Today

Well this month has been light for postings, but some times other things take over. Just a quick update though, as of right now I've raised (really you have donated) $850 for the Environmental Defense Fund. Not to bad at all. Also I'm just starting to work on how and what to do with Racing Green moving forward. Nothing is firm yet, but I am going to keep this going forward in some way, most likely by starting a team of like minded individuals to race, promote bicycling as an way to lessen human impact on the earth and to introduce people (especially kids) to riding.

I'll have more details on the program later, but I plan to have some good sponsorship based on a few talks.

MIA

Well, I've been MIA since the FireCracker 50, partially because of how the day went and partially just damn busy. Raced twice since then, once a couple of days later just to mentally get the stress of a DNF off my mind. Today I raced to race. Didn't do great, as it seems the field at the Winter Park races is deep and fast, my neighbor/friend/Seamus's girlfriend's dad/carpool partner won the race (he actually won the one right after the 50 too). Even if I have a bad day racing, or just race as well as I can (like today) it is always cool when someone you hang out with has a great day (or in Kelly's case season) and wins. Makes all the racing seem more successful.

So on the global warming front the little fund raising scoreboard at the top is a little off. A good number of people have sent me money directly or donated because of me just through the mail. Tax reasons I guess, but it is all good. At this point I'm above $600, and people keep telling me more is coming. In my mind it is all good.

A question I've asked a couple times in posts is how to measure success? Well I didn't finish the race, at this point I haven't raised $1000.00 but even with those two factors I think I've had some level of success in this effort. Why? People I know have made choices to change their lifestyles and actions because of what I've done (Patti and Rob), I've talked to school groups, I've written to elected officials, and I've talked to congressional representatives. None of these in and of themselves, or maybe even collectively will end global warming; however, they provide a starting point. They let people know this is a real issue. Talking to Rob today (plus some email), a guy I've raced against for a few years (but don't know well) provided me a feeling that the effort has been worth while. It made me feel I am in some ways accomplishing the goals I set early this year.

The only bad thing about Rob, he beat me by 1 second in the race today (for 24th spot). We fought each other for 3-4 miles at the end. In the end he was faster, maybe his commute is longer, but like I said, success of a friend always feels good. Rob I hope you're reading this post. Great job out there today.

So now is time for the full story on the FireCracker 50. The race started good, I was feeling strong and trying to ride within myself to start the race, knowing it would be a long day. I was making sure I was drinking at least every 15 minutes to stay hydrated. However, as is a usual happening for me in races I was starting to get an upset stomach after about an hour in the race. I was trying to eat some, but only a minimal amount as I was trying not to cause too much of a problem with my stomach.

By the top of the first climb on the second lap (about 31-32 miles into the race) my energy was fading fast and I was barely able to ride. I kept at it, trying to drink as much Gatorade as possible for energy, but after another 6 miles I couldn’t keep the energy needs up and had to call it a day, taking a short cut road back the finish. It definitely wasn’t what I had planned or expected out of the race, but it has made me look at how I prepare for food intake before races. With a normal 2 hour race I can fake nutrition and not (apparently) suffer too much. For a five hour race, nutrition has to be a critical component of racing.

So what does all this mean for my goal of raising awareness of global warming and challenging people to donate money to the Environmental Defense Fund? Well I honestly don’t know. In some ways the goal is still alive, finishing a bike race doesn’t cause success or failure. As my friend Bob said “the cause and your effort are alive and well, thanks in no small part to your efforts. Could be race day is often not so much a point of arrival as it is a point of departure”. I certainly hope he is right. I know people who had pledged to donate prior to the ride still have. I know I’ve talked with a lot of people over the course of six months about global warming. I know some of my habits have changed.

Now really the choice is each of ours. Have I succeeded or failed? I think in small ways I’ve succeeded. I’m going to keep plugging away on the keyboard, and in actions, and in talking with people; make environmental concerns an issue we all address. Keep checking in, as I’ll keep providing some information and stories.

Thanks for the support thus far.

FireCracker 50

I'll post more later, just have to say I'm decompressing and digesting a bad day on the bike.

Thanks to everyone who's supported me in this effort. I'll give more details later.