To camp or to train....That there's the question.

So I've been giving some serious thought to getting an indoor bike trainer in order to prepare for the 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer.  The thing is, I've heard of a lot of people who say that indoor training on a trainer is ridiculously boring.  I've tried breaking the situation down into pros/cons.

Cons (Why I should go to the RTCC training camp at RPM)

• I'll be training by myself (this could be a pro?)
• Won't have the opportunity to meet new people in turn
• Won't have an instructor dispensing tips, advice, etc
• Training on an inflexible schedule

Pros (Why I should buy a trainer)

• I'll be training by myself
• I can meet new people at spin class or on group rides
• I'll be able to own more of my training routines etc
• Trainer will be at home, can train whenever I like
• Training on my own bike rather than a spin bike

As far as I can tell, it's pretty much a 50/50 scenario.  I think that signing up for the RTCC camp might be the safest bet... I'll be more committed to going due to having signed up for a set schedule ahead of time.  I'll know when the classes are and for how many weeks and what will be expected of me from beginning to end.  I've already gone through the camp for the 2012 ride so it's not going to be anything unexpected.

At the root of the RTCC camp methodology, it really boils down to one thing: saddle time.  Essentially we were in the saddle for two hours working at X% effort for as long as we possibly could in order to condition ourselves to being in the seat and not bruising something fierce.  

Then when I think about it.. I have to consider that if the goal of the camp is condition our butts to be in the saddle for so long, would it not make more sense to get more saddle time in my own bike?  I find that a lot of spinning bikes don't quite fit me properly.  I find myself either reaching a little bit too far at the bottom of my pedal stroke, or having to lower the seat down to the point that it's harder on my knees and the positioning is all funky.

What's even more unfortunate is that I have to either wait for boxing week sales or wait for the spring bike show in order to pick up the trainer that I'm ogling... A CycleOps JetFluid Pro if you're wondering... So if I don't get to start training beginning the second weekend of January, I'll be behind what the people in the camp are doing.  But I suppose that it won't be so bad if I just keep up going to my regular spin classes.

If I somehow came across a boatload of money I'd just do both, but sadly that's not the case (yet).  

First world problem eh?  The things we concern ourselves with!

Anyone have any thoughts? Previous experiences? 

See you at the finish line,

Kevin

Fundraising by fire

So I've been trying to think of ways that I can entice people to donate to my 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer fundraising total.  Food always seems to be a safe bet in wrangling people into meetings, speeches, etc... So why not get people involved in helping me raise money the same way?  If anyone reading this knows me, that could only mean one thing.

SPICE.

That's right, I'm a hot sauce nut.  I love absolutely anything that's got some fiery kick to it.  Don't get me wrong, it's got to taste good instead of just setting my face on fire and tasting like bunk.

"So how can you fuse your love of hot foods with your fundraising?" you might ask?  Well, I'm hoping to make anywhere between 50-100 doses of heat in various forms and pull a sort of PBS style affair.  You know the deal.

Donate X and you'll get X
Donate Y and you'll get X and Y

etc etc etc...

I'm thinking that it'll be a neat way for me to give back to the people who are helping me raising the money I need in order to participate in the ride.

I'm really looking forward to getting everything ready!  Going to be making custom labels, caps, shrink-wrapped and everything!  Have to make this stuff look good you know?

I just realized that I need posted a summary about how the ride went!  Well then! I sense that post should be coming very soon in the future I'd say.

-See you at the finish line
K

It lives!

That's right ladies and gentlemen... After long last Harder, Faster, Stronger, Wheels returns from the forgotten corners of the Internet!

I have officially signed up for the 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer!

Let's do this.

-See you at the finish line!

K

Day Two

Kevin will be on the road within the hour.  I'm going to Niagara Falls to be at the finish line, so this is the last post.  If you want to hear about what's happening, I'll be tweeting at @lmronald, or look for #kevinride. -- L

Just got off the phone with Kevin.  He tried to text me from the 3rd rest stop, but didn't have reception!  He just made it to Mohawk (end point for day one) and is absolutely soaked.  He has acquired a hotel room floor to sleep on rather than camping tonight so he can dry out before Day 2. -- L

Halfway Through Day 1!

