected the inside and outside of the tire for foreign objects. I had a piece of kevlar liner between my tire and the tube, and I realized that I didn't know how to remount that liner. I wouldn't say it was a problem, but it took me about 10-15 minutes to figure out how to get the liner re-inserted.<br />
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I re-mounted one side of the tire, inserted the tube, made sure the liner was seated reasonably well, and was feeling confident at that point. I had just purchased a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UZPML2/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">new pocket-sized pump</a> that I'd read some great reviews about. And that brings me to <b>Problem #1</b>: I hadn't practiced enough with the new pump at home, and I quickly broke the valve stem off of my spare tube trying to inflate it.<br />
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Okay, no problem - the valve stem on my spare tube and my punctured tube were both replaceable, so I popped the valve stem out of my punctured tube and screwed it onto my spare. <b>Problem #2:</b> My pump has to screw onto the valve stem to make a seal, and I did not have a pair of pliers with which to sufficiently tighten the replaceable valve stem. So, after pumping up the spare tube, the valve stem unscrewed itself with my pump and all the air gushed right back out of the tube.<br />
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No problem, I thought - I have a patch kit! I'll just fix the punctured tube. <b>Problem #3:</b> The glue in my patch kit was old and drying out - and would not spread properly or adhere to the tube and patch.<br />
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Fortunately, another biker happened along and graciously offered up his spare tube. I popped it in, pumped it up (with his frame pump) and I was set. Thanks Nicholas!<br />
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This could have been a real debacle. I may have had to walk 6 miles or so back to work in road cycling shoes, completely destroying my cleats, or I would have had to interrupt a co-worker to come pick me up, assuming any of my friends even had time to do that.<br />
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Pretty much anything that could go wrong, did go wrong - and after a bit of reflection, I realized there were some lessons to be learned here.<br />
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Lessons Learned</h3>
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<ul>
<li>Make sure you're carrying a pump, a spare tube, and a patch kit. I think it's fine to carry a previously patched tube as a spare, but some would tell you to discard a patched tube as soon as you can. That seems wasteful to me, though. If you do carry a patched tube as a spare, make sure and check it periodically to ensure it still holds air. If it's patched properly, it should last a long time, at least one season.</li>
<li>Know your tire and tube setup, and how to work with it. Do you have tire liners? Know how to reinsert them. (See the "tips" section below)</li>
<li>Practice using your pump in the safety of your home. Especially if you're using a small pocket pump, which can be tricky to operate. Don't wait until you're stuck on the side of the road to try and figure it out.</li>
<li>In general, if you get a flat, I think the best thing to do is to replace your tube - and then repair the punctured tube once you get home.</li>
<li>Check your tire repair kits at least yearly. Once you've cracked open a tube of glue, check it more frequently. If the glue is starting to dry, replace the patch kit. I've done a bit of research on whether or not you can just replace the rubber cement in the patch kit, since the cement always seems to run out or dry up before you use all the patches. My conclusion? It is cheaper to just replace the whole darned kit. Also, you really should use the "special" type of rubber cement that comes with a patch kit, rather than a generic off-the-shelf rubber cement. The cement in your patch kit will create a stronger chemical bond between the patch and the rubber tube than will standard rubber cements.</li>
<li>Make sure your multi-tool has a gadget that will tighten a replaceable presta valve, or carry a tiny set of pliers.</li>
</ul>
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Tips</h3>
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Lastly, <a href="http://www.bicycling.com/">Bicycling Magazine</a> has a lot of nice articles with easy-to-follow tutorials on common repairs. Here are a couple that are applicable to fixing a flat...</div>
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<li><a href="http://www.bicycling.com/maintenance/repair-maintenance/how-fix-flat-tire">How to Fix a Flat on the Road</a> - I think this is a great, simple article on how to fix a flat road-side. One thing I would add - I like to seat one side of the tire before inserting the new tube. I just find it easier to do than inserting the tube first. They talk about running your fingers along the inside of the tire to find the foriegn object that caused the flat. This is IMPORTANT! If you don't do this, you may get another flat tire 5 minutes later. In fact, I like to completely remove the tire, pop it inside out and carefully inspect it. I also inspect the outside of the tire for foreign objects like goatheads or pieces of glass.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bicycling.com/maintenance/repair-maintenance/repair-reuse-recycle">Patching a Tube</a> - one thing I think they forgot to mention in this article, though - is that if the patch is going to be covering a "bead" on your tube, make sure and sand the bead flat before applying the cement, or you may end up creating an air channel underneath the patch</li>
<li><a href="http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/flat-tire-prevention.html">Flat Prevention, and How to Install (or Re-Install) Kevlar Liner Tape</a> - Pretty good article from REI - skip to the "Tire Liner" section to learn how to deal with Kevlar tire liners when fixing a flat...reading that section alone would have saved me quite a bit of time yesterday...</li>
<li>If you want to go deep on this topic (and I mean DEEP!) check out <a href="http://sheldonbrown.com/flats.html">this Sheldon Brown</a> article. If you can make it through this article, you will know it all.</li>
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Hope this helps. I know this article is far from comprehensive, if there are any good tips, suggestions, rebuttals - please leave a comment!</div>
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Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-21447829223083442882013-06-17T10:31:00.001-07:002013-06-17T11:24:06.811-07:00Weekly Fundraising and Training Update - We're Past the "Finish" Line!We passed our fundraising goal this week, which is important for many reasons. But, we're just getting started! Details about this milestone week in my fundraising and training update...<br />
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Yes, we raised over $700 this week to achieve our fundraising goal! We're now at $5,073. Highlights and shout-outs for the week:<br />
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<li>Thank you so much to the Harasimowicz family (Rami, Beth, and kids) for pushing us across the goal line this week! Facebook and blog followers probably recognize the names - Rami is my partner-in-crime in most of my mountain biking photos. Rami and Beth are two of my oldest and dearest friends in Boise, and their "milestone" donation is very appreciated!</li>
<li>I received my largest individual donation of the year last week! Not sure the donors would be comfortable with me calling them out here, but I'll just say - the donation was touching, and it really motivated me this weekend to work hard on my rides so that I can ride the maximum distance possible (175 miles) during Bike MS.</li>
<li>Once again, my friend Doug Bierman stepped up to help with a donation. You may remember Doug and his family from the <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/06/wiseguy-delivers-great-fundraiser-for.html">Wiseguy Pizza Pie fundraiser</a>...</li>
<li>And thank you to Matt & Julie Bell, and Wade & Coral Dorrell for the generous donations last week!</li>
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So...hitting the fundraising goal of $5,000 is tremendous, and really does take a lot of pressure off. But, I mentioned that we're just getting started...I believe that we can exceed last year's fundraising total of $7,745. This is not based on blind optimism, but is rooted in data. Here's why I think this is possible.</div>
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<ul>
<li>Last year, I had a total of 91 donors</li>
<li>This year, I have 54 donors so far</li>
<li>If I were to equal last year's donor count, that tells me that I can expect 37 more donations to come in</li>
<li>If those 37 donors each contribute this year's average donation amount of $89, that is an additional $3,293 - which would give me total of <b>$8,366</b></li>
<li>If those 27 donors each contribute this year's median donation amount of $50, that is an additional $1,850 - which would give me a total of <b>$6,923</b></li>
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To wrap up this long-winded explanation, if I can equal last year's number of donors, each donating at or near this year's average donation size, we'll exceed last year's total of $7,745. (This really cries out for a table - come on Blogger, where's your table tools?) So, where are these 37 additional donors going to come from? You're out there! I have 81 remaining donors on my "pipeline" list of historic and potential donors. So, I need to convert just under 50% of them to exceed last year's total. </div>
