Monday, July 16, 2007

Ready to Ride




My training is pretty much complete and I proclaim myself ready to ride. After almost 1300 miles on the road with no problems other than the occassional stiff back, there is nothing to do now except pack. What will I bring for the riding part of the week? Riding jerseys are a must and I will bring four including my Team LIVESTRONG jersey, my RAGBRAI 2007 Jersey and my Team WISCONSIN jersey, all shown here. I'll also have 4 pairs of cycling shorts, 4 pairs of cycling socks, 3 types of various creams to prevent and soothe saddle soreness, 4 water bottles, 2 pair of cycling gloves, 2 helmets, 1 pair of cycling shoes and various spare parts and tools in case they are needed during the ride. This will allow me the luxury of only having to do laundry once!



On the fundraising front I have some exciting news. With your help, we raised over $30,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and their ongoing support of cancer, research and awareness. Your generosity made me the top RAGBRAI/Team LIVESTRONG fundraiser. I am not quite sure just what that means, but rumor has it I will be spending some quality time with Lance himself during the week. I will update you as I learn more.


The Dexter Apache Challenge is in the books and the generous folks at Apache were not only the top per capita donors, but also beat out Dexter in total donations raised. Congratulations all you Badgers (and one Hawkeye). We will be up in August to make good on our bet. Thank you everyone for your extreme generosity. I must say I am just amazed by your support.


This will be my last post until RAGBRAI. Starting Saturday 7/21, I will post everyday with pictures and commentaries on all the days events, activities, high, lows, pains, etc. I encourage you to post a comment when you get a chance. I'll respond to all that I get.


Have a great week and I hope I'll see you down the road.


Pat

2 comments:

denise said...

Good Luck on the ride! Just have fun.
As you ride remember the main reason you are doing this, to support the great organization of Livestrong. It is an honor to be a member of the Livestrong Team and what it represents.
A big thank you goes out to all the people who have donated, your donations are truly appreciated and I know it means alot to Pat to have such great support from all of you for such an important cause.

We'll keep everyone posted on our daily events. It should be a lot of fun. I will be supporting Pat on his ride and I will also be volunteering for Livestrong during the week.

Thanks again for your generous contributions
Denise

Dan Albregts said...

Godspeed, my brother. Ride safe and ride strong. We will be thinking of you and your sore rear-end this week as you make your way across the long and hilly Iowa terrain. A ride through Wisconsin would be much more enjoyable, but you play them as they lie. Ride especially fast when you wear Bucky. We will think of all you and all your compatriots fighting cancer through your ride and fund raising efforts. It is a noble cause against a dreadful disease. Oh yeah, say hey to Lance. Tell him Badger red looks as good as Livestrong yellow.

Lil' bro'

Vegas Dan