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Posts Tagged ‘Ride for Mike’

Paint the road green

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

It is getting to be about that time of the year again. That time when I wonder if people cringe when they see me coming. We’re coming down to the wire for the 2011 Ride for Mike and I’ve got to be out there promoting the ride in order to meet the goal.

What is the goal? I am looking to raise at least $20 per mile for the October 24th ride from Greenville to Charleston. Depending on the route you take, that will put the distance at 220 miles and a grand total of $4,400.

So, I’m asking you to help me paint the road green between the GHS Children’s Hospital and the MUSC Children’s Hospital. Follow this link to the pledge page. Make your pledge and you will be directed to information on how to fulfill your pledge. We’ll be taking the pledges all the way to Charleston and reporting on the status via the @lowcadence Twitter feed.

View Larger Map

Thanks to all of you who have already given. With your help, I have made it a little past Saluda, South Carolina and on the way to Batesburg-Leesville. We’ve only got 138 miles to go. We’re over a third of the way there!

2011 Ride for Mike helps Rebekah Grace Ellis

Won’t you help me? Oh, and to make things even better — today is National Coffee Day! On the pledge form is an option to request a pound of the famous Low Cadence Coffee. They are beans on a mission to support little Rebekah Grace Ellis and her family. But those beans need to end up in your coffee cup to complete their journey!

Tags: Ride for Mike
Posted in News | No Comments »

Count down to GO!

Sunday, September 25th, 2011

It is September 25, 2011 and I’m a month away from the 2011 Ride for Mike. While a lot of people are winding down their season or getting ready for the short efforts of cycle cross, I’m out doing long rides. I’m enjoying it!

Early morning mist near Pumpkintown

I delayed the ride for a bit because at 7 AM it was still pretty dark. Sure, I could have started out in the dark, but there wasn’t a real need to get out that soon. Why not be safe? Besides, it didn’t take long for the sun to pop up and 30 minutes later, I was off on my ride.

It didn’t really matter where I was going. I knew that I could go out 2.5 or 3 hours before I would need to turn around and head home. With no clear plan, I hopped on the Swamp Rabbit and started warming up.

At that time of the morning on a Saturday morning, runners were everywhere! Once again I came upon my brother-in-law and his wife as they are training for upcoming running events. Nearing a Children’s Garden I saw a group of cyclist pass in front of me along River Street. I continued on alone along the trail.

Later on the trail, I caught up with another group of cyclists that included one of my P3 team mates, Kerrie Sijon, and my dentist, Greg Caputo. We rode along together until we passed Furman. Then I struck out on my own.

I decided to ride out to Highway 288. It was such a beautiful day and as I rode through the winding roads to get there my senses were kept busy taking in all the smell, sounds, and sights surrounding me. It was that feeling of being all alone that isn’t lonely.

There I was thinking that I was the only person out there as I neared 288 on Pace Bridge Road. Suddenly I heard a voice behind me, “Good morning, Jonathan!” It was Samantha Smith along with Steve Baker and some of the riders I had seen earlier in downtown Greenville.

We rode along together until we reached 288 where they took a right toward Marietta and I turned left toward Pumpkintown. After passing through that great metropolis, I came upon the the sign pointing off to the right “Table Rock State Park.” At that point I changed my mind of targeting Hwy 11 and decided to ride to the park – a place I hadn’t taken my bike before.

Table Rock State Park

I felt kind of guilty about doing it. Earlier I had talked with David McQuaid about the two of us riding out to the park some time. It didn’t feel exactly right going there without him. Of course, if the ride was as enjoyable every time as it was today, then I wouldn’t mind doing it again soon.

Of course, I was unable to get close to the top of the rock. The park is at the bottom of the big hump. You hike up various trails to get to the top. Don’t think that would work too well with my road bike!