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Having said all of that, if the conversion rate was 100%, we'd raise a whopping total of <b>$12,181</b>! Not realistic, I know, but something to aspire to!</div>
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Now, some reasonable questions would be - why didn't you just set your goal this year to be $7,745? Did you set your goal too low? Are you sand-bagging us, Parker? I did put a lot of thought into setting the goal this year - but I'm afraid I'm already losing you with all of this data talk - so if you'd like to know what went into this goal, shoot me a comment and I'll be happy to explain!</div>
<h3>
Training</h3>
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We're plugging away on training as well! Had a great week of climbing training - covering 155 miles with 17,000 feet of elevation gain. For some context - the Bike MS course covers 175 miles with 3,151 feet of elevation gain in two days. Last week's rides included the <a href="http://wildrockiesracing.com/mountain_biking/boise_2_idcity.php">Wild Rockies Ride to Idaho City</a> - and I'll be publishing an overview of that awesome ride later in the week.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4HS6NouGG6FcLV1liZy_pswu6Eym2Ppf9bXlcNriKx9arRtlA74UYcxj2b5usjOGNGN_AZ1-VHeC5YFGj6eG2-Jl1-pVCXdMCvG3Gn3ppA_PurCw8xGzyd_o_kn4mOyY6yVjx4iBm1s/s1600/rami+me+ride+to+idaho+city.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4HS6NouGG6FcLV1liZy_pswu6Eym2Ppf9bXlcNriKx9arRtlA74UYcxj2b5usjOGNGN_AZ1-VHeC5YFGj6eG2-Jl1-pVCXdMCvG3Gn3ppA_PurCw8xGzyd_o_kn4mOyY6yVjx4iBm1s/s320/rami+me+ride+to+idaho+city.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rami and me on the ride from Idaho City to Boise</td></tr>
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As always, feel free to check out any of my rides by clicking on the Strava widget on the right-hand side of this blog.</div>
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Thanks for sharing this milestone week with me, and here's to a great last two weeks before Bike MS!</div>
Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-5375830599384752642013-06-14T09:13:00.000-07:002013-06-14T09:13:18.455-07:00Other Voices - Why Megan Supports the MS Society<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">The <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/05/why-i-ride-rick-parker.html">reason I support the National MS Society</a> is well-known to readers of this blog. There are so many other compelling stories from people I'm connected with that I wanted to start sharing them with you...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">The more of these stories I hear, I realize that their stories are mine and mine is theirs - we're all connected. So many families struggle to cope with MS. So many of us have lost family members and close friends. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I hope that many of you recognize your own struggles in these stories, and get the same sense of support and camaraderie</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> that I do. And a sense of hope that we can all work together to realize a world free of MS.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">First off here's my friend Megan Nettleton, Community Relations Specialist for the National MS Society here in Boise. Megan's story is well-known within the MS community here in Boise. Megan is married to Chris Nettleton, the sports director for KBOI Channel 2. Chris suffers from MS, and has been a vocal and active supporter of MS Society events here in town, often lending his talents to emcee events. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJM6u5fJcrad_sxXzCCxndabiX1gdlSVJvQJsmoN9nZQ3F25hnnGsPq8EVg9UFeDM-20rkMtFDk5nrxsNzCqJGRnuNLlFUYRm2HBt-4KnE4IqEIC7wWViRhKlaJGBtmeFdXFJZsTgpquI/s1600/935781_10201040245066673_551910698_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJM6u5fJcrad_sxXzCCxndabiX1gdlSVJvQJsmoN9nZQ3F25hnnGsPq8EVg9UFeDM-20rkMtFDk5nrxsNzCqJGRnuNLlFUYRm2HBt-4KnE4IqEIC7wWViRhKlaJGBtmeFdXFJZsTgpquI/s320/935781_10201040245066673_551910698_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megan and Chris</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Megan's story is interesting to me, as she has a unique personal and professional connection to the MS Society. Here's her story, in her words...</span><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">“Before working at the National MS Society, I managed a bank for six years. I was never one to believe that anyone could truly love their job, but I am a believer now. My </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">husband</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> has MS, so it is an amazing feeling going to work and ultimately helping my </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">husband</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white;"> every day! Who else gets to say that they get to do that? And now, it is not just about him anymore, but I now work here for all the amazing people I have met along the way, people like Rex! People that give so much of themselves without a second thought. That is why I support the National MS Society…because they support me!”</span></span></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_QV6As2HdYRlSa-BqJxYpXSaSH1wMT62rARuwvgH14ukdBbpBJYSCo1HcEQwi1HH-wD2GE4twXzWe5Fmljx3MK0gPmvxS6CS13WnXO7_8eYF7YGy7624Ky-tcQA0lmG3oW-aks91CtA/s1600/WP_20130603_012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_QV6As2HdYRlSa-BqJxYpXSaSH1wMT62rARuwvgH14ukdBbpBJYSCo1HcEQwi1HH-wD2GE4twXzWe5Fmljx3MK0gPmvxS6CS13WnXO7_8eYF7YGy7624Ky-tcQA0lmG3oW-aks91CtA/s320/WP_20130603_012.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Megan at "Meet Me Monday"</td></tr>
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Just think about what most people do when faced with an MS diagnosis in the family. Sure, there are phases of anger, denial, depression, etc. But Megan not only went about arming herself with the knowledge she'd need to help and support Chris - but she also went to work for the one organization that will give them the most support during this ongoing fight. Megan has the unenviable task of being a one-person shop here in Boise, and I appreciate the positive energy and dedication she brings to the job.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">And, to give you more insight into what Chris and Megan have to deal with, I swiped the following post from Megan's Facebook page. This is something she wrote when raising funds for her Walk MS Boise team...</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>"I was thinking today that a lot of you probably don't know very much of my husband's story and his multiple sclerosis diagnosis. And here I am asking you for donations quite a bit lately, so I thought I would share a little bit about his journey:</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i>In 2008 his feet went completely numb. His doctor thought it couldn't possibly be MS because it was in both feet equally - so he went through a lot of testing, including electro-shock therapy on his legs, and muscle tests that involved shoving a 3-inch needle into his calves and moving it around to see if his muscles were working properly. Crazy, I know. Then he had an MRI and based on those results, his neurologist told him that he either had a brain tumor or MS. It is weird to say this, but luckily, it was MS and not a brain tumor. </i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i>Because my husband is an all-or-nothing kind of guy, he went on a therapy immediately, which entailed me ramming a 3-inch needle intramuscularly into his thigh. And any of you that know my husband - he is majorly phobic of needles, but this was something we did for the next 2 1/2 years. And then one day he went in for a generic check-up, and surprisingly his liver numbers were way elevated. They discovered that the therapy had started to damage his liver, so he had to immediately go off of it. His only other option at this point for therapy: a DAILY shot. Great. But, my husband bravely endured it for one month, even though he had a severe skin reaction that caused his body to be covered in red, itchy, sore welts that never seemed to go way. </i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i>What other choice did he have? Remember...all or nothing! </i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i>It was then that the first pill for people with MS was released...TRIUMPH! He has been on it ever since, and has done very well! And this is all thanks to research...which brings me to my conclusion: please donate to our Walk MS Boise team to help raise money for research so more therapies may one day be available!"</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">Of course, the <a href="https://secure3.convio.net/nmss/site/Donation2?idb=1095096949&41466.donation=form1&df_id=41466&FR_ID=19245&PROXY_ID=5957534&PROXY_TYPE=20">funds we are raising for Bike MS</a> contributes to the same research that helped provide new therapies for Chris.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">Thanks for sharing that, Megan! </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Look for more "other voices" stories over the coming weeks...</span>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-73656672089547954212013-06-09T22:44:00.003-07:002013-06-10T06:40:12.390-07:00Weekly Fundraising and Training Update! What a Week!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Momentum! We've got it now! The week of June 3rd was our largest fundraising and training week of the year as we enter the home stretch to Bike MS...read all about it!<br />
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Yes, we just had our largest fundraising week of the year, with a total of $1,038 raised! We are now sitting at $4,358 towards our goal of $5,000. Highlights and shout-outs...<br />