Kevin has reached the halfway point and is back on the road.  He is soaked through, but staying positive.


L

Kevin's on the Road

Just got a text from Kevin that he has reached the first rest stop! And has only been rained on a little...  40km down and 120 to go!  Will keep you posted on what's happening as I hear more.


Lisa - aka "The Wife"

Random news of stuffness, and horrible slacking!

I just realized this morning that I haven't posted here in almost a month!  Good grief that's inexcusable.  Sadly, I fear I must make a work-related excuse.  I've been SO busy over the last month.  I've recently worked 60 hours in the span of a 40 hour week.  Plus I've had three separate programs going on at the same time.  Best part about it?  I was the sole dev on each project!

I've been really slacking with training as well, and I know that's going to come back and haunt me.  Unfortunately due to being so busy with work, I haven't been able to squeeze in spinning classes or getting onto my bike for any length of time.  Unfortunately that means that my baseline strength has gone down from what it was at the end of my twelve week training program.

THAT changes today, I've signed up for two spinning classes this week.  Hopefully that'll get me back in the right direction.  Hopefully things have calmed down around the office to a point where I can go with more frequently.  It's definitely a different style of training for sure, but it'll still help with my baseline strength.  Where RTCC training was a test of endurance and "saddle time", spinning is a cardio-splosion.  That being said,  I'm still able to run up seven floors of stairs at work without being winded so I'm not too terribly bad off.  Just noticing that I'm getting a little soft around the middle... Bad Kevin! Bad!

In other news, I think I'm finally good for gear...The only thing that I have left to grab now is a decent breathable jacket. I've got just about everything else that I think I'll need.  The unfortunate part about transitioning from doing mountain biking/downhill biking is that I've gone from needing what is essentially cycling ARMOUR, to needing something that is as sleek and light as possible while still being functional.

Next video that I do I can do a quick gear run down if anyone wants to know.

So yeah, my goal right now is get back on the training and keep on with the fundraising.  I'm only $815 away from my fundraising goal of $3000 so close!

RTCC training is over! Let's do this thang!

As of Sunday March 25th, I have officially completed my 12 weeks of training for the Ride to Conquer Cancer.  Over the last 12 weeks, I've gone fone being extremely sore after a single hour of training to being able to leave the class and immediately go for a job/bike ride etc.

I've been able to push my body harder than I've ever thought possible, which I think is just the beginning.  Being able to sustain a heart rate on 170-180 for almost two hours and managing to drink almost two liters of water is something that I would have ever thought I could do.  I don't know how spinning bikes will differ compared to my bike on the road, but I know I'll be ready for it.

Being with the same group of people, I've been able to get to know a bunch of new and interesting individuals.  At the end of our final session, we all went out for drinks (at 2:00pm on a sunday heh).  It was fun to finally socialize with various training mates outside of the studio.  Something about not having to huff and puff while trying to hold a conversation that makes it a more enjoyable to make small talk.

Now that training is over, I think I'm going to make a new video.  I'm found a few video editing programs that I'm going to take a shot at.  Windows Movie Maker should be fine for now.. I'm literally just looking for something that will help me cut out awkward pauses etc.  I think what has been holding me back from making more videos is the fact that I've been doing them in a single take too.  Have to get used to being in front of the camera rather than behind it all the time.  Mayhaps I'll do a little gear run down too.  It's about high time I get on that.

Saw this initially at the orientation session I went to.  Seriously, amazing stuff.  After watching it, the orientation leader said one thing that stuck with just about everyone in the room.

"Wear dark sunglasses, the darkest you can find... Because whether you think you will or not... you WILL cry when you cross the finish line.  And it won't be from sadness I promise you"

Thanks to everyone that's been checking in with me since I've started this here bloggity blog. I appreciate it!

