debating ALC5

[Trek420]

shadon "I can't comment on the incredible-ness of the experience, since I'm traiing for my first ALC, but the whole thing has been great so far!"

the incredibleness is...incredible, you are in for a heck-of-a-ride. Just ride/eat/sleep....oh and work and surf TE.

I did more follow up last year, that is folks who say "yeah, I want to sponsor you", if I don't see them show up as sponsors in a month or two sent another letter, e-mail out.

Voila, usually twice is a charm.

I make my sponsors feel like they are on the ride as much as possible, without all the training and gatorade and stuff.

I did a group voicemail each day from both rides to all the sponsors with voicemail, I kept an online journal, not a blog but I'm still working on it...make sure you thank your sponsors, send thank you cards (that's tax deductable).

The folks who don't ride may be fascinated by what goes in to acheiving your goal, most knew that you'd have to keep hydrated and fed, but had no idea how you do that on a long ride.

I made it a "tradition" last year to do the voicemail from Rest Stop 4, with the music in the background, Dolly Parton, Sound of Music, Swan Lake, I forget what they played when they were the Secret Service...

Lastly you never know who is effected by the cause you are volunteering for. Till I did BATO I did not know that the wife of one of my co-workers is a cancer survivor, or that Doreen one of our managers lost her brother in law to AIDS. Yesterday I was talking to a customer at work, I'm not sure how we got on the subject but he told me he used to ride and now his MS has progressed to where he can't, I told him about team AV and there we are, he's just calling the phone company and both of us tearing up....

Doreen's big burly bearded husband wears the ALC ride bracelet I gave them, well he can't get it around his wrist so I hear it's on his coffee cup ;-)

To Doreen and her husband I got the feeling that for them the fact that 2,000 people on this ride alone are willing to do this is like he has not been forgotten. It's like a rolling memorial.

[liksani]

Ended up going to an informational meeting and signing up

[Trek420]

and now there are 5 TE'ers

[shadon]

Ended up going to an informational meeting and signing up

*YEAH*!!! Good for you!

I've met some of the nicest, warmest, friendliest people thus far, including the training ride leader today who said "I die on hills too. Call me and we'll ride." You can do this! and there are so many people that will help you!

[liksani]

Yeah I need to start training and fundraising o_O. Too bad I'm pretty sore lately cuz I've been trying to get back into doing wushu again and doing maintenance running on the side.

[Trek420]

"Too bad I'm pretty sore lately cuz I've been trying to get back into doing wushu again and doing maintenance running on the side."

At this point it's all about balance. So keep doing the Wushu it's great for your range of motion and balance, and running. Nothing replaces TITs (that's time in the saddle, gals, get your minds outa the gutter) Spend time on your bike but the other stuff counts too.

You're in for a great time! Do I need to start the shopping countdown again?

[shadon]

What is Wushu?

[Trek420]

shadon, if I'm right it's a martial art. I do Aikido, another art, both are great for crosstraining, and always a problem finding time to do both when you love both sports, too bad we have to work, eh? So ...is the TE team going to tent together or nearby?