2005 TE Board charity rides

[Trek420]

maryellen "whoa trek, those red outfits make my red jersey, socks and gloves look drab! But that's ok. I don't think I could carry those outfits off!"

I thought it was kinda drab compared to other outfits there...oh, you're looking at the guy in the bright red wig and beard, that's not me that's our fabulous luggage crew.

[Trek420]

$1151 from AKroadie & loni a combined for the Lung Association
$3200 Betagirl for Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America
$701 Bike Momma for the ACS
$525.00 Audio-A and Cycling@42 for TDC amd
$9978 Amici Veloci Team, betagirl, nuthatch & technotart for MS
$1936 newfsmith for the pan mass challenge
$8,230 Hillslug & Upnorth for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
$5625 Preeder for Team in Training
$750 (at least) Kryn for ride for missing children
$19,163 fromTE ALC4 team
---------------------------------------------------------------------
$50,959

think we'll make 6 figures this year? T.I.T. has just started. Have I missed anyone?

[maryellen]

yup, me . . . so far I've raised $4,659 for the empire state aids ride and I've got a bit more coming in . . .

Maryellen

[Trek420]

maryellen, *\o/* *\o/* *\o/*

let us know the final figure. We want pictures, details, ride reports....we wanna know if you gotta red dress that you can ride in?

hey, if I wore lace you can do it.

[maryellen]

honey, I don't have a dress, never mind a red dress, and definitely not a red dress I can ride in . . .

[maryellen]

I'm all packed up for the AIDS ride and too wired up to sleep. My flight leaves in a few hours. Figure I'll do some housecleaning and that will tire/bore me.

My fundraising is up to $6659 with a bit more coming in.

I'm so excited. Thx to all for the fabulous suggestions and support. Keeping my fingers crossed for cool dry weather and a body that holds up for 560 miles of pedaling.

Maryellen

[Trek420]

maryellen, You're doubtless already on your way and i shoulda figured out a way we could get updates from your epic ride.

Congratulations, the hard work is done (fundraising, training, finding that perfect lil' red outfit). Have a safe and fun time. I'm so proud of you.

[shadon]

It's the middle of the night back East, as I write this. You're gonna have such a wonderful ride! I"m from New York State, my folks live near Syracuse and I went to school in Binghamton. I just looked at the website and the idea of riding through the fingerlakes, the Catskills and the Hudson Valley is just breath taking to me! I hope this is a wonderful experince!

[Trek420]

According to the website they are checking in today from noon to 5 p.m. at the Days Inn at the Falls. 442 Main Street, just north of the Rainbow Bridge. And...Maryellen is one of the top 10 fundraisers for the entire ride.

I can just imagine, remembering the excitement and nerves of check in for ALC4. Whether you're a first time rider or done it a dozen times, so exciting, I was so nervous i parked in the wrong lot, went into the parking lot for the Jehovas Whitness convention. I saw all these people in 3 peice suits waving people in and thought "wow, rest stop 4 has really out done themselves in the costume department this time, where'd they find all the bad suits?"

oops. It was fun riding my bike to the right side of the Cow Palace through them all dresssed in pink with pink feather boa.

According to the site opening ceremonies and ride out were at, 7:45 a.m., Sunday, Aug. 14th at Terrapin Point, Niagara Falls, NY, at the edge of the Horseshoe Falls. She's on her way.

Anyone in NYC? You can welcome the riders to NYC as they arrive at Robert Wagner Park at 3:45 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 20th. The park is at the southern tip of Manhattan, directly south of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and about 200 feet west of Battery Park. Limited parking is available in Battery Park City, to the west of West Street, or take the 1/9 train to Rector Street or South Ferry.

[newfsmith]

I just mailed my final deposit to Pan-Mass, making my total $2251.70 to date. I'm still waiting on $600 of corporate matching funds, but I'm told that may not happen until late in the year.

[Trek420]

$1151 from AKroadie & loni a combined for the Lung Association
$3200 Betagirl for Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America
$701 Bike Momma for the ACS
$525.00 Audio-A and Cycling@42 for TDC amd
$9978 Amici Veloci Team, betagirl, nuthatch & technotart for MS
$2851 newfsmith for the pan mass challenge
$8,230 Hillslug & Upnorth for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
$5625 Preeder for Team in Training
$750 (at least) Kryn for ride for missing children
$19,163 fromTE ALC4 team
---------------------------------------------------------------------
$51,874
Have I missed anyone?