Inside Table Rock State Park

After spinning through the park, I took Hwy. 11 to Hwy. 178 and then to Hwy. 288 to Marietta. Riding through the town I looped away from Geer Road and then back to it. Old White Horse Road got me back to New McElheeny and then to the Swamp Rabbit trail for the cool down to home.

I’m really starting to feel more confident about my October 24 ride. Now, I just need to keep the donations rolling in for Rebekah. So far people have given over $1000. Please consider giving. You can learn more about Rebekah and my plans at rideformike.com.

Tags: Ride for Mike, Table Rock State Park
Posted in Rides | No Comments »

Today the bicycle is my office

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

In just a few minutes, I’ll be throwing my leg over the Felt AR and riding over to the Greenville Children’s Hospital. That will be the warm-up for the rest of my day. My plans are to spend 5 to 7 hours on the 2011 Ride for Mike route.

It has been a challenge getting in the hours I need to be prepared for the long haul in just over a month. Last week I spent 5 hours total on the bike! I’m not complaining too much because what was keeping me off the bike was good stuff.

I was supposed to do a long ride on Saturday, but my work schedule had me driving to Columbia for an event that took away my day. Well, Wednesday I realized that my Thursday was appointment free. I did my best to empty my mailbox and ask my assistant if there was anything outstanding I needed to act on. By the end of the day, Thursday looked like it could be my Saturday.

So, I am making the bicycle my office today. I’ll be heading out on the road about the time I would be firing up the computer in the office. It will be work that I hope will give me a good return on my investment of time.

I have two objectives:

1) test out some fuels along the way. On my last Ride for Mike my lack of an adequate fueling strategy really caused me a good amount of pain — and weight loss! I need to find some things I can eat on the bike and train myself in the habit of eating it regularly.

Various types of fuel I'll be testing

2) ride at a wattage of 210 – 230 (about 75% of FTP) as much as possible. Jim tells me that he knows I can’t hold this pace all the way to Charleston, but it is building up my “engine” and training this way will make holding a good average speed easier when it counts.

There are just two things I’m uncertain about…. 1) how far I will go, and 2) the weather. Saluda, SC is 74 miles away. There is a part of me that wants to give it a go, but that would end up being a 140 mile day. I’m pretty sure I’ll do a century, but not so sure how far beyond.

As for the weather, the afternoon is supposed to bring scattered showers. That isn’t so bad, but the 20 to 30 mile an hour winds along with the showers could be nasty. At least I won’t be too hot.

The Beautiful Redhead will be on call to come rescue me should the need arise. I’m not expecting her to need to perform the rescue, but it is good to have her backing me up. I couldn’t do any of this stuff without her.

Well, it is getting close for me to “head to the office.” I’m wrapping up here and rolling the bike out. Maybe you would want to join me along the way? Just as I will do during the actual Ride for Mike, I will be running my Cyclemeter app on my iPhone. It allows you to follow my progress along the way. The link to the ride will appear at my Twitter account when I start it.

Tags: Ride for Mike
Posted in Training | 1 Comment »

Getting started

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

The children were out of school and I took the day off of work to spend some time with them. The day started out rainy and by lunch time, we were all getting cabin fever! It was time we all got out of the house. The kids went to visit their grandma (who recently broke her foot) and I headed out on the bike.

At that point the heavy rains had not arrived. I was disappointed because it has been so dry, I was hoping we would get a good soaking. Knowing how things go, I decided to go ride figuring that would cause it to rain. Kind of like washing your car.

Finding my way out of town on the 2011 RFM route

Jim had a plan for my day. It was more tempo riding. I was to do several 15 minute tempo intervals ending up with around a 2 hour ride. This kind of thing was starting to get routine, so I decided to use the session to start exploring the initial leg of the 2011 Ride for Mike.

I warmed up riding over to the Children’s Hospital on the Greenville Hospital System campus. This will be my starting point for the ride. Once there, I got out my iPhone and looked up the map. I hadn’t really studied it before hand. The map sent me down Grove Road to Augusta Street.