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<li>What more can I say about the <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/06/wiseguy-delivers-great-fundraiser-for.html">great fundraiser at Wiseguy Pizza Pie</a> in Boise? We had an awesome time and raised $300! Once again, thank you to Wiseguy Pizza Pie, Meet Me Monday, and all of my generous friends and supporters who came out and made this event great!</li>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqr0KASk7b7Ww4MTcV3QSTiDIYlenfNObDsv4jBLr6TOZvsuhvbAH6XHpWw48XNkI1cQuy1mOyYgyLMeSNK45NMLUOHWw6u6M2h30mhRd4jTtzfGuJHV-hUIOWdD27-dPgIgfV6p16tY/s1600/WP_20130603_014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqr0KASk7b7Ww4MTcV3QSTiDIYlenfNObDsv4jBLr6TOZvsuhvbAH6XHpWw48XNkI1cQuy1mOyYgyLMeSNK45NMLUOHWw6u6M2h30mhRd4jTtzfGuJHV-hUIOWdD27-dPgIgfV6p16tY/s320/WP_20130603_014.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From l to r: Mayor Bieter, Cheryl Bloom, Megan Nettleton and me - Bike MS Fundraiser at Wiseguy Pizza Pie</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>Many friends and family members stepped up this week to help as well - including my uncle Glen McAdoo, and friends Steve & Betsy Delnista, Lance Shelton, Tammy Nickel, and Bob Kaiser & Mardi Stacy</li>
<li>An old friend from Rick's and my hometown of Terry, MT helped out this week - thank you Barb Hinnaland! It's always special to get donations from old friends who knew Rick.</li>
<li>A few anonymous donors stepped up some significant contributions as well...</li>
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Thank you, everyone!</div>
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Combined with <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/06/weekly-fundraising-and-training-update.html">last week's charity golf event</a>, we have built some serious momentum coming up to the home stretch. You may recall that I keep a scorecard for my fundraising efforts, and I wanted to share with you just how much our fundraising has increased over the past couple weeks.</div>
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Here's how my scorecard looked a couple of weeks ago. The blue dashed line is a linear regression trend line of weekly fundraising. As you can see, the trend was heading down, and had been for a number of weeks. The most disturbing line, though, was the green dashed line - which indicates how much I'd need to raise week-to-week to hit my goal, given how much I've raised to-date. I call this the "catch-up" line. In the software sales world, that's often how the end of a sales quarter would look - with our sales team working frantically to close deals by the end of the quarter. Having that much ground to make up sure creates a lot of pressure on everyone.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnA_YOeEDYkDxEb59xyU20GEUalaN989Zo-DVxx-W-I7YIlcg3_7cQMv5gJ23K6ufqhRvGSPwoe6CPBfx6pnN5_sHr2d2eQvn5Jsj9F6VpMCTwRLRtikmTKQkwgBkoh6L_1qysuDJVBg/s1600/bike+ms+-+fundraising+scorecard+May+27.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnA_YOeEDYkDxEb59xyU20GEUalaN989Zo-DVxx-W-I7YIlcg3_7cQMv5gJ23K6ufqhRvGSPwoe6CPBfx6pnN5_sHr2d2eQvn5Jsj9F6VpMCTwRLRtikmTKQkwgBkoh6L_1qysuDJVBg/s400/bike+ms+-+fundraising+scorecard+May+27.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fundraising chart, week of May 20th</td></tr>
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This is how my scorecard looks as of today, June 9th. Big difference!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jzs3A38xrUr30_8w-OfQFdrNaATxvpApOqCP0i40h7u8B_b4hE35_mNCa4YIhifZBeUEEJQ6rpMRze4_-oR9lUiQDVBNtRUUVhL79i4KnU1kvl8y-2F4x-2vYfV8Cxjr2ocwGuElO_U/s1600/bike+ms+-+fundraising+scorecard+June+9.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jzs3A38xrUr30_8w-OfQFdrNaATxvpApOqCP0i40h7u8B_b4hE35_mNCa4YIhifZBeUEEJQ6rpMRze4_-oR9lUiQDVBNtRUUVhL79i4KnU1kvl8y-2F4x-2vYfV8Cxjr2ocwGuElO_U/s400/bike+ms+-+fundraising+scorecard+June+9.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fundraising chart, week of June 3rd</td></tr>
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As you can see, the actual donations (red solid line) have shot up. The trend line has flattened out, and is now running parallel to my required weekly average. And, the "catch up" line has dipped dramatically, and is now more or less equal to my overall required weekly average. Long story short - if we keep up the pace, we'll blow our $5,000 goal out of the water!</div>
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I should mention that it was a great week for the entire Team WinCo as well! Team captain Greg Goins stepped up big-time last week, raising over $2,000 and sweeping a bunch of Team Fundraising week challenge awards. Greg also has ratcheted up the pressure on the team to fund raise and to train by sending out several motivational emails. I really appreciate the work you put in Greg! Our newest team member, Kathleen, also dove into fundraising in a big way. I believe that we raised over $4,000 as a team last week - that is fantastic, and I'm really proud to be working with all these great folks.</div>
<h3>
Training</h3>
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Last week was also our biggest week of training so far this year. I got in 189 miles of riding, including the <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/06/my-first-century-ride.html">Bob LeBow century ride</a> on Saturday, June 8th. I feel like I am almost ready for Bike MS physically. More time in the saddle over the next few weeks will help minimize the fatigue and post-ride soreness I'll surely have after riding 175 miles in two days for Bike MS. But, for the first time this year, I'm pretty comfortable about where my fitness level is for the event. And an<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3b0LG5rZZpcZJgrXpVw-sFmUKbSJ0NaeCKlVcZcZSCQeWS9wLBxrqO4K-AnXRP8qiyQBQtQhTW8BcNlYR6f6TtZIiVKVOERyfQkuazJXo537dj2LukXlEh19jO8ugvM8vtgtHDo3Hx4/s1600/WP_20130608_004.jpg"> incident involving an exploding tire</a> on the LeBow ride was a good reminder to assess the gear that I carry on longer rides...</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW98dj2GdcryHstgLjR18IIU5r6yMbss1tcg5DHncd6Ep2X2mYGOVCsNqzooyZQ_WVelyH63WYeVrqwpUnWpc0L26WihNSMKcBTBg8GIEqBzRcZYlgKIZTM-2VZNjFBFHcr2HiP1E6XI0/s1600/WP_20130608_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW98dj2GdcryHstgLjR18IIU5r6yMbss1tcg5DHncd6Ep2X2mYGOVCsNqzooyZQ_WVelyH63WYeVrqwpUnWpc0L26WihNSMKcBTBg8GIEqBzRcZYlgKIZTM-2VZNjFBFHcr2HiP1E6XI0/s400/WP_20130608_001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug Jenkins and me at the Bob LeBow century ride</td></tr>
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I believe we also had more organized team rides last week than we've had all year...and again, Greg is largely to thank for that with his emails and reminders. On Sunday, June 9th, we had our largest group ride of the year, with 5 riders turning out for a ride to Lucky Peak in the heat of the afternoon. And, I got to meet teammate Mark Lavin for the first time. Mark appears to be a strong rider, and will be a great addition to the team.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOPZkSQIMS14dxCVQlAGAtrmOuXB7HmIV_BKdn3nDEGmYyBGb9g0Mt13AEMHDI-vyr4Syu0fVu0nSWsOYjYmCT_y3bOWfrjhL5E3Fca9iTHagRir8QAHZImFWGySkoSfRW5lbBOO6smA/s1600/WP_20130609_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOPZkSQIMS14dxCVQlAGAtrmOuXB7HmIV_BKdn3nDEGmYyBGb9g0Mt13AEMHDI-vyr4Syu0fVu0nSWsOYjYmCT_y3bOWfrjhL5E3Fca9iTHagRir8QAHZImFWGySkoSfRW5lbBOO6smA/s400/WP_20130609_002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From l to r: Greg, Eric, Doug, and Mark Lavin</td></tr>
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I like this picture, as it captures the spirit of most of our rides - everyone laughing and joking before getting down to business. Speaking of which, I better wrap up this update, and get to planning fundraising activities and training for these next couple of weeks. Momentum! Let's keep it rolling!</div>
Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-77071171296256368022013-06-09T20:57:00.002-07:002013-06-09T21:57:02.610-07:00My First Century Ride!I finally rode my first official Century Ride on Saturday, June 8th - the Bob LeBow Bike tour. Great experience, and good preparation for Bike MS - but there were some highs and lows...<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I've come very close to a century ride before, but have never officially crossed the 100 mile distance in a single day. Well, Saturday was that day - when Team WinCo teammate Doug Jenkins and I rode in the <a href="http://www.trhs.org/en-us/eventsmedia/boblebowbiketour.aspx">Bob LeBow bike tour</a> in Nampa, ID. This is a great ride that benefits <a href="http://www.trhs.org/EventsMedia/BobLeBowBikeTour/TheZeroPayFund.aspx">Terry Reilly's "Zero Pay Fund."</a> Terry Reilly is a community-based healthcare provider in Canyon County and the Zero Pay fund allows them to deliver care to their neediest and most vulnerable patients at no cost. Sounds like a great cause to me. The course winds through rural Canyon, Owyhee, and Malheur counties in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon. The full course map can be viewed on my GPS log of the ride here: <a href="http://app.strava.com/activities/59091145">http://app.strava.com/activities/59091145</a><br />
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This ride was a milestone for me, so forgive me if I get a bit long-winded with this article...<br />
<h3>
It Begins...</h3>
We had a very early start that day. The ride started at 7:00am at Nampa High School, so I met Doug at his house at 5:45 am for the drive over to Nampa. I woke up at 4:00 am that morning, so I could get some coffee in me, and make sure I had everything I needed before leaving the house. I don't remember the last time I got up that early on a Saturday, and it was a shock to the system.<br />