See you on the road!

Gear geek out and cross-training questions

Is it just me or are wheelsets like these all kinds of schweet?

Seriously!  I don't know why I like them so much.. but after you think about it, are the 30g that you're going to save REALLY going to be worth the $1000 that you spend? NO!  seriously, unless you are some sort of insane triathlete, I think it'd be much more effective if you just forgo the snacks or work out just a little bit more... That's just me.  Considering that my frame, unknown to me until very recently, weighs in at an insane 1150 grams, I think that a lot of these "premium" parts are heavily leaning on the law of diminishing returns.

I really hope that this project that I'm working on lightens up a bit some time soon.  I've been unable to get to a single spin class for almost a month.  Then again, hopefully the warmer weather will be coming so I'll just be able to get on the road rather than needing to go to a spin studio.

Another subject that's been rolling around in my brain has been cross-training... I know that obviously my legs are going to be the most important thing to strengthen for the RTCC.  However, I'm thinking more and more about the fact that my ARMS are going to hold me up the entire time, my core is going to be supporting me on my bike to stop my back from exploding...  Anyone have any ideas of what regimen I should be following?

Sickness, it does a body bad.

It's amazing just how much a sore throat can grind your training to a halt.  Since spinning / RTCC training is so intense with cardiovascular endurance, not being able to breathe really deeply is a BAD THING.

I've been drinking lemon ginger tea, taking a bunch of vit C and eating a bunch of soups etc.  So far it's just been getting incrementally worse.  Hopefully things will shape up soon.. Have to get back to training on Sunday!

Also, trying to build out a follow-up email for everyone for fundraising... less than 100 days!

100 days left and $1200 to go

As of March 1st I officially have 100 days left to train before "The Ride"... Not only that but I also need to raise another $1200 dollars in order to meet my personal goal.  I'm already over 50% of the mandatory $2500, but I'm trying to get a little bit extra. I'm actually trying to give 120%.. haha.

So far things have been going pretty well, though fundraising has find of ground to a stand still.  Work has got in the way of living and I haven't been able to devote a lot of time to updating this blog or even go to spinning classes during the week.  At this point, the only real training that I'm doing is going to the two-hour RTCC training sessions on Sunday.  Don't get me wrong, that's pretty great but I'll definitely have to step things up and devote a good amount of time to riding later into the year.  As the orientation leader said in the first meeting I went to "This is not something that you can cram for the night before... It won't work. You definitely DEFINITELY need to invest effort ahead of time."

In other news, I'm hoping to build myself a guerilla camera mount in order to mount my little point and shoot camera to my handlebars.  I've been looking into a few different solutions and so far the simplest solution is by MacGuyver-ing a bit of PVC in order to accept a 1/4" threaded bolt that'll screw into the bottom of the camera.  That being said, I'm a little concerned about how huge my handlebars are.  No seriously, 3T Rotunda bars are huge!  Between the size of the bars and the size of the stem, it's quite the hefty setup, though AMAZINGLY light... oh yeah.

I should probably cut this short... I'm at work waiting for stuff to compile. woo!

See you at the finish line!
KR

Hardest ride to date

So last week's training ride has proven to be the hardest yet.  It was a profile ride of what day 1 will be, albeit a heck of a lot of the ride had been trimmed off to fit into a two hour class.

Here are some facts from my heart rate monitor that will mean nothing to a bunch of people I'm sure.

Total time: 1h 56m
Average heart rate: 170BPM
Peak heart rate: 191BPM
Minimum heart rate: 102BPM (during cool down)
Total calories used: 2150

I've been really bad with updates lately due to a project that's taking up a HUGE percentage of my time.  Also I seemed to have had norwalk or something evil this week so I've been feeling a little under the weather.  I'm aiming to get into the groove of updating a lot more often in the future.  Hopefully every second day or something like that.  Fingers crossed!

Lack of updates, sorry all!