[maryellen]

got back yesterday afternoon. A great ride with wonderful people and fabulous support. Definitely a mental and physical challenge. Got to get back to catching up on email and my multiple loads of laundry.

A few $$ still coming in but will be at least $8600.

Maryellen

[Trek420]

congratulations maryellen!!!!! we knew you could do it. stop the laundry we want details! wheredja go, whadja see, howdja do, how's the food?

*\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/*

[maryellen]

Day 0: Saturday: On the cab ride from Buffalo airport, the driver pointed out the Love Canal site--nothing like seeing the local sights (um, can you drive a little faster past that old toxic site?). At the hotel, all the riders registered, made a group outing to the famous "Maid of the Mist" boat ride around the Falls, and a few team members and I had dinner at the local Hard Rock Café (a Hard Rock café in Niagara Falls??).

Day 1: Sunday: 106 miles--Niagara Falls to Charlotte (near Rochester). I received a 6:30 am phone call from a teammate asking me if I knew it was raining. I didn't, blithely having neglected to look out the window upon rising. It poured for the first 80 miles. If this hadn't been a fundraiser, I would surely have been off the bike. It took a lot of positive self-talk to understand that if riding my bike in the rain was my biggest problem, I was doing darn well. Fortunately all of our designated stops had overhangs or were moved indoors and the riders were given Mylar sheets to wrap ourselves in to stay warm at the stops. For the last 26 miles it cleared up and I somehow managed to forget the first 80—except for me and the bike being completely soaked and filthy.

Day 2: Monday: 90 miles--Charlotte to Sampson State Park. A dry day, hurray. I learned how to take my tent down and pack it up. I saw a horse and buggy driven by an Amish man and his son. We passed through some *rural* areas.

Day 3: Tuesday: 85 miles--Sampson State Park to Chanango Valley State Park Our lunch stop was at the Slatterville Springs Volunteer Fire Department, sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary. They were fabulous, providing us with towels to freshen-up mid-day. They also had great pictures of the ride from last year. This was mentally the hardest day for me. I had a rough afternoon, riding alone after the last rest-stop, utterly convinced that I would never reach that night's campsite. Fortunately, I kept pedaling

Day 4: Wednesday: 62 miles--Chanango Valley State Park to Shinhopple: This was our "hilliest" day. I was mentally prepared for it, so it wasn't as tough as I expected (i.e., I made it). I saw a camel, yes, a camel, in a pasture right next to a horse. No, I was not hallucinating.

Day 5: Thursday: 70 miles--Shinhopple to Barryville: Saw two deer soon after setting out. What a treat. One of our stops was at the Fort Delaware Colonial Museum. The docents kindly fired the cannon at our request. This was a hard day for me physically--my quads were so terribly sore I couldn't imagine completing days 5,6,7.

Day 6: Friday: 85 miles--Barryville to Bear Mountain Before setting out, our fabulous EMT gave me knee sleeves treated with some sort of magical substance. Definitely soothed my 47 year old knees and quads. The Mayor of Port Jervis met us at a rest stop as he does each year. A rainy afternoon—fortunately we had a hastily arranged hot cocoa stop – the other customers in the café were rather puzzled as to the presence of numerous cyclists wrapped in Mylar sheets. Our last night in camp, it cleared for dinner and some sparklers but once that last sparkler went out, it poured and we all dashed to our tents. An early night.

Day 7: Saturday: 60 miles--Bear Mountain to Wagner Park in downtown Manhattan. Everyone told me not to worry, I would have an incredible adrenaline rush to get me through Saturday. HA! I had *no* energy or power left. Every pedal stroke was an effort—until we reached the stop at the Alpine, NJ police station. I remembered I had recently done a training ride from home to the Alpine police station and back before work, so surely I could finish. The rest of the ride was sheer bliss. It was wonderful to see the riders from upstate amazed at riding over the GW bridge. The closing ceremony was short and sweet, with a poignant moment for me as the name of my dear friend Ron Myers was read—I rode in his memory. After bidding farewell to my companions, riders and volunteers alike, Diana kindly took my gear bag home in a cab and I rode my bike home.

AND I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR…………………

[Trek420]

maryellen wrote "This was a hard day for me physically--my quads were so terribly sore I couldn't imagine completing days 5,6,7."

I know the feeling.

Yet I'd heard this from another rider, strange but it's true after the 3d day...feels like you just keep getting stronger.

Congratulations Maryellen on a great ride.

Trek sittin' here at work sniffin' away a tear 420