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We arrived at Nampa High School, and just as with all of the organized rides I've done, there was a spirit of anticipation, fun, and camaraderie among all the folks who were also struggling with the early morning start. Doug and I got geared up, and we were almost giddy leading up to the start. Right before heading to the starting line, we took turns taking pictures with our neighbors in the parking lot...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUenuvr0YzFMkyTXfw5g6-4EQD5GWjZG_EbmF8jwKopWmKz48rEqAwt-ZXtRUy5z1KJDGp6ct9mv2K7j5LZNC74_szK8TdJqBb7CQIwfFUlIgL5x_YlorFLokRqK9imxP63mckZhfmUIY/s1600/WP_20130608_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUenuvr0YzFMkyTXfw5g6-4EQD5GWjZG_EbmF8jwKopWmKz48rEqAwt-ZXtRUy5z1KJDGp6ct9mv2K7j5LZNC74_szK8TdJqBb7CQIwfFUlIgL5x_YlorFLokRqK9imxP63mckZhfmUIY/s320/WP_20130608_001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug "the Italian Stallion" Jenkins and Me</td></tr>
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Doug's looking pretty svelte in this photo, sporting a very cool cycling kit from Castelli (I was a little envious...) I'm looking "less svelte" in one of my growing collection of beer-related cycling jerseys. This particular jersey is from <a href="http://greatdivide.com/">Great Divide Brewing Company</a> in Denver, CO - which I visited in February of this year with my old friend Dan Wilson while hitting the <a href="http://denver.eater.com/tags/bacon-fest">Bacon and Beer Festival</a>. (yes, there is such a thing, and it was glorious...)<br />
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There were not many century riders starting at 7:00 am, I'm guessing around 50. There was an earlier starting option at 6:00 am, and many riders took advantage of that because they either needed more time to finish the course, or just wanted to beat the heat. I should mention that there were cut-off times for course milestones that we had to beat, or else we'd be diverted to a "short-cut" back to Nampa - and not be allowed to finish the century. This is done for rider safety - the organizers must ensure that century riders are fit and in good condition during the race so that everyone can finish the race safely and in good health. We were confident in our conditioning, so the 7:00 am start was fine with us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2d0jY54ALW5GZSTY7WBR39yiFJgNeGw5QP6ErpfJUppcgCXYvC_-DJ0iho5TvNhW-AFMTJiUfC-htdiUGUIALmdYcuhHCkITXluAHVJLKDnjK-UKFg-tjZ6fPhXFYZsZeQre4rKiROMk/s1600/WP_20130608_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2d0jY54ALW5GZSTY7WBR39yiFJgNeGw5QP6ErpfJUppcgCXYvC_-DJ0iho5TvNhW-AFMTJiUfC-htdiUGUIALmdYcuhHCkITXluAHVJLKDnjK-UKFg-tjZ6fPhXFYZsZeQre4rKiROMk/s320/WP_20130608_002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug at the starting line</td></tr>
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Anyway, the ride started uneventfully. Typically, there's a group that rides fast right out of the gate. I've always remembered a piece of advice that my friend Eric Jeglum told me last year before my first organized ride - and that is to NOT get caught up with the first group of "fast-starters" - these rides are long affairs, and it's best to get warmed up first, there's always time to catch the pack later. So, Doug and I started fairly slowly and worked our way up to the pace that we wanted to maintain. And we were having a great time...until the 20 mile mark...<br />
<h3>
The Blowout!</h3>
We had just started our descent into the Snake River valley, down a hill with a very steep gradient. Normally, these hills are a lot of fun! But, there was a stop sign and a sharp right-hand turn at the base of the hill, so we used a bit of caution on this descent. I heard Doug behind me yelling something that I couldn't quite make out. Turned out he was yelling that he was having trouble with his brakes! As I got to the bottom of the hill, I heard a loud noise that sounded like a gun-shot. That was Doug's tubeless tire "exploding" off of his rim. Since he couldn't adequately brake, his rim hit the road violently, and sustained a lot of damage. Thankfully, Doug did not crash - he's an experienced rider and had been moderating his speed as best he could. But, the damage he took to his rim was not repairable and required him to bow out of the ride. We flagged the nearest SAG wagon, loaded up his bike, and said our goodbyes for the day. (A SAG wagon is a vehicle that patrols the race and assists stranded riders)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3b0LG5rZZpcZJgrXpVw-sFmUKbSJ0NaeCKlVcZcZSCQeWS9wLBxrqO4K-AnXRP8qiyQBQtQhTW8BcNlYR6f6TtZIiVKVOERyfQkuazJXo537dj2LukXlEh19jO8ugvM8vtgtHDo3Hx4/s1600/WP_20130608_004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3b0LG5rZZpcZJgrXpVw-sFmUKbSJ0NaeCKlVcZcZSCQeWS9wLBxrqO4K-AnXRP8qiyQBQtQhTW8BcNlYR6f6TtZIiVKVOERyfQkuazJXo537dj2LukXlEh19jO8ugvM8vtgtHDo3Hx4/s320/WP_20130608_004.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug's chewed up rim - a race-ender</td></tr>
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That was the "low point" that I mentioned earlier! Only 20 miles in, and I was on my own for the rest of the day. And, I sure felt bad for Doug - he was looking forward to the ride, I know. We're still not sure what exactly happened. Doug thinks his brakes were malfunctioning, and were rubbing against the tire, not the rim - which heated up the tire and broke the seal his tubeless tire had with the rim - causing the "explosion." Guess we'll never know for sure...<br />
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Anyway, I pressed on. The next segment was a beautiful ride north-west along the Snake River to Marsing, ID. From Marsing, we continued north-west to Homedale, ID. I did make a few new acquaintances along the route, including Scott - a former triathlete and veteran road-cyclist who has ridden the "Seattle to Portland" ride. I also caught up with the group of early starters - and it was nice making some new friends and having some folks to chat with from time to time.<br />
<h3>
Into Oregon...</h3>
From Homedale, we continued west across the Oregon border to Adrian, OR. This is my one attempt at capturing the pretty farmland that we were riding through most of the day. That's the Snake River in the distance. The Snake River runs along the Idaho / Oregon border from south to north.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hdA-EBCDHIdt0xvuc63p0rPQ4kRzeeMFuaFacvV_XofEUqdJr3_8Z2DOvKys9C98DuoKI5FGWNrxhJwhNKxCR5gFJQ2mbXj-bHVUj_NF9K724oEksoi2XJJvLx6qgjKxyvgEw-VEmzY/s1600/WP_20130608_012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hdA-EBCDHIdt0xvuc63p0rPQ4kRzeeMFuaFacvV_XofEUqdJr3_8Z2DOvKys9C98DuoKI5FGWNrxhJwhNKxCR5gFJQ2mbXj-bHVUj_NF9K724oEksoi2XJJvLx6qgjKxyvgEw-VEmzY/s400/WP_20130608_012.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South of Adrian, OR</td></tr>
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Adrian was roughly the half-way point for the century ride. We had a pretty brutal headwind from Homedale to Adrian, and all the riders looked significantly more fatigued when we stopped at the Adrian aid station than they did in Homedale! There was one pretty cool moment on the road to Adrian, though, when we had to navigate around a piece of farm equipment - I've been off the farm for a long time, so I'm not sure exactly what it was that we passed. (If you can identify this piece of farm equipment, please leave a blog comment... Dad, I'm looking for your expertise here!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, we're in Eastern Oregon!</td></tr>
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I had another minor "low point" in Adrian, when I stopped at an aid station and asked the SAG wagon to check my tire pressure. (I had forgotten to check tire pressure before the race, and suspected that my tires were a bit low) The SAG volunteer had a pretty crappy pump - and when he tried to check my tire pressure, the pump was bleeding more air than he was putting back into my tire. At one point, he left me with about 80 lbs of pressure in my tire, and I normally ride with 100 - 120 lbs. The next SAG wagon with a better pump was 30 minutes away, which was unacceptable! To his credit, the volunteer tried again - and with me holding the pump valve on my tube valve, and he pumping extremely fast, we were able to get to about 90 lbs, which was good enough for me to continue my ride. I was not happy with the quality of equipment that the SAG wagon had, but was happy with the second effort. And off I went...<br />
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Grapes, Fruit Orchards, and Hops</h3>
From Adrian, we proceeded west back towards Nampa. The headwind was now a slight tail-wind, at worst a modest cross-wind. This made a huge difference for us, and the pace definitely picked up. Adrian to Nampa was my favorite part of the ride! We rode through Canyon County wine country, fruit orchards, and - of particular importance to me - hops fields! My friend Jan and I rode through similar hops fields in Belgium last year, and I always get a kick out of it. The structures required to support hops plants are intricate and beautiful (IMO). Growing hops must be a labor of love. And, with the boom in craft-brewing here in the United States, I hope these hops growers are doing well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby hops plants</td></tr>
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This section of the ride was a good preview for the <a href="https://www.bikereg.com/Net/18815">MS Society "Wine Ride"</a> in August of this year. I'm even more excited for that ride now, and am already making plans for that. It's a much shorter ride, so there's a good chance that I'll break out Rick's old Schwinn road bike for that one - or my old Schwinn "cruiser" bike...not sure yet.<br />
