willwheels

Hi all,

As I approached my 40th birthday I thought about doing something
different. Something stupid, like on a bucket list, but in a better
movie. I've been involved with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's
Team in Training (TnT) for five years now and am still having a blast
coaching cycle events. As a coach, I spend a lot of time riding with
our team helping them learn how to finish a century, but after ten or
so centuries (I've lost count), they are not physical challenges
anymore. I do not fundraise as a coach and I decided that I wanted to
do something more for TnT because I've gotten so much out of working
with the Team (a wife, for example). The Society does so many great
things for patients and families and I think about my inspirations,
survivors and not, constantly while I ride: Megan, who introduced me
and Elizabeth as far as I am concerned; Jesse, whose attitude never
changes if he is in treatment or not; Kate, who rocks; Maddy, who I
wish I could tell about this; and Christy, who inspires me every event
I do. I just wanted to help out more but really, how many donations
could I get for my 11th century?

So I was thinking about trying a different event or something, I
didn't know what, when just at the right time I got an email from TnT:
they have 50 precious slots in the New York City Marathon with their
Virtual TnT program!
A marathon—that's stupid.
It's one month after my next cycle event—stupider.
I would have to raise $7500—stupidest.
Virtual TnT means my coach is in Portland, we communicate with emails,
podcasts, and webchats, and I run on my own—I'm out of adjectives.
This fits the bill! So I talked it over with Elizabeth and decided to
go for it and I am all signed up.

Now I haven't really run since high school many, many years ago. Our
last training run was ten miles, and I am thinking that this could get
very ugly, but I am hoping it will be fun and rewarding. I'll let you
know. I am excited but also very scared.

Getting back to the $7500 part, I would really appreciate a donation,
any donation. They go to the Society and are tax-deductible. If you
would like to send a check, my address is 7309 Jackson Ave, Takoma
Park, MD 20912. My donation website is
http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/nyc08/wwheeler and I'll also be
using that site to provide informative updates. Any questions? Please
ask.

Thanks and Go Team!


Will

PB210349
Originally uploaded by thriller31.

While many may claim to have the Cutest. Dog. Ever., they are wrong. This is Calli, who came home with us Tuesday. She's a beagle (or other hound) mix (maybe with a GSD?) and she's fitting right in.

More pics on flickr.

I have sworn an oath to do this. Blame rednekkid.

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tree in the yard
Originally uploaded by thriller31.

Damn you Ernesto!

So, Twizzlers are my favorite candy and one of my favorite foods, if they can be called that. But I just went to the vending machine, minding my own business, and was startled to see Rainbow Twizzlers (http://www.amonline.com/article/article.jsp?id=15934&siteSection=1).

They do not look good. A quick google indicates that reviews are not so good.

So I leave for an AIDS ride tomorrow and have not yet finished my fundraising. (I am quite a slacker, although I'm doing quite well considering I started this week.) I've emailed a few people individually, but if anyone would care to donate, that would be great. (J Kim, if you're reading this, don't buy a breakfast taco and make a donation instead!)

It should be an interesting and exciting weekend, in that I did a century the first weekend in June and haven't been on the bike so much since then. Whee!

Thanks,

Will
http://www.foodandfriends.org/ride2006/willwheeler

house ext
Originally uploaded by thriller31.

My girlfriend and I just bought had a contract accepted on a cute house in Takoma Park, MD. It's really great, although not as great as the house with the GOLDFISH POND!!! that we just missed. I'm sure this is more, like, practical or something though. It's quite the upgrade from the one-bedroom cave, uh, basement apartment we've been living in.

Although the DC market is down from its recent peak, people should feel free to give me money.

Edit to alleviate potential jinxing.

I've been getting bugged pretty good to actually do something with this so here's a quick update. As many/most of you know I'm kind of into the charity biking thing. After my experience last year helping the team it turns out I love helping train people. So now I'm a coach (stories to amuse Jason to follow). We're off to ride 100 miles Sunday--all the way around Lake Tahoe plus a spur to add miles. The weather should be near perfect.

