CAF QMDC Week 15

Good evening everyone, this weeks ride tested my mental ability to it's breaking point. The ride started with a immunity quiz. The quiz was based on the how much we were paying attention during last weeks radio studio visit and our knowledge regarding the location of all the cities during the QMDC bike rides and names of all the coaches, ride leaders and staff. Brian M. and myself scored highest on the quiz, but what gave Brian the advantage was his preparedness. He comes ready every Sunday packed with all the supplies one needs for a solo trip up and down the coast. Congrats to Brian for winning the immunity this week, you're very deserving this week due to your generosity and more about that below. Danielle did such a great job on the helmet last week that it's no longer called a immunity helmet, instead we need to give "it" a name. Can't wait to see what Brian has in store for it this week.

Before riding we had our weekly ride advice from our G3 ride leader Mike Hower. This weeks ride was a 82 mile coastal ride from Solana Beach to San Celmente and back. It was a pretty normal ride to begin with, riding to Oceanside and through Camp Pendelton coming out on Las Pulgas Rd.

To some the ride was about a quarter of the way in, to me it was just beginning. I was in the rear helping out Tracy during her flat. During some laughs about her needing to upgrade to better tires, Steve and Dr. Mike had taken care of her flat in no time and we were on our way.


As I got on my bike, you guessed it. I had flat number one. OK, this is normal. Nothing to worry about right? As Mark V. checked the tube, I checked the tire and Steve looked over the rim. We didn't quite see what caused the slow flat. So I quickly put a new tube but hastily must has pinched the tire with my tire lever. Quickly after I inflated the tire, Mark V and myself could hear a small leak. Are you serious, can you say flat number two? I can honestly say changing a flat is more tiring than climbing a 6% grade for over the same time frame. After the second flat, G3 Lead Mike H was checking in with our group. All I heard was I hope Mark got immunity this week the entire way back to the first SAG. I am really grateful for G3 for not taking off and having us play catch up after the SAG. After a quick refill of fluids and some gels, I was ready to ride with the main group once again.

After leaving the camp ground near San Onofre and passing the power plant to our right. A few minutes after we saw G1 cruise by, we found ourselves riding inside a beautiful San Clemente neighborhood. I was chatting it up with Kelly's husband Steve, just to find out he crashed pretty bad the day before and has the road rash to prove it. He is such a trooper, he made the trip down almost single-handedly since one of his hands was still sore and could barely grip the bars. I stayed behind the group to give himself extra braking room just in case. Way to go Steve!


Saw G2 heading back already to the SAG. We made it to a pit stop but just as fast as we got there, we were heading back. Since it was a coastal ride, it was a perfect opportunity to practice taking turns pulling the group. Since I felt responsible for making the group lag a bit, I took it upon myself to get up front for a while. Great pulls from Kelly, Mike, Jack, Keith, Chris and Danielle. Go Danielle, Go! When we got to the second SAG we found out group rider Randi (spelling) was involved in a little accident with a bee sting. Ouch! Glad to hear she is not allergic and hope she is feeling better now.

After entering the Camp Pendelton once again, this is where we were greeted by even more headwind than before. Everything was fine as usual until we got to about one mile to the main gate exit when, you guessed it flat number three. Yippee! Third times a charm right?! While the rest of the group went ahead, radio guys Chris and Brian along with Mike H and Jack stayed behind to keep me company and to remind me to talk less and work more.

This time we found the culprit, a small hole in the outside to the tube. Brian was kind enough to share another CO2 cartridges he had since I only had two with me. I can't wait to get back and talk about the fact I never had this many flats in my entire riding history. Albeit a very short year and half of previous riding. As we got on N Harbor Drive about a quarter mile after exiting Camp Pendelton, you should know what I am about to say by now. Yup, flat number 4. This time it was due to the valve stem not installed properly on the rim. This time frustration sinks in and I told the rest of G3 to go ahead and I will meet them later, but my radio mates Brian and Chris stayed and helped me fix the fourth and hopefully final flat of the day.