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Anyway, we soon arrived at Lake Lowell in Nampa, and had a nice ride around the lake before wrapping things up back at the high school. When all was said and done, we'd completed about 105 miles. I was thirsty and famished. I wolfed down a couple of chicken breasts wrapped in lettuce with tomatoes, and chugged as much water as I could put down. Unfortunately, there were no beer vendors there! A cold beer would have been a great way to finish the ride. (I got my cold beer back in Boise later in the day, though...several, actually. Just doing my part to support the local hops growers!)<br />
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Team WinCo Was Busy!</h3>
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While I was riding in southeast Idaho and Oregon on Saturday, the rest of Team WinCo was busy training as well. One of my teammates, Kathleen Romito, rode the "metric century" course of the Bob LeBow ride (a metric century is 62.5 miles.) Steve and Eric put in a nice long training ride from Boise to Star, ID that morning, and Greg Goins busted out a 40-miler in the afternoon. Adding to that the 20 miles that Doug rode before the blow-out, I estimate that the team put in nearly 300 miles on Saturday. What a great day of riding all-around!</div>
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And, Doug went above and beyond to get some miles in on Sunday. Eric, Greg, Mark, Doug and I met up in Boise for a 25 mile ride in the late afternoon heat on Sunday. I was pretty sore from the day before, especially my butt and feet - but it really felt good to get my legs moving again.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right - Greg, Doug, Greg, and Mark - heading out for a ride on Sunday</td></tr>
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Doug had a replacement wheel at home that he was going to use for our Sunday ride - but after driving all the way to our meeting spot, discovered that he'd left it at home! We were near downtown Boise, so Doug went to a bike shop downtown and talked them into providing him a loaner rim for the afternoon so he could ride with us. Way to be, Doug!</div>
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Okay, thanks for hanging in there on this post. It was a very rewarding ride on Saturday, and great to get out with the team on Sunday. Glad to be ramping up with longer distances - especially since Bike MS is only 20 days away! As always, please feel free to leave a comment here if you have any questions or comments. Thanks!</div>
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Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-31632422542198300422013-06-06T15:25:00.000-07:002013-06-06T17:59:11.948-07:00Wiseguy Pizza Pie Delivers - A Great Fundraiser for Bike MS!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We had a great turnout for the National MS Society fundraiser Monday night at <a href="http://www.wiseguypizzapie.com/" target="_blank">Wiseguy Pizza Pie</a> in Boise this week! This fundraiser exceeded my expectations, and I can't wait to do this again next year! Read all about it after the break...</div>
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First off - Ryan from Wiseguy did a great job promoting this fundraiser. Wiseguy was announcing this on social media - Facebook and Twitter the entire week leading up to the event. They also had a great sign outside their restaurant for at least 4 days leading up to Monday. I've talked to several other folks who have had fundraisers at chain restaurants - and they did not get nearly the amount of support I got from Ryan and the staff at Wiseguy. Seriously - it was great working with a LOCAL business who cares about the community.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Event Promotion at Wiseguy</td></tr>
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Other promotions for the event included mentions on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151723259367474&set=a.429716132473.215906.379398912473&type=1&theater" target="_blank">Bike MS facebook page</a>, and through the Meet Me Monday newsletter (more on that in a moment.) My friends at several downtown businesses posted flyers at their workplace - including Innovus Solar, Idaho Power, Drake/Cooper, Clearwater Analytics, Cradlepoint, WhiteCloud Analytics, and MetaGeek. And, as my friends can attest, I carpet-bombed my facebook page with info about the event and tweeted about it all through the weekend.</div>
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Just prior to the fundraiser, Megan and I staffed a community table at <a href="http://www.saintalphonsus.org/meet-me-monday" target="_blank">Meet Me Monday</a>, right next door to Wiseguy Pizza. Many of you have seen me write about Meet Me Monday before, it's a great community wellness event put on every Monday by St. Alphonsus and <a href="http://bandannarunning.com/" target="_blank">Bandanna Running</a> (owned by my friends and supporters, Rich and Shannon Harris).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megan and I at Meet Me Monday</td></tr>
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Meet Me Monday was critical for this fundraiser. I estimate over 100 folks attended Meet Me Monday that night, and many of those folks patronized Wiseguy afterwards. Shannon was great about promoting the fundraiser at Meet Me Monday the week before, and in their newsletter. The event would not have been nearly as successful without her help and support, and the generous people that I walk and run with every Monday night!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge crowd from Meet Me Monday</td></tr>
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The weather was absolutely perfect on Monday for sitting out on the HUGE patio at Wiseguy. The first of my friends to arrive were, of course, the Robinson family. This was no surprise. The Robinsons are long-time friends and Bike MS supporters. Tony also participated in the <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/06/weekly-fundraising-and-training-update.html" target="_blank">golfing fundraiser</a> over the weekend. I was happy to get to introduce them to Megan - she recognized Tony from the golf pictures and informed us that the golfing event would be mentioned on the National MS Society - Utah and Southern Idaho Chapter's Facebook page this week!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first guests! The Robinson family - Julie, Jack, Ruby, Sophie, and Tony</td></tr>
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The Robinsons were followed closely by Norma and Katie, and then the floodgates opened for a while! The list of friends who came out to support us include: Scott and Reed Jeide, Lance Shelton, the Schroer family, the Dorrell family, Will and Natalie Foster, Jamie Dillon, Terry Groth, and many more...The patio was packed, as was the main restaurant. This rush lasted at least 90 minutes!<br />
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A couple of members of Team WinCo showed up as well - good friend Doug Jenkins, and the "face" of Bike MS here in Idaho, Gordy Myre. Gordy bought the whole dang family out last night. Gordy is a great fundraiser himself, and has a knack for getting folks to pull out their wallet. In fact, he did it to me last night when he talked me into buying him a beer! This is probably my favorite picture from the event...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Gordy</td></tr>
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A surprise guest last night was Boise Mayor Dave Bieter. Mayor Bieter is a fairly regular attendee at Meet Me Monday. I was surprised and pleased to see him stick around for an hour or so afterwards with his friends and family for the fundraiser. And of course, he and my friend Cheryl go way back. (to Cheryl's days on the Eagle Planning and Zoning commission) I'm starting to think that if I ever need to meet someone important, to just ask Cheryl. I think she knows everybody!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mayor Bieter, Cheryl, Megan, Me</td></tr>
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Speaking of Cheryl, she bought her new service dog in-training, Fallon. Fallon's sure a sweet girl. My friends and I probably undid some of her training by feeding her pizza crusts and all kinds of meat toppings And by "my friends and I" - I mean "I". Cheryl was a good sport!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheryl and Fallon</td></tr>
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And, I have to talk about my friends the Biermans. I've known Doug Bierman for a while, and knew that his family participates in Walk MS - but Monday night was the first time I'd met the whole family. Mike (Doug's Dad) grabbed my donation pitcher and hustled around the patio until it was full of cash. I think Mike's secret was that he was raffling off dates with my friend Le Ann! He did give Le Ann the news later in the evening...it's easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission, right?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new friends the Biermans! </td></tr>
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So many other friends to mention...Patrice Lancourt, Le Ann Stephens, Troy Custer, Chris Nettleton...I could go on and on.<br />
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THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING, and for making the event GREAT!<br />