Try to have fun doing whatever you're doing, cause I'll be having more fun.

More on the event: http://www.bikethewest.com/AMBRR.html

I really ought to be doing something useful with this, so let me try this. For anyone who believes is the positive value for prayer and/or good thoughts please read the following and pitch in: http://christyweb.amygeorge.net/christyweb/DailyBlog/DailyBlog.html

It's a blog written by the husband (Joe) of a friend of mine (Christy). Christy has been battling breast cancer for five years or so now and things don't look so great. The blog is not always an easy read.

Thanks.

Well, I'm back from my trip to California. What an incredible ride. First, the start was in Solvang and the ride was all through the Santa Ynez Valley and surrounding area. The weather was gorgeous and it was freaking beautiful. This is the area where Sideways was filmed, so we saw several locations and even ate at the Hitching Post, which is good but not as good as Miles describes it.

Our team suffered a lot through the training season and I was a little worried. Because of cold, snow, and ice a lot of rides were moved indoors or cut short. The longest anyone managed was 73 miles so it was still a big jump to 100+. The first 60 miles were pretty easy and I thought we had overtrained. But the course starts going up about then (see http://www.bikescor.com/solvang/route.htm) and around mile 70 or so, we had a 15ish mile run of almost constantly up. The grade was only 2 or 3 percent most of the way, but after an hour your legs start burning pretty good and then right at the end, BAM, half a mile of a good, steep climb (they call it Heartbreak Hill). The descent was pretty much worth it. There's a pit stop at a winery (but no wine!) shortly thereafter, at the base of The Wall, a 200 foot switchback climb, which looks at lot worse than it is, and the view at the top is definitely worth it. After that, it was pretty easy getting home.

I was the Training Captain for the team and I can't remember a more rewarding experience. Most of our participants were only casual riders prior to this and didn't know if they could do a Century. But everyone who trained finished (barring a freak accident or two). I don't think I've ever been in a position to be proud of people before, but I goddamn sure am.

And just a second to talk about my favorite rider, Beth. Beth attempted a TnT century in 2000 for her husband, who had chronic lymphocytic leukemia but was doing better after a bone marrow transplant. She rode 75 miles on a hybrid and didn't get back on a bike again until we started training. But her husband relapsed and passed away in early 2004 so she wanted to try again, along with several of her friends. She was pretty out of shape and struggled more than anyone during training. But she worked as hard as anyone and made more progress than anyone. I knew she could finish, but I'm not sure she did. Although the Coach and I talked about helping Beth, what we didn't know was that other people planned on spending some of their day helping her, too, so she had four domestiques with her on the long climb, which of course she beat.

So that's it. I wish I could go open a bottle of wine.

So when I road for TnT in Tahoe last year we had 40+ people on the ride. This year they have 60 or 70. Of course, that's Lake Tahoe in June. We're going to Solvang, CA in March. First of all, most people haven't heard of Solvang (I hadn't) and you ride in March, thus training in the winter. When we recruiting last fall people would ask about training in the cold and we'd say that we planned on riding if the roads were clear, otherwise we'd be on trainers indoors. So they would typically say they were thinking about Tahoe.

Anyway, we're only about 13 (one coach, four captains, eight particpants). Our final training ride was on the 27th and it was 28 degrees (F) when we started--and we delayed our start until 9:30 to get a few more degrees. Man, have these guys learned to ride. We didn't get the 88 miles in we aimed for because of the late start but most everyone did 73 and they were going at a good clip.

I'm so proud.

Will

I leave Thursday morning for my Team in Training ride in Solvang, CA. It's the Danish capital of the U.S. and, if you've seen Sideways, the last town the boys drive through before they get to Buellton.

Also, some other cyclists train there: http://team.discovery.com/slideshows/solvang/solvang.html

While all of my friends are having fun with their LiveJournals, I just let mine sit. Well NO MORE!!