Just then I saw Mike H. come back to check on us and say how close I am from being SAG'd out. Rightfully so since four flats is just unimaginable. We told Mike H to go ahead and make sure the rest of the group doesn't slow down and take unnecessary detours on the way while we play catch up. I gathered myself, took and deep breath and continued on. Since it was just the radio group left, we were able to pick up the pace a little more. Before you knew it, we caught up to G3 in Carlsbad. Chris made it known we made it back and the team worked as a group. I tried to stay as close to the leaders of G3 but after 4 flats and trying to make up for it by pulling the group on several occasions. I was just tired and realized that I didn't take in much fluids and gels as I normally would due to the flats and playing cat and mouse for half of the way back.


So going back to what I mentioned that Brian was very deserving today of immunity. He earned it and to be quite honest, I would have given him the immunity after all he had done to help me and other riders before me. Looking back, 2 of the flats were preventable. I was just so frustrated and didn't take the extra minute to be patient. I can only recommend to others to never rush a tire change.

Studio elimination

Thursday was our first radio visit to the xx1090 studios. I was really nervous and excited. Adam said it was just like talking to two guys, but knowing thousands of listeners were just on the other side of that microphone. It was hard to imagine what to expect. Mike H. and Adam B. escorted the group inside the clear channel radio station.Every radio rider was there Brian B, Keith J, Danielle W, Bruce D, Dave M, Chris G (Along with his two cute daughters in tow) and yours truly. We got to met Skip Bot (Bobby) and Pratty for the morning show as well.First up was the past radio show winners Mike and Adam, followed by Keith who talked about his 24 hour bike ride to raise money and promote CAF. Then Chris G was called upon when Scott and BR heard he had raised the full $10,000 to join the group on their trek from SF to SD. Congrats Chris!
Next up was Danielle who showed off her immunity helmet to Scott and BR. They were laughing about how silly and creative the group got decorating it.
The group was in the radio show for a reason. One of us will be leaving the station knowing they wouldn't be part of the radio contest any longer.Scott, the joker that he is, was telling Danielle on the air that she was responsible for telling listeners and us who would be eliminated this week. After making Danielle squirm for a minute thinking she was responsible for taking away their chance on riding on for the radio show. Scott had a passed her a piece of paper that had a name already on it. Although she was still responsible for saying the name on air. For a minute I was holding my breath then she called out a name...Bruce Dunlap...I exhaled.Bruce was the best dressed of the group and he was next on the radio. Bruce is a great guy, even though we didn't get a chance to ride with Bruce often. For the little time we do see him and talk to him, he was very nice. He mentioned that he will continue to ride with training rides until the group leaves for San Francisco. Now we are down to six and it's getting harder since we only have four weeks left for fundraising and promoting. It was a relief but there is no time to celebrate just yet. With work and family still a daily routine in all the contestants lives, this has become second job for some of us.

Toast to CAF

As we get closer to the September deadline. We all had to buckle down and get a good and productive fundraiser in the works to assure we all meet the 10k fundraiser minimum. A great show of this was the event Toast to CAF hosted by both past Radio Show winners Adam Beck and Mike Henderson. Along with ride leaders and alumni, John Welch and Todd Northrop. They gave us ideas on how we should put together a fundraiser. Not only did I recognize coach Pat Jack and Roy Perkins from CAF. Also there were fellow radio group riders, Keith Jensen and his wife Esther and Danielle and husband Radio Joe right next to her. I was pleasantly surprised to see CAF athlete and friend Travis Ricks. Great people and fantastic wine was a great combination for a silent auction. I was amazed by the wide variety of items they had available.
They had a Taylor Made Golf driver, Omni Hotel stays, La Jolla day spa getaways and even a child's mountain bike complete with matching helmet just to name a few. I placed some bids but was not fortunate enough to win on any of them = (. They even had raffle for those who wanted to donate more to their event. The setting was something I have never seen before. A wine bar that had the wine in automatic dispensers so all you have to do is swipe your card and the wine of your liking is dispensed. The food was great too. I would recommend it to any red and white wine lovers near Petco park.