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So....how did we do? When all was said and done, Wiseguy donated $183 to me and Team WinCo! Also, I received $90 in the donation jar, and a $25 online donation from the event. I'll dig deep and kick in an extra $2 to make it an even $300.00 for the night! And, just as important, the event was a success for Wiseguy Pizza Pie. Ryan said "...Please do not hesitate to come to me with an event in the future." And I certainly will.<br />
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Thanks again everyone!</div>
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Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-48645885565000174392013-06-02T19:47:00.000-07:002013-06-02T19:50:09.686-07:00Weekly Fundraising and Training Update - Week of May 27thSo much to talk about this week! Best week of fundraising in quite some time, thanks to a very generous group of old friends. Exciting fund-raising events coming up this week as well! More after the break...<br />
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Fundraising</h4>
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First off, fundraising highlights and shout-outs!<br />
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<ul>
<li>We raised $580 last week! This was our second-biggest fundraising week of the year. That brings us to $3,370 raised - 67% of my goal of $5,000. THANK YOU!</li>
<li>Received another "blue bird" donation from an old friend, Edam Lozano. Thanks Edam, glad to have you aboard! (blue bird donations are donations from folks who are new to my donor list, or from an unexpected source...)</li>
<li>My friend Dave Slocum organized a charity golf scramble on Saturday, June 1st that pulled in an amazing $430! More on that event later...</li>
<li>We ramped up for the<a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/05/fundraiser-at-wiseguy-pizza-and-meet-me.html" target="_blank"> big fundraiser at Wiseguy Pizza Pie on Monday, June 3rd</a>. Tell your friends, neighbors, coworkers, random strangers! Hope to see you there!</li>
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So, more about the golf scramble...my friend Dave organized a day of golf and fundraising at the <a href="http://www.boiseranchgc.com/sites/courses/layout9.asp?id=616&page=33400" target="_blank">Boise Ranch golf course</a> on Saturday. Dave requested a $50 minimum donation per golfer, and those guys came through for me big-time. We had eight golfers total, and two scramble teams. Here's the group, minus Paul Bolick, who had to leave at the turn.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right: Tony, Matt, Chuck, Dave, Dan, Me, Greg</td></tr>
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<div>
I'm a lousy golfer, but this was the most fun I've had golfing in quite a while. Thankfully, Matt and Tony carried our team most of the day with their drives and approach shots - and Greg knocked down putt after putt. I just knocked down beer after beer and tried not to embarrass myself too much...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmBIsKJdjiipU2jcfoctCU2ZIxRCNl_EBq4GQS1ZKC0znstv-UpnBsEFwPkUxsisAbEMofeQSNxDIgPTU1liqew681seclCv5r-t1BMSHBLTxYfs2Zcxasqrj1wN9draA8nCAqGNUOiA/s1600/980602_159525554228751_385308689_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmBIsKJdjiipU2jcfoctCU2ZIxRCNl_EBq4GQS1ZKC0znstv-UpnBsEFwPkUxsisAbEMofeQSNxDIgPTU1liqew681seclCv5r-t1BMSHBLTxYfs2Zcxasqrj1wN9draA8nCAqGNUOiA/s320/980602_159525554228751_385308689_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second-place team!</td></tr>
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<div>
Our team struggled a bit on the back nine, but we held on for a solid second-place showing. And yes, I did mention we only had two teams :) Maybe the most competitive part of the day was the debate over whether my new hair "style" makes me look more like Ellen Degeneres or Rikki Rockett from Poison. Uhh...I guess I'd have to go with Ellen.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbvAod_kTOVWnxXQAwZG1isRuMJTtErwWghKfCLN4wOfa-a9E527D5M6u7WaR2Z76vzpxHDzSq0TFqYYfAI-KJ2jnfod8_TSX_XCwj5Zj6yO7CQKLTpnLc3O0ejly0M3AMCdBnLBuxAg/s1600/rex+ellen+rikki.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbvAod_kTOVWnxXQAwZG1isRuMJTtErwWghKfCLN4wOfa-a9E527D5M6u7WaR2Z76vzpxHDzSq0TFqYYfAI-KJ2jnfod8_TSX_XCwj5Zj6yO7CQKLTpnLc3O0ejly0M3AMCdBnLBuxAg/s320/rex+ellen+rikki.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hair Models...</td></tr>
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When all was said and done, those men had stepped up and contributed a total of $430 dollars for Bike MS! Fundraising needed a boost in a big way, and they delivered. THANK YOU to each and every one of you, especially Dave for having this great idea and for organizing the event. And thanks also to my friend Jody Terrill, who was not able to golf with us on Saturday, but stopped by before the event to drop off a check - and to Tony, who made sure I got home safely that night. And by the way, I had a blast, and can't wait to see you fellas again.<br />
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And lastly...I hope you guys know how much I and my family appreciate your giving!<br />
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<h4>
Training</h4>
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Oh, and training...had three great rides this week, with a lot of climbing. And, I continued strength training at A2O Fitness as well. As always, please check out the Strava "widget" on the right-hand side of this blog for more details about all of my training rides. I'm still not where I need to be for weekly mileage, but I'm getting there. This weekend (June 8th) we have the <a href="http://www.trhs.org/en-us/eventsmedia/boblebowbiketour.aspx" target="_blank">Bob LeBow Bike Tour</a> - several members of Team WinCo are participating - me, Doug, Greg, Steve, and Kathleen. And I believe most of us are riding the 100 mile route. This will be by far my longest ride of the year, and will be a great indicator of how ready I am for Bike MS.<br />
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<div>
Okay...onward and upward! Time to focus on the Wiseguy Pizza Pie fundraiser - I'll be live tweeting from the event (when I'm not busing and cleaning tables...) At least I think I'll be live tweeting - once I figure out what that means exactly, and how to do it :) Hope to see you on Monday, June 3rd for a great evening in downtown Boise!</div>
Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-25281276494262425882013-05-28T20:19:00.001-07:002013-05-28T20:19:12.133-07:00Why I Ride - Rick ParkerA lot of you know that I ride Bike MS in honor of my late brother, Rick. But only a few of my friends in Boise were fortunate enough to get to meet him. So I thought I'd write a bit more about Rick this week, so that everyone could get to know him a little better.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>First off - I had three older brothers, and had a very different relationship with each one. Here's the line-up...before you start writing comments about my cardigan, I should tell you this picture is 25 years old.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzw0uWGnhJ694tueyQhYCAna0s_4-C6h17hmomnfXVR-_Ei1GVkqIxctfgBuWCaetbY-snJXpIicTEQ1l4rJVDMTgrmh-I0OLrQR88AGqxPYWhU3nEVTEVKGC1TUFbo8d9TEPNKePW3RQ/s1600/family_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzw0uWGnhJ694tueyQhYCAna0s_4-C6h17hmomnfXVR-_Ei1GVkqIxctfgBuWCaetbY-snJXpIicTEQ1l4rJVDMTgrmh-I0OLrQR88AGqxPYWhU3nEVTEVKGC1TUFbo8d9TEPNKePW3RQ/s320/family_8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right: Russell, Robert, Rex (me), Rick</td></tr>
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I am the youngest, Rick the oldest. Despite the age difference, he was my best friend. Russell was closest in age to me, so of course we fought all the time growing up - and there's still some tension there today. Robert helped raise me as my parents farmed and held down second jobs. My relationship with Rob was more parent-child growing up, so that was often adversarial as well. That changed as I got older - Robert and I grew very close in our adult lives.<br />
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Rick, however, was always my hero. I absolutely idolized Rick growing up. Being the oldest, he was in and out of the house when I was a kid. His visits from college were the highlights of my year. I'd count the days until he arrived for a visit, and I'd cry when he left. Many of my best childhood memories include Rick.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AsQigRQIa4-djlbD9U96FNkekDigSC38ch5SWIXO1w1AR2t-fBj-nMaRQ0jQ4qnckbInNU7feTwgTxHvxi-JvEjGCDrUscFeH06HjGPe_M3p45bL7lBOxwv0JGVMtolWqpyMP0lHG7Y/s1600/rick_2_ps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AsQigRQIa4-djlbD9U96FNkekDigSC38ch5SWIXO1w1AR2t-fBj-nMaRQ0jQ4qnckbInNU7feTwgTxHvxi-JvEjGCDrUscFeH06HjGPe_M3p45bL7lBOxwv0JGVMtolWqpyMP0lHG7Y/s320/rick_2_ps.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rick Parker, HS Senior Photo, 1975</td></tr>
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<div>
One of those many memories is when Rick took me to see an R-rated movie when I was 8 or 9 - the first "Alien" movie at the drive-in in Terry, Montana. My parents told him not to, but he knew I wanted to go and snuck me out of the house to see it. I spent a good part of the movie on the floor of the car, scared to death. But I loved it. If my parents read this post, this may be news to them.<br />
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Rick also taught me how to shoot a basketball. If you've ever seen me play basketball, you'll realize I'm not doing Rick any favors by telling you this.</div>
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Rick fostered my love of reading - and his gifts of books were a constant throughout my life, starting at age 7 with a science-fiction art book that I have to this day. Rick was not a casual gift-giver, either - nearly every book I got from Rick has a hand-written inscription inside. Rick was a gifted writer, and majored in journalism in college. I treasure those books.<br />