Once on the street I was into my first 15 minute interval. Thankfully, I hit every light green. However, I had to stop to check to make sure I was heading in the right direction when I reached Mauldin Road. Sure enough, the map had me getting off Augusta and heading out over I-85.

On the small screen I could tell I was supposed to go into Mauldin where I would make my next turn on Hwy. 417. So, I finished up my first interval, did my transition spin, and then started up my second interval as I approached 276.

I had to stop at the light and I looked around for the 417 marker. I couldn’t see it. So, I figured it most be on the other side of 276. The light changed and I got back up to speed. I kept going for several minutes and started feeling that I was going in the wrong direction. A quick check of the map and it was confirmed.

It was time to backtrack. Once again I went over 276, but the map showed 417 being right there. Finally, it dawned on me that 276 and 417 were the same there, but it wasn’t marked as such.

Turning right on 276 I soon found 417 angling off to the left. It was a bit dicey getting into the lane, but soon I was moving along at a good clip. At this point, I knew I wouldn’t have to turn again… or so I thought.

Soon I was going under I-385 and heading toward Simpsonville. I was finishing up my second transition spin at about that point. That meant I would be coming into town on Hwy. 14 trying to hold my 240 watts.

As I was riding, I could see where some storm clouds had passed through, but it didn’t seem to be too heavy. The rains at this point hadn’t reached me. It wasn’t until I reached Simpsonville that I started to feel some drops.

It was also there that I discovered that Hwy. 14 was shut down for some Labor Day activities. I had to make a detour along with some other traffic. This was playing havoc with my averages. So, I just tacked a bit of time onto my 15 minutes to make up for it.

I reached the Welcome to Fountain Inn sign in a steady rain. It was about an hour and a half after I left my house. So, it took me about an hour to reach that point — including my two detours — from the hospital.

Good. That was making pretty good time. Even with the multiple stops and easy spinning I was holding just under a 20 mph average. Plus, I was feeling good.

Turning around I decided to ride home focusing on my speed rather than wattage. I found that on the flats and a slight grade up I could maintain a 20 – 23 mph average comfortably. There were points where I had to climb and my speed dropped to 13 – 15 mph.

The return leg (which was a water soaked one) was very similar. The average speed was 19.5 mph at an average wattage of 153 watts. It gives me confidence that by riding to conserve energy, I can manage to get close to 20 mph without wearing myself out.

During the intervals, I had to push even downhill to maintain my predetermined wattage. The ride out averaged 222 watts. However, if all I need is an average speed, I can recover on the downhill.

All of this is starting to get me excited about the ride! As I was heading out down Augusta Street, I was starting to feel that charge you get when you set out on a great adventure. Soon, that feeling will be for real!

Tags: Ride for Mike
Posted in Rides, Training | No Comments »

Beans on a Mission want into your cup

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

If you follow Low Cadence at all, you probably know by now that Low Cadence coffee is now available. The “Beans on a Mission” campaign is a fun part of the fund raising for the Ride for Mike projects. It’s our way of making it a little more enjoyable to give to a worthy cause.

Getting yourself a pound is easy. A bag of beans is yours when you give a minimum gift of $15. Of course, 100% of the money goes to the Ride for Mike. The coffee is our gift to you.

Here is how it works…. Send me an email with your 1) name, 2) amount given, 3) address, and 4) bean choice (medium or dark). You can send the email to lowcadence@pait.org. Then go to the 2011 Ride for Mike giving page and make your tax-deductible donation through Helping Hands Ministries.

Help these beans fulfill their mission!

There are currently both medium and dark roast beans available. The dark roast is a bright, bold, semi-sweet blend to get you cranking. The medium roast is a lively, smooth, full-bodied blend to get you in gear. Low Cadence worked with E.A. Gritz Coffee Company in Hendersonville, North Carolina to put together these specific blends for the Ride for Mike.