Hi everyone! I'm sorry that I've been so sporadic when it comes to updates.  Things have been going pretty well in RTCC training.  We're gradually increasing our overall climb times in order to prepare for the actual climb up Hamilton Mountain.  I've been thinking about what route we'd be taking up the mountain considering that it's HIGHLY unlikely that we'd be able to shut down the highway for that long for all of the riders from Toronto to climb.  The only thing that I can think of is that we'd go up the Jolly Cut or something along those lines.  Only time will tell!

February 12th's training session was pretty good, though I felt like I couldn't try as hard.  My lower back was a little messed up from sleeping weirdly so I had to keep straightening up ever ten minutes or so.  By the time we were doing our final drill I couldn't stay in the saddle very long at ALL.

As per Erin's advice I decided to try coconut water as an electrolyte replenishment drink.  I put in a little bit of E3Live as well in order to give myself some amino acids.  I also put in some lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt in order to replace some of the essential salts I'd be sweating out.  It still tasted pretty potently of coconut, which was alright by me.  I had a few people ask what the intensely dark green drink I had was.

I've recently noticed that the front derailleur on my bike seems to be rubbing the chain when I pedal.  I'm not sure how I can fix it, but I've been told from the guys at Wheels of Bloor that it's an inherent issue with the smaller frames.  Somehow I find that hard to believe but I thought I'd bring it in to get a once over... this is their job after all.

I can't wait to get on the road and start getting in some serious riding.  There's something that pavement beneath your wheels just feels different than being in a studio.  For one, ROAD VIBRATIONS are a giant nuisance that you don't realize.  Man do your arms get tired quickly.  I noticed that my tires are hella soft too.  Considering those bad boys are supposed to be over 100psi, I could pinch them with my fingers!! That's definitely not supposed to be possible.

We'll see what happens.  I think I've stalled out for donations at this point.  But it's only halfway through February.  Lots of time to fundraise!  Almost 50% there.

Still need to worry about surviving the day to day office life though.

G'night all!
KR

Spinning class is a different beast

total time minus cool down: 56
Average Heart Rate: 164 bpm
Peak Heart Rate: 181 bpm
min Heart Rate: 94 bpm
Total calories: 950

Some interesting training numbers for fitness nerds

So I've finally figured out how to store information about my workouts in my heart rate monitor so I can review it after my workout.

Here are some general stats in regards to my Feb 5th RTCC training session.

Routine

15 minutes warmup

10 minutes uphill climb
5 minutes flat natural cadence
[repeat hill/flat 5x]

5 minutes single-leg drills

10 minutes high-cadence drills

5 minutes high-cadence, high tension

10 min cool down and stretching.


HRM stats


Total time: 1:50:00 (I don't typically count 'cool down' as part of my workout)
Average heart rate: 170 BPM
Peak heart rate: 184 BPM (based on the 'rule of thumb' calculation, my maximum HR is 192)
Min heart rate: 112 BPM
Total Caloric Burn: 1,938 calories

Not too shabby eh?  I almost burnt an entire day's worth of food in under TWO HOURS.  I can't imagine what those numbers are going to look like during the ACTUAL ride :D

Thanks for checking in,
KR

New video! Vlog #3, thoughts and all that jazz

Quick note... 600!

600 views!  Actually...619!

Between the donations that I've been getting today and the weather... it's definitely time for me to go to spinning tonight.  I've been itching to go but classes keep filling up since the weather's been so cold and bleh.  I'll have to muscle my way in and get going!

In case anyone's wondering, I go to RPM Spinning + Gravity in Bloor West.  They're really friendly and definitely work you out.  But as always, you've got to put your best effort in otherwise you're just wasting your time!

Alright, I've been slacking with content... Video tomorrow!

E-mails and Crossed Fingers

So tonight marks the first wave of emails that I've sent out for donations for the RTCC.  I've never done something like this before!  But then again, I've never ridden 260 kilometers in two days before!  It's settling in slowly but surely that I'll be taking on a challenge that is definitely a new step for me.