CAF QMDC Week 14

Another week, another personal best as far as distance. This weeks ride was through Circle R Rd in Valley Center from our normal Fletcher's cove. But before the ride there was an immunity quiz once again for the radio group. Adam put a spin on this weeks contest by having us play spin the water bottle for the immunity helmet. The last man standing wins the helmet right? With Keith's apparent victory and immunity in his grasp, Adam said the contest was not over. Adam forgot to mention that the winner had to GIVE UP the helmet to someone else this week. Keith wasn't able to convince Adam to spin the bottle one more time, but chose wisely by giving this weeks immunity to Danielle Weickgenant who I believe was deserving of it. After all the drama from this morning. I almost forgot we still had a ride to do. The ride started well, only two flats the first half of the ride. What was ironic was that the two flats came from ride leader Jack N and Adam B. Adam B was helping a fellow rider and was "Contadore'd" by the rest of G2. G3 was growing as we rolled out of SAG #1 we had 5 ride leaders on board Jack, Mike H., Dr. Mike, Drill Sgt Mike and Adam B. The route after the first SAG was fairly flat, but I knew once we passed under the 15 North we would start our ascent. Circle R road was a decent climb and views of Valley Center were amazing. We even rode over the bridge many of you have seen driving on your way to Temecula. The descent felt short and quick, the next thing we knew we were entering the city of Bonsall again. Heading back we went through the city of Vista and San Marcos. After SAG #2, I could see that the ride was bearing down on everybody. When I saw El Camino Real, I felt really good and was thinking that we were only miles from the finish. Though once we headed west on La Costa Ave, the headwind reared its ugly head. This is when the group started to break up into smaller groups. I saw a group take off and was thinking of joining them. Since I was with riders Rosalie, Danielle, Tracy, Jeff and Kyle, I decided to stay back and regroup everyone, then took the lead and pulled everyone. It was one of the hardest finishes I had to admit, but I was glad that everyone was still together and made it back to PCH. At the finish, Francesca was there to greet us with Beer and Burritos. That was really generous of her offer with a little donation of course. The ride was the longest of all the training rides so far. Now Week 15 is just around the corner and we will be going even further. Week 15 will be coastal ride and will assure better weather, but a headwind will always be in the back of my mind.

CAF Paratriathlon Camp

Last Saturday, Brian Myers and I were given the opportunity to ride with some very special men and women. It was the inaugural CAF Para triathlon Camp held at the their corporate office. These special individuals were given the opportunity of a lifetime to train with great coaches. Coaches Peter Harsch and Mark Sortino were very informative and taught the riders many different techniques and things to lookout for when riding. Since everyone in the camp varied in skill level, they covered all the basics from clipping in and out of pedals, changing gears and climbing techniques just to name a few. The coaches tried to instill in the riders the importance of safety first. Which to me is more important than finishing first. There were two camps held on Saturday, first was the above the knee amputee's and arm amputee's. The second was the below the knee amputee's, which was the group I was involved with helping. We rode around the CAF parking lot then we took to the streets. The only thing I wasn't to thrilled about was riding at 2pm in the afternoon, riding in a group of total strangers whose bike levels differ. After riding couple of miles out, the Peter and Mark decide to split the group in two, one to work on refining their skills on the bike with traffic and the second to do a ride out and back as a group. I was with the second group with Brian and coach Peter. Along the route we were followed by Jon Beeson, he was our rolling SAG and pace car along the route. Thanks Jon.

The ride was a very nice 25 miler to the Mobil off Camino Del Sur on the 56 then back. Weather was warm but not humid and we had a very nice breeze. Before you knew it the ride was done and the group was off to their respective hotels to get ready to enjoy a dinner as a group. I was able to see how CAF works and was pleasantly surprised and inspired by the people who came out to the camp. One such person I had the pleasure on riding with was Nicholas J Roumonada. Follow him at www.runnickrun.org or his blog at http://runnickrun.org/blog. I was truly honored and humbled by the amazing people I rode with this day. Thanks Roy for giving me the opportunity. I hope to get another opportunity to meet more CAF athletes in the future. Meanwhile it just puts in perspective why we are all out here and fundraising week and and week out.