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When Rick was crippled by MS, he kept the gifts coming. He once wheeled himself downtown several miles to meet Steve Earle (one of my favorite music artists) before a concert, at a book signing for Steve's first book, "Doghouse Roses." And then he wheeled himself home in the dark. All for a gift - not a birthday gift, not a Christmas gift - just a random gift that he knew I'd love.<br />
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Rick and I often liked the same books. Rick once read a book called "West With The Night," an autobiography of the first person, Beryl Markham, to fly over the Atlantic from East to West - and he knew I'd love it. Rick had a very hard time leaving the house in those days, and had no use for computers (no internet shopping for him) - so for Christmas that year, he inscribed and gave me HIS copy of the book.<br />
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I could fill an entire blog post with nothing but stories about Rick's giving. If he had $10 to his name, he'd want to give you $20. And he always wanted to provide the best for his kids.<br />
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Back to the pre-MS days...<br />
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When I graduated high school in 1987, I left home immediately to go spend a year screwing around with Rick in Missoula, Montana. Rick had just met his future wife, Earlene, and would soon be starting a family. I was driving a 1966 Chevrolet Biscayne that was on its last legs, so I biked a lot that summer. Having no bike when I got to Missoula, Rick set me up with a sweet old Schwinn Le Tour.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4L_7vUOySOXqVavdPSMci28uFeXyoshLSeCj260oox4FJDif3L_tTfLjzhNLDjosdwd_WhsjwfOYRN9-YEQrdmwlGh-J1a-l8kQyDd1FOEHrpB3DMH52nfBGH2qGSOQNqV8k3Thg2ZY/s1600/rick_family_xmas_card_199X.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4L_7vUOySOXqVavdPSMci28uFeXyoshLSeCj260oox4FJDif3L_tTfLjzhNLDjosdwd_WhsjwfOYRN9-YEQrdmwlGh-J1a-l8kQyDd1FOEHrpB3DMH52nfBGH2qGSOQNqV8k3Thg2ZY/s320/rick_family_xmas_card_199X.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rick's family from left to right: Travis, Rick, Earlene, Jeramy - around 1994</td></tr>
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Rick was an avid road cyclist, and was starting to get more serious about it - he had just upgraded to a 1987 Schwinn Super Sport - which was a very expensive purchase, I'm sure, for a guy trying to finish college and working nights at a hotel. As many of you know, that Schwinn Super Sport is the bike that I rode in Bike MS Idaho last year (more on that bike later.) One of Rick's favorite events was <a href="http://www.missoulabike.org/tosrvwest/" target="_blank">TOSRV </a>(Tour of the Swan River Valley) and he was also the top fund-raiser in the 1987 Montana Lung Association ride, where he won an early mountain bike - a Bianchi Grizzly. As I look back, many of the things I'm passionate about - craft beer, cycling, music, reading - are all things that Rick was passionate about as well. To say that Rick was influential in my life is an understatement.<br />
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Life moved on - I joined the Navy, then went to college (Go <a href="http://www.montana.edu/" target="_blank">Bobcats</a>!) Rick got on with his life as well - and seemed to ride less and less as he did all the things you do to start a new family - house purchase, raising kids, etc, etc. But cycling was never too far from his mind. As time went on, Rick and his family were a constant presence in my life. Many trips to Missoula, many concerts and other outings.</div>
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During my college years (1992 - 1997) there were some incidents that were, in hindsight, clear warning signs for MS. Rick would get awfully shaky sometimes after having a few beers, which I chalked up to age. Now that I'm the same age as he was at the time, I realize how ridiculous that was. Also, he would complain sometimes about his leg going numb while he was at work. For hours at a time. You'd think that would warrant a trip to the doctor, but Rick never went (to my knowledge) - and I don't think any of us were armed with the information we have now about MS, so I don't think anyone was pushing him to get it checked out.<br />
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After college, and a quick two-year stint in the Bay area, I moved to Boise. The proximity to Missoula (compared to San Francisco) was nice, and Rick and I got back to more regular visits, often around Montana State / Montana football games. One of those years (2002, I believe) Rick came down to Boise to spend the football game weekend with me. He seemed a bit off that weekend, and was particularly sick on Sunday. Then, after flying home Sunday night, he woke up Monday and found that he had completely lost vision in his right eye.<br />
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Things progressed swiftly at that point. The MS diagnosis came quickly - steroids cleared up his vision, and the fight began. It wasn't much of a fight, though. By the time he was diagnosed, the MS was pretty advanced. There were no significant remissions, and MS took him down steadily limb-by-limb. He went from a cane to a walker to a wheelchair within two years. Soon, it was hard to understand him, as MS took out his facial muscles. The eyesight would come and go.<br />
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There would be some brief respites, after steroid therapy, but they didn't last long. Rick would often schedule those right before a visit from my parents so they wouldn't see him at his worst. I think that the pain the disease caused his children and my parents affected him more than the disease did.<br />
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I should also note that we lost Robert to a tragic car accident in 1998 when he was only 37. My parents had already buried a child, and they were facing losing another. I will never be able to fully comprehend the grief this caused them. Rick understood this, though, and I'm sure it tore him up.<br />
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We lost Rick in August 2011. He was in a nursing home at that point, and had lost the ability to swallow on his own. He was getting serious infections, could no longer feed himself, and I think a breathing tube was on the horizon. Enough about that...<br />
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Maybe the worst effect that MS had on Rick was the depression that he fought. He spent some time on anti-depressants, but I don't think he liked them. Rick did not always take his degrading condition gracefully. The vast majority of the time, Rick was the same sweet, generous man he always was - but at times he could be very difficult to be around. I think he yelled a lifetime of profanities in those years. MS did that. MS took him from us, I think, long before he physically passed away.<br />
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I stayed in Missoula the week after Rick passed away, doing what I could to help Rick's kids with all the required arrangements. It helped to have tasks to focus on. At some point in the week, I noticed the Schwinn Super Sport hanging up in my nephew Jeramy's garage, and it appeared to be in great shape. It had been well cared-for all those years. The bike was just a bit too big for either of my nephews, so Jeramy asked me if I wanted it. I sure did.<br />
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Soon, I was riding that bike all over Boise, and having a blast on it. I hadn't ridden a road bike in years. For a long time, I was too fat to ride a road bike...but had recently cleaned up my act, was fit and raring to go. I don't remember where or how I first heard about the MS 150 bike ride, but the minute I heard about it - I knew that I wanted to ride it on Rick's bike. And I did. It was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done and I would give anything if Rick had been around to share the experience with.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRlIRya0KwUJQ-pLyX71tFtGsB0Z-_mcVTQ8NDVYz4l4-fBu_X5Xbb0RE7YXpr8D_bd9VoiDVHNrz942K0oarBrQjlSSpjOkh-LZZssVbi2rfNVJ7Uiu3iIlVrUJ948A_4ik8rCQD-rg/s1600/168212_3774228748065_23065457_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRlIRya0KwUJQ-pLyX71tFtGsB0Z-_mcVTQ8NDVYz4l4-fBu_X5Xbb0RE7YXpr8D_bd9VoiDVHNrz942K0oarBrQjlSSpjOkh-LZZssVbi2rfNVJ7Uiu3iIlVrUJ948A_4ik8rCQD-rg/s320/168212_3774228748065_23065457_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rick's Bike at Payette Lake, near downtown McCall, ID</td></tr>
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Unfortunately, the old Le Tour and the Bianchi have not survived the years - but if I ever part with that '87 Super Sport it will have to be pried from my cold, dead legs. Thank you so much, Jeramy, for entrusting me with it.<br />