I found out that there is actually going to be a fourth person on the unofficial team that I'm on.  I've signed up for RTCC with my friend Dan, as well as a co-worker named Dan... This isn't going to be confusing at all!  But it turns out that there's another two people from Sapient that are also doing the ride.  So that's pretty fun, hopefully we can work out some training rides further into the year when it starts to get a little warmer.

At the last RTCC training session, I tried my first energy supplement and I have to say that I can understand why people have such a hard time trying to find one that tastes good.  I tried a Carb Boom orange creme energy gel, and I have to say that I'm not terribly impressed with how it tastes!  Nevermind the fact that the first ingredient in maltodextrin (PLEH!), the flavour wasn't terribly impressive.  I diluted it with 500mL of water and it basically didn't taste like anything!  Scott (my instructor) actually suggested having raw agave syrup with a pinch of salt in a shot of water...I might scale that up a bit to match my water bottle size, not entirely sure.

I've actually heard from Erin that coconut water is the way to go for someone that wants to try sticking to whole foods.  I'm hoping that I can get some new chia seeds and maybe some wheatgrass in order to get the best hydration possible.  I'm thankful that I've got enough sessions left so I can keep trying different supplements and hydration solutions to figure out what works for me.

To my knowledge none of the other people I'm riding with have started training or fundraising... So I'm thinking I'm in good standings!

Thanks for reading!
KR

Route info!..kind of.

So thanks to my super sleuth wife, I've got the inside scoop of the RTCC route!  Well, more like I can see what the route was like in previous years.

2008 Day 1 route


2008 Day 2 route


---

2009 Route Toronto to Niagara Falls

OR! If you'd rather look at something larger than a postage stamp... Check this PDF out

So that grandeur of this ride is kind of sinking in slowly but surely.  I'm going be CYCLING that route.  Holy jumpin.

KR

Weight weenies!

So I've recently been looking into some gear to get for roadside maintenance on the route.  I've talked with some people at MEC and other stores and people seem to be suggesting getting lighter components, lighter helmet, etc..

What I don't understand is that people seem to be overlooking the really obvious point of consideration...  LOSE THE WEIGHT YOURSELF.  I recognize that people might already be in peak physical condition when cycling competitively and not have much weight to lose... But really, let's be honest here.  90% of riders that I know aren't in peak physical condition and can probably stand to lose some weight.  It makes me wonder why people would upgrade to Ultegra, or Dura-Ace components to save 50g when you could easily lose a couple pounds and make a much more dramatic difference.

When you think about it, the more weight you lose, the less weight you're going to be carting around on ride day.  That just seems to make sense to me.

So why am I talking about weight?  I'm actually thinking about cutting out alcohol and caffeine for all of February.  I've been pretty good about my food intake (I'd rather not use the D word), but lately I've been slipping.. More drinks than usual, less healthy options etc... Have to make a more conscious effort to eat more greens and cut out the fat!  Just have to take more time and make sure that I'm giving myself the fuel I need without skimping on anything important.

The journey continues!
KR

400 views and other news!

So I've somehow passed 400 views already :D  Nice!  I feel bad about not updating more.  I've been ridiculously busy with work still on this project.  Although project reveal is tomorrow morning so hopefully I'll be free soon.

I've been really bad about training other than the official RTCC training sessions on Sundays.  I have to say that it's almost a welcome change from spinning class though.  It's a completely different style of training.  We did a 45 minute-long climb and I didn't mind it at all!  Of course my butt was sore afterwards, but it's nice to settle into a routine rather than frantically switching exercises every 30-60 seconds.  I've started running up the stairs in my apartment building too in order to keep my legs in working order...  About 23 floors straight up as quick as I can go.  So out of breath, but it's a great rush afterward.  I'm trying to keep my legs in amazing shape for the big climb at the end of day 1... Apparently we need to cycle UP Hamilton  mountain.

My only question about that is... HOW?!  Surely they're not going to close down the highway for a couple of hours are they?  Maybe we'll go up the Jolly Cut or something like that.  Don't know for sure.