So, give in support of Rebekah Grace Ellis and enjoy many delicious mornings with a cup of Low Cadence coffee. You’ll get extra enjoyment in knowing that you are joining in the mission with the beans… helping a little girl and her family deal with her medical challenges.

Tags: Low Cadence Coffee, Ride for Mike
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Mark the date for the 2011 Ride for Mike Family Ride

Monday, August 29th, 2011

You’re invited to the first ever Ride for Mike Family Ride. It will take place on Saturday, October 22, 2011. Leaving from Cleveland Park in Greenville, families are invited to ride at their own pace to Travelers Rest where we will have a picnic. The ride will begin at 8 AM with the picnic taking place at the Gateway Park beginning at 11 AM.

FAMILY FUN RIDE

A longer ride leaving at 8 AM from the same starting point will take the Swamp Rabbit Trail and then follow a route into northern Greenville County for a total of 50 miles. This will be the Ride for Mike 2011 Warm-up Ride. It is a social, “no rider left behind” ride that will also conclude at Gateway Park where participants will enjoy the picnic. A SAG vehicle will be available.

There is no cost for the event. However, we must have a count for those planning to attend the picnic. Please contact us at lowcadence@pait.org to let us know if you plan to attend and how many will be in your party.

Come show your support for the 2011 Ride for Mike supporting Rebekah Grace Ellis and her family while enjoying the beautiful Swamp Rabbit Trail. You can also show your support by giving a tax-deductible gift for the Ellis family by following the instructions at the 2011 Ride for Mike gifting page.

Tags: Ride for Mike
Posted in Events | No Comments »

A knife to a gun fight

Sunday, August 21st, 2011

Yesterday morning I obeyed my coach and headed to the base of Piney Mountain to get in some more interval training. The efforts were followed by some steady endurance riding until I used up my time. The evening was a contrast as I took my bicycle to a Cruise In at the Lil’ Rebel restaurant.

The weather that morning was great. It was a cool morning and as I continued with my intervals some clouds moved in to cover the sun that began to climb up the horizon. I needed the relief because the efforts were a challenge.

Last time I did this, I pushed it pretty hard for about 90 seconds. This time I decided to make the intervals to the top of the hill. This stretched out my time for the climb to between 2:10 and 2:20. Granted, I backed things off a little so that I could pace myself up, but I still averaged over 350 watts for everyone and close to 400 for several.

By the way, why does he have me doing this? One of the goals I have had for several years and have never accomplished is a 11:15 climb up Paris Mountain. If it was just my confidence in myself I was depending on, I would just give that up.

Where my confidence is in what I know my coach has been able to do for me in the past. I know that if I just keep doing these workouts I will have the best chance ever to reach that goal. I’m excited to see how I improve over the next several weeks.

What really should be training for is a loooooong endurance effort. I’ve got to start thinking about the 2011 Ride for Mike. I have never ridden 220 miles before. Sure, I’ve ridden 7 centuries in a row, but that is a bit different than doing two centuries back-to-back.

Becca poses with the car show trophies

That brings us to the Cruise In. I was there with my family to show support to the Ellis family. It was kind of funny looking around as I rolled my bicycle up toward the check-in booth. All around me was everything from rat rods to finely restored, award winning automobiles.

I was joining with the crowd because they too were there helping support the Ellis family. The organizers gave me the opportunity to explain what I was doing and why. We handed out some flyers and I showed off the Felt to some of the car guys.

The white box is supposed to contain an electric motor.

All-in-all it was an enjoyable evening. I was reminded again for the good many people do day in and day out — both as individuals and as a community. You can help people doing something you love — whether you are riding a bicycle or showing off your restored car.

Tags: Rebekah Grace Ellis, Ride for Mike
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So where are we going for the 2011 Ride for Mike?