Anyway, the reason I first started this damn thing is to talk about my charity rides. I suppose I'm not doing such a good job of that. (I should probably join in all of the memes my Friends are doing, if I can think of 10 things I've done.) But I suppose I could say why I do this: riding my bike outside in February, get saddle sores, experience the pain. I guess I kind of have to. I started with AIDS rides because I volunteer at a charity (Food and Friends that delivers meals to clients with HIV/AIDS and once I'd seen that, well I wanted to do more. And then my friends started being diagnosed with Leukemia and Lymphoma, and I had to do that, too. I'm not a lot of fun on wekeends, but my girlfriend is pretty supportive of the whole deal and hardly ever minds that I'm tired and sore Saturday night.

So what's up this year? First, a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training ride in March in Solvang, CA. (Solvang makes a brief appearance in Sideways.) I'm a Captain for the Team, which means I work on helping novices along and make sure they have enough to eat and drink. It's pretty cool and my fundraising minimum is low in exchange for the work. I only *have* to raise $500 and I pay my own way, so pretty much all of what I raise gets returned to the Society. That's what we economists call a win-win.

I decided to ride again--so soon after my last Leukemia ride--because my good friend Jesse is currently fighting Hodgkin's disease. He's been in chemo for a while now and they're going to have to try a marrow transplant shortly. I'll be thinking of him in California. Also, two of my friends told me about their friend Emily Quinlan, a young lady battling AML, so I'm riding for her, too. (Vicki or Kim, I'm super behind on email; do you have an update?)

I'm also riding an AIDS ride in June. I'm also a Coach for that, so again with the helping. More later.

Will

I rode in America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society 's Team in Training a week and a half ago. I have lots to write, but not a lot of time, so I'll start with just a little.

It was 100 miles around the lake. I'm a veteran of DC AIDS Ride 7 and the Tour de Friends but my butt has never been kicked as badly as it was that day. The altitude got to me pretty bad and there were two major climbs, but I was riding for two friends--Kate and Maddy--and I had a name on each sleeve. This sounds trite, but what I had to go through is nothing like what they had to go through and I would look down at their names whenever I was struggling. Which was often, frankly, especially miles 50 to 70 and then 81 to 89 (which were all uphill). I got through it, but not by myself.

Not only is my Honored Teammate Kate Hansen in remission and back at work, which is cool enough, she's planning on riding in the Seagull Century this fall as part of Team in Training to raise money for leukemia research.

She kicks so much ass it's not even funny.

I really beat myself up on Saturday--we did more than 80 hilly miles twice around a 42 mile loop. But on the second loop, my rear tire blew twice, so I lost a lot of time changing the tube. And, of course, my body cooled down and I got pretty damn hungry during the delay, and had to stop and eat and stretch. So I was the last person back into the parking lot, but a whole bunch of my teammates waited in the parking lot to cheer me in.

My knees are a bit sore, so I'm trying to rest until our very tough ride on Saturday.

I ditched on my TnT mates this weekend[1] and rode on Sunday with my good pals from Team Agrodolce--Michelle, Rachael, Ron, and Akiko. It's always fun to ride with them, we had gorgeous weather, and we did 73 miles starting from Davidsonville, Md. The route has some hills, so it's not like we were slacking, but we headed down the the Bay and ate fries by the shore and then our next stop was a little store with a great bakery (mmmm...pie). That's what riding is all about.

Will

[1] My favorite band in the whole world, the Drive-By Truckers, played in Towson that Friday night. What was I supposed to do? My hands were tied. They completely rocked.

Saturday's ride was a loop in Maryland around Sugarloaf mountain. There is a map and description here, although we rode longer, and the elevation map does not include the part where we went up the freaking mountain. It wasn't as hard as I expected, but only because I had the fear of God put in me.

Of course, Sugarloaf has nothing on the elevation we're going to do in Tahoe:

The good news is that Kate is officially in remission and is back in the DC area and will be working soon (if she isn't now). The unfortunate and sad news is that Madeleine passed away in December. So I am riding in honor of Kate and in memory of Madeleine for Team in Training. The Team has a word for them--Personal Honored Teammates. The Team from DC going to Tahoe also has two Honored Teammates as a group. More about them later.