Here's the breakdown of how we trained on Sunday

• Climbing increments
• 3 mins base of 'zone 2'
• 3 mins base of 'zone 3'
• 15 seconds butt break
• 4 mins base of 'zone 2'
• 4 mins base of 'zone 3'
• 15 seconds butt break
• REPEAT UP TO 10 minutes for each zone
• Spin-up drills
• Cool down

My heart is getting really good at cooling down, which shows that spinning has been doing me some good.  My BPM dropped from 175 down to 100 inside of a minute.  LOVE IT.

I think my next course of action is to build up my roadside toolbox... You know, tubes, pump, etc.  

I'd really appreciate some feedback! I don't want to get caught off guard!

KR 

300!

300 views!  Woop woop! I wonder just how many views I can get by June 9th??

I suppose I just have to keep updating and keep people coming back for more insight.

You like me, you really like me!

KR

Donations are a'comin!

So I thought that I'd take a moment to say "Thanks!" to everyone who has donated so far in my fundraising extravaganza.  Seriously, I still have 145 days left to raise $2500 and I've already managed to have $600 in donations already!

That's 1/5 of the way there!

Seriously everyone, thanks so much for everyone's help in getting me to this point.

I'm actually thinking about having a "When we reach 25% / 50% / 75% Kevin will do something wacky" or something like that to raise funds faster.

What do you think? Like... I'll eat an entire jar of pepperoncini peppers in a single sitting, or I'll make you a cake or bake you cookies if you help me to reach a milestone or something... You know?  Let me know if you have any ideas... Could be fun!  Sorry folks, no adult favours etc.. Let's keep this on the up and up.

Honestly? 20% raised already!  Wow! I might even raise my goal depending on how well my fundraising goes!  I've been using so many exclamation points recently... I feel so lame, but there's so much excitement!

In other news, my heart rate monitor came today :D I'll have to check that puppy out.  Methinks my next quest will be to get myself a road tool kit... You know, inner tubes, tools, pump etc.  Don't want to get caught without!

Take care, and thanks again
KR

Ride Vlog #2!

RTCC Vlog #2... A little fireside chat after the second training session.  Today was a 'butt' day.  The sole purpose of the class was to see how long we could stay in the saddle before our bits went numb or got really sore... Nice! Ow.

Ride Vlog #1!

Finally after THREE attempts to upload this video it finally decided to work.  Nothing special, just a quick chat before my first RTCC training session.  In other news, R2D-Toque FTW!

Curse you YouTube!

So it would appear that YouTube is conspiring against me.  In trying to upload my two videos it's taken almost THREE HOURS to upload.  They're still going!  Good grief Google... What the hell?

I have a new respect for people who try to upload 15 minute-long videos in high-def.

Ugh... It's not me people! It's the intertubes!

So long, and DFTBA! (Oh vlogbrothers, you're so awesome)
KR

Videos on the way!

Hey everyone... As promised I've got two videos uploading to YouTube as I type this post.  YouTube uploads are super speedy (not at all), so I'll be posting them later on tonight.  Sit tight!

Talk to you all again very soon.
KR

+1 Orientation! Pics and videos this weekend... I promise!

So last night I went to the Etobicoke orientation for the Ride to Conquer Cancer (I think I'll just call it the Ride from here on).  I can't wait to get on the road and start training!  The leader, Patrick, said specifically that this ride isn't something that you can cram for the night before.  Which is pretty obvious considering that you're going to be riding over 200km in two days!

We got the lowdown with regards to gear that we're supposed to bring for the overnight etc.  I have to say that the support structure they've put together is pretty impressive!  I wish I knew what the actual route was ahead of time though, it'd be good to know how much I should be training for hills and stuff like that.

Ah well.  That'll be part of the surprise I guess.

Seriously though.. The more I think about this ride, the less intimidated I feel and the more I feel like looking this sickness in the face and saying "Whatever man" (a little Lost reference for you readers out there).

Alright my PSD has finally loaded... Back to work!