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

The ride will be a 240 mile ride from Greenville, SC to Charleston, SC. What makes the ride unique for this distance is that it will all be accomplished in one day. It is the longest distance I’ve ever ridden. The date for the ride will be October 24, 2011. This will be a solo ride except for those cases where friends along the route come out to ride along with me. The Beautiful Redhead, Annette, will once again follow as my “support crew.”

Little Rebekah Grace Ellis has spent much time at Greenville Hospital and the Medical University of South Carolina. That is why this year’s route will cover the distance between the two hospitals. Maybe you can’t ride along, but you can help encourage me along the way by participating in the project.

But wait! That’s not all! I’m also making plans for another ride that will take place on October 22. The plan is for an informal ride (pending approval) for families along the Swamp Rabbit Trail with a picnic waiting in Travelers Rest. Depending on Rebekah’s health we look forward to her joining us on the ride.

I’m certainly open for a little help on both these rides. I’d like some feedback from folks on what they think would be the best route to take down to Charleston. Also, it would be great to have some volunteer help for the family ride.

One thing I’ve learned about these things is that sometimes you just have to kick your shoes off and dive in. It seemed to work in 2010! Thank you to all of you who have already expressed your support this year. Stay tuned to the 2011 Ride for Mike page for some fun fund raising options and to learn more about the family ride.

Oh, and don’t forget to give a donation!

Tags: Charity, Rebekah Grace Ellis, Ride for Mike
Posted in Events, News | No Comments »

Memories can revive a passion

Friday, February 4th, 2011

Our brains must have a memory chip that is tied to our senses and emotions. I know this because yesterday I happened to go back and read through the experiences I had during the 2010 Ride for Mike. As the patterns of the words coursed into my brain; the smells, environment, and emotions were reawakened.

You can read it for yourself here, but I’m certain it won’t have the same affect on you. This is something I will hang onto for the rest of my life. Who knows, maybe someday my grand children will say, “Wow, grandpa, you did that?!”

It was also an encouragement to remind me that I can do hard things. It brought back to my mind that accomplishing hard things can bring a great amount of satisfaction. The only thing I will regret are those times when I look back and say, “I wonder…?”

This is true on the bicycle, but it is a lesson you can take into any aspect of your life. I tend to be a “safe” individual. It is easy to find yourself in a comfortable spot and settle in to let others take the lead. The problem is, there are lots of things in my mind that cry out to be accomplished. Not taking the risk only leads to a lot of “I wonder…?” moments.

I know I can do hard things. I know I can accomplish things that really matter. I just need to get out of the recliner of life, put down the remote control of watching others, and get to it.

Thanks, Ride for Mike. You are a gift that keeps on giving.

Tags: Motivation, Ride for Mike
Posted in Life | No Comments »

Update and pictures

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

Just a short post this morning to let you know of the latest update on the amount raised for the 2010 Ride for Mike. There is still time to give to help us break yet another milestone, but for your encouragement I want to let you know where we stand right now. You can continue to give a RideforMike.com/give.

$19,600

That is the total raised so far with my goal of $14,000 already being surpassed. I know there are still people who have expressed a desire to give, so I am going to keep the total open until the end of this week. It would be awesome to be able to announce a total of $20,000 once the official period for giving ends.

I also spent some time last night putting pictures up on Facebook. You can check them out at the following links. The first set are those I put up myself, the others are links to other folks pictures.

Jonathan Pait’s 2010 Ride for Mike photos

Photos taken by Mike’s sister, Beth Chenault (pictures of the departure in Collierville)

Some photos taken by my uncle Eddie Bordeaux (pictures of the arrival in Apex)

A question I get asked is, “When are you getting back on the bike?” Well, I’m hoping my saddle sores will heal up soon. I’m already feeling somewhat better in that regard. Thursday coach has me doing an easy set of drills to get my legs moving again. I should be up and going again by next week.

Maybe then I’ll have something new to write about… though it is going to be hard to forget last week. It will color my view of things for some time. Thank you for sharing it with me.

Tags: Ride for Mike
Posted in Events, Site News | 2 Comments »