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I think often of Rick's and my last road trip together. I was fortunate to be able to take Rick to Glacier National Park in 2007. It was a great trip, but challenging, as I was an inexperienced caregiver. Rick was very patient with me that week. He was in his element in the Lake McDonald lodge - striking up conversations with everyone he could, joking and laughing as much as possible. In particular, I remember the night we ate dinner in the lodge. Rick had a very difficult time holding eating utensils at the time, and we were still trying to figure out how to make that easier for him. As a result, half of what was on his plate usually ended up on the floor. When our very eager, college-age waiter came over to serve us, Rick started laughing uncontrollably, and when he finally composed himself, said "This poor kid has no idea what he's in for tonight!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwnGo0kQov1HbcqGUY_2eoujWMRIGFhmo_EvziYqZoh1-v187tgShBpfcY2iJzE741UWo8IIKsSLaT45wDaEkFgoVHTv_IaQzzrg8Jd1g37QKzTmz7dnDzketA6en_-rbSJhsgdGdYa8/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwnGo0kQov1HbcqGUY_2eoujWMRIGFhmo_EvziYqZoh1-v187tgShBpfcY2iJzE741UWo8IIKsSLaT45wDaEkFgoVHTv_IaQzzrg8Jd1g37QKzTmz7dnDzketA6en_-rbSJhsgdGdYa8/s320/021.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rick on the Trail of the Cedars, Glacier National Park, 2007</td></tr>
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If Rick could see me struggle to write this blog post, he'd probably have a good laugh as well - and call me a "buffoon" - one of his favorite words. I wish I were as eloquent a writer as Rick, but this will have to do. And I'll just close by saying I think about Rick every day and would give up anything I own to have one more conversation with him. I know that won't happen. But if, through sharing Rick's story, I can help make life a little better for someone else affected by MS - I know Rick would be very pleased. And that is why I ride Bike MS.</div>
Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937256709040146394.post-54536728639517369732013-05-27T21:31:00.000-07:002013-05-28T13:50:06.639-07:00Weekly Fundraising and Training Update!We had a very exciting week for Bike MS training and fundraising! We had our first official donor giveaway, organized a night of fundraising and awareness, and got some great training rides in. Details after the break...<br />
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<a name='more'></a><h3>
Fundraising Update</h3>
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On the fundraising front, there's a lot to talk about! First, I'd like to congratulate my friend, and frequent running partner Paul Bolick, who won the first donor incentive prize of the year - Paul will be choosing either <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/05/free-classes-and-training-session-at.html" target="_blank">free Tabata classes or a session with my personal trainer Jimmi Stanton at A2O Fitness</a>! I have one more prize from <a href="http://www.a2ofitness.com/" target="_blank">A2O Fitness</a> to give away, and I am happy to offer it to one lucky donor this week (the week of May 27th.) This prize could not have gone to a better person. Paul has been a great supporter of Bike MS the past two years, and also a great supporter of my personal fitness journey the past few years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMb1i70e8N69w_aMF2FVJNoqxlPcwa-0qL1Dz0AblyzMv5Bxq_7i4WqFk4-In8fFzbW2SFOsSJGLoOysspz5Pvow9MUXSRr-edxkuHSgdeORpcU1oKLRs6FLP3FMKnVLCC8n7fRoCxNM8/s1600/Rex+Paul+Robie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMb1i70e8N69w_aMF2FVJNoqxlPcwa-0qL1Dz0AblyzMv5Bxq_7i4WqFk4-In8fFzbW2SFOsSJGLoOysspz5Pvow9MUXSRr-edxkuHSgdeORpcU1oKLRs6FLP3FMKnVLCC8n7fRoCxNM8/s320/Rex+Paul+Robie.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Paul, Race to Robie Creek 2011</td></tr>
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Thank you and congratulations, Paul! And thank you so much to Jennifer Ludington from A2O fitness for the generous donor prizes!<br />
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More exciting fundraising news - <a href="http://www.wiseguypizzapie.com/" target="_blank">Wiseguy Pizza Pie</a> in downtown Boise will be hosting a Bike MS fundraiser on Monday, June 3rd! A percentage of their profits from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm that evening will be donated to my Bike MS campaign. I am very excited for this, and I hope it turns out to be a great evening for both Wiseguy Pizza and for my fundraising efforts. I wrote an article about this event over the weekend, <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/05/fundraiser-at-wiseguy-pizza-and-meet-me.html" target="_blank">more details can be found here</a>. I hope to see you there on the 3rd!<br />
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Megan Nettleton and I will also be on-hand at <a href="http://www.saintalphonsus.org/meet-me-monday" target="_blank">Meet Me Monday</a> the evening of June 3rd, hosting a community table to talk about upcoming cycling events from the MS Society - including, of course, Bike MS: Harmon's Best Dam Bike ride on June 29th and 30th. Meet Me Monday is located right next door to Wiseguy Pizza Pie, so I'm hoping the Meet Me Monday crowd will pack Wiseguy to help support the cause.<br />
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Last but not least, my old pal and former co-worker Dave Slocum has organized a charity golf scramble on Saturday, June 1st at the Boise Ranch Golf Course. We're expecting at least 12 golfers with a suggested minimum donation of $50 from each participant. The invite list is currently a group of friends and former co-workers and it should be a great time. I'm hoping we can turn this into an annual event, and grow it year over year. Thanks so much for putting this together, Dave!<br />
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Training Update</h3>
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There's also quite a bit to talk about on the training front! As I mentioned in my <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/05/free-classes-and-training-session-at.html" target="_blank">previous article about A2O fitness</a>, I've been lifting weights twice a week at A2O with a personal trainer, Jimmi Stanton. I had two more sessions with Jimmi last week. We've been focusing on "functional strength" and core exercises, and I'm convinced these sessions are going to help me withstand the long, 100 mile days on the bike that I have coming up in June.</div>
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I also got in three great rides this weekend, and you can see details about all of these rides on my "Strava" widget on the right-hand side of this blog. <a href="http://bikingms.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-train-suggestions-web-sites.html" target="_blank">I've written about Strava before</a>, it's the web site that I use to log all of my bike rides. On Sunday, I had an opportunity to get in a 60 mile ride with my friend and Team WinCo captain Greg Goins. We had a beautiful ride out to Middleton, ID and back. Greg introduced me to the "Three Sisters" on Can-Ada road - a series of three short, steep hills - the first hill having some sections with 15 to 18% gradients - real leg-burners. We also got a great warm shower from an afternoon thunderstorm at mile 58. And, as rides with my teammates often do, we ended up at 10 Barrel Brewing for a cold one. Great afternoon all around!</div>
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Today (Memorial Day), I took the opportunity to do some cross-training and climbing work on my mountain bike with my good friend, Rami. Rami and I are doing the <a href="http://www.wildrockiesracing.com/mountain_biking/boise_2_idcity.php" target="_blank">Wild Rockies "Ride to Idaho City" on June 15 and 16</a> - a two-day, fully supported mountain bike ride from Boise to Idaho City (45 miles each way) with dinner and camping in Idaho City the evening of the 15th.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEX6R6Z6ePNnEHHicN8XEyqSPDiYr9YRyFfOB7ni1wXQmBVtq_jJl3FoYLejF_MG2-zIkt-d1SG41W1r2-pbkb4gLM8Leb1keWVJrdzLvNacNmyoeWt_Y7I_1oL4H40cGX6osyBV8yBs/s1600/IMG_0510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEX6R6Z6ePNnEHHicN8XEyqSPDiYr9YRyFfOB7ni1wXQmBVtq_jJl3FoYLejF_MG2-zIkt-d1SG41W1r2-pbkb4gLM8Leb1keWVJrdzLvNacNmyoeWt_Y7I_1oL4H40cGX6osyBV8yBs/s320/IMG_0510.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Rami, Wild Rockies Ride to Idaho City, June 2011</td></tr>
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We did some training for that ride today - starting at Fort Boise and riding some single track trails (Mountain Cove, Bucktail, Shane's Loop) before popping out on Rocky Canyon Road and climbing up to Adalpe Summit. From there, we descended to Robie Creek state park, and then we turned around and headed back up the summit. We hit more single-track on the way down (Shane's Loop and Bucktail) before ending the ride back at Fort Boise. When all was said and done, we'd gone 27 miles with about 4,300 feet of elevation gain - which is about 1,000 more than the ride to Bogus Basin. It was a beautiful day today, and that ride was a great workout - and a lot of fun.</div>
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Mountain biking is great cross-training - it works slightly different muscles, and often involves steeper climbing and more anaerobic activity (shorter bursts of high-intensity pedaling) than road cycling. I love road cycling, but throwing in the occasional mountain bike ride helps change things up, and will also serve me well on the hills we'll have to climb at Bike MS.</div>
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What's coming up this week? More riding! I have a full slate of rides booked for June, with tough rides (century rides, or long-distance mountain biking) planned 4 out of the 5 Saturdays that month - including Bike MS on June 29th and 30th. I'll be writing more about the June rides in an article later this week.</div>
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Thanks everyone for making last week a very busy one for fundraising and training. We're just over a month away from Bike MS, so expect to see more activities and updates here as we make our big fundraising push! As always, please feel free to leave a comment or question!</div>
<br />Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11737877279050087980noreply@blogger.com0