And I promise, there'll FINALLY be videos this weekend... I know I keep saying that, but this time I mean it!  This weekend... Videos! Pictures! Thoughts!

And if you have the means, please donate to the cause via this link http://tinyurl.com/kevinride I'm only 8% of the way to reaching my goal of $3000!

Survived my first ride training session!

First of all... I'm really slacking with these updates! Been super busy with this new project that I've been working on; trying to get almost two weeks of development into four or so days.  So not cool.

But in other ride related news, I've gone to and survived my first ride training session!  The instructor (Scott Kinnear) is a pretty cool guy, which makes things a lot easier.  It's a bit of a change of mindset too compared to the regular "spin" classes that I've been going to.  Instead of riding as hard as you possibly can for an hour, we're training more for endurance purposes.  Riding 80%-85% of our threshold effort for longer.

Turns out that we need to get a heart rate monitor too for these classes.  No one told me beforehand, so I ended up borrowing the instructor's monitor for our first test.  I felt a little weird about that considering that this device is strapped around your chest and SWEATED ON PROFUSELY.  I really didn't have a choice so I put it on and did my LTHR test.  That's Lactic Threshold Heart Rate test for everyone that isn't crazy.

I managed to get my heart rate up to 190 BPM (!!!!) for a solid sixteen minutes.  Good grief!  I assure everyone that this is head and shoulders above what I would be doing during the ACTUAL ride.  This is essentially to figure out how hard my maximum effort it.

I'm really excited to be a part of these classes, I'm hoping that they'll prepare me for what's coming this summer.  I've recorded my first vlog, I just need to upload it to YouTube some time soonly.  I'm not going to edit them or do anything really fancy... I'd like to keep them simple and real.

In other news, I'm going to my ride orientation tomorrow! (later today?)  Going to be learning all sorts of fun tidbits about fundraising etc etc.  

G'night my peoples... I must get some rest or I shall explode.

KR

Moving up in the world

I had a brief moment of "I wonder what my high school self would say about me now" this morning as I was getting ready for work.  Back in high school, I bought a mountain bike that I got for $200 from Home Hardware.  I've still got it actually!

It's a Vincente "Fraser", but I've never been able to find any information about it online.  The thing weighed about 55 pounds and was an absolute BEAST.  Let's just say that it was a tank in bike form to say the least. You can tell it's high quality by all of the decals.

My new ride is a 2011 Cervelo S2 kitted out with ultegra! It's so fast on the road, I can't wait for it to warm up so I can get back out and ride as much as possible.  The bike is built to go as fast as you dare and finish your rides like a bat out of hell.  I'm so pleased with it :)  I've figured out how to attach a camera to the handlebars so I might actually take a few videos from the road.  Keep your eyes peeled!

Now, I just have to name my ride!

KR

10% of the way there!

You know what's amazing? Coming home from work to have your phone ping that I have an email.  Upon checking that email, I find out that I'm already 10% of the way to my initial fundraising goal!  I'm supposed to raise $2500 in time for the ride... but I decided to be cocky and bump my goal up to $3000.  Fun!

And you know who donated first? Lisa! That's right, according to the Ride to Conquer Cancer site... Lisa is officially my roadie. Ha!  

Anyone else want to be my "roadie"?? 

Donate to my cause!

I think it's finally hitting home for me that I have to raise $2500 in 157 days... Holy crap!  I need to hit the pavement and start looking for donations.  Perhaps I'll start canvasing through the Bloor West area and everywhere else.  Gotta make this work!

tinyurl.com/kevinride

Please donate whatever you can! Every time I make a video I'll be sure to call everyone out for their donations

Onward and upward,
KR

Testing, testing

Hey everyone, so after thinking about starting a blog about my training for the 2012 Ride to Conquer Cancer...  Here we are!  I'm hoping to post fairly often here with various updates.  I'd like to try posting vlogs as well!  Have digital camera and youtube account will post I suppose.

Keep checking back for updates!
KR