3rd Day of Riding

Monday: So what happened to Sunday. Unfortunately the lodge we stayed at up in Big Sur did not have internet access via wireless, 10baseT or phone line. It was even difficult to get a mobile phone connection but...the view and the place was well worth it. Evergreen trees, birds singing and a little cabins.

I roomed with Todd Northup. We even had a fire to warm up our cute cabin during the night. But it was butt cold the next morning. It's been a while since I've put on arm and knee warmers, a scull cap and long fingered gloves.

The climb out of Big Sur started at the front entrance for about 3 1/2 miles. of up Ouch...we were warm the top. The rest was just spectacular. A lot of climbing all the way to the lunch stop but again...spectacular.

We stopped along the way but tried to make them short. With 114 miles it was going to be a long day. At one point Scott Kaplan, Todd Northup and I were on the front and the photographer pulled up to get a shot of us. I need to get that picture.

People start at different times depending on their average speed for the day. We would catch up to groups all along the route. This one is of David on his hand cycle. This guy flies down the hills.

Lunch was at the Hearst Castle Boat Launch. What a view. It was peaceful, the sun had come out, and I was with my friends. We had put in some hard fast miles once we got over the hills up to this point averaging 25 to 30 MPH.

We had a tail wind for the last 40 miles which really help and a Garmin Chipolte rider, Timmy, on the front as well. That ensured the pace was kept up for the remaining miles. I was a hurting puppy though. Those speeds require a lot of calories to hang on even in the pack. I need to eat more.

We put out these day bags which are picked up in the morning and we can transfer things into them at the rest stop. I always think it's funny to see a leg with a shoe on it at the stop.

The hotel tonight is right on the water and the massage tents where set up in the sun which was much warmer than last night. Again, CAF has put together a first class event that will go unmatched in my mind. After a hard day in the saddle it's nice to arrive and have someone had you a room key along with a cold beer.

Team Garmin was interviewed at our dinner this evening. 3 cyclists and one of the mechanics where on stage. Scott Kaplan drilled them some and then they fielded questions from the audience.

I'm looking forward to tomorrows 120 mile ride.

San Fran to Santa Cruz 87 miles

Saturday: It's the first day of riding after a wonderful evening the night before. CAF does a fantastic job with this event. Check in was a breeze. We picked up another bag of stuff, arm and knee warmers, light jacket, huge sweatshirt, T-shirt and a day bag. We received instruction on where we needed to be and at what times during the trip. You should have seen the room of bikes. Wheels on Wheels does a great job with keep bikes safe and secure.

We also met many of the 11 challenged athletes we will be riding with this week. Some I knew from San Diego but others were new names and faces. A few were a part of Operation Rebound which is for disabled Vets.

Scott Kaplan got up and talked about the XX1090 Radio Contest, how it started, the process and that I was the winner. It was a very good story and again I was moved by his words. He also spoke about his cousin who recently passed away in while training for this event when he was hit by a car while on his bike in AZ. This will be a hard ride for Scott.

As promised I have taken pictures and video (having problems uploading video at this time). We started just outside our hotel at Fisherman's Wharf. Lots of people, lots of photos and you could feel the tension in the air. Lets ride!!!

Here's a picture of Todd (left) and me (right) at the start as we get ready for this epic ride.

The weather was overcast but it certainly didn't damper our spirits. We had a police escort thru town as we headed up to the old military post. I was plenty warm after the first climb. A few hours later the sun was out but not hot.

The scenery...gorgeous. Here's a few shots of what we saw most of the day. Gilberto had a flat but no tube or pump so I stopped to give him a hand.

I saw Scott K. at the start and then we caught up again with each other at the Lunch stop. He was looking very strong for guy who hasn't put in as many miles as I have. Is he that much young than I...?
We had many opportunities for pacelining. The wind was really hitting us hard in the face. But on the flats we were averaging 18 to 22 MPH even so.

With three SAG stops and lunch we had more than enough to keep us going. Here's an example of what they lay out for us at the SAG stop to snack on.

As we came in to Santa Cruz we had been told and given a course outline with graph showing climbs so we all knew that there was one at the end up to the hotel. It wasn't long but...it was steep. However, the reward was worth it. We picked up our room key, signed up for a massage, grabbed some food and sat back and talked about the day with the gang.

I'm looking forward to tomorrows ride. Should be fun and beatiful and it just keeps getting better every day.

Quote from Zig Ziglar

Tuesday: I awoke around 4:00 AM this morning after a night of tossing and turning. It wasn't so much nervousness as it was anxiousness that interrupted my sleep. The minutes wouldn't go by fast enough as they flashed across my alarm clock.

Before going to bed last night I went out into the back yard to reflect on what might happen on the Scott and BR show the next morning. With my feet in the cold water of our little pool and Butternut beside me we stared up at the moon which was full and large on this clear night. There was nothing to say, no more to accomplish, what was done has been done. Peace, there was a sense of peace.

Nina and I met at the back door of the studio. It didn't surprise me that we were the first to arrive. Soon Jeffery Essakow, Kristine Entwistle and Jim Carbaugh arrived. We were escorted to the studio by Mike one of the radio techs.
Scott and BR where already in full swing with the show. It was about 6:20 at this point. After some intros they had myself and Nina sit at the microphones for some short interviews. It's hard to go back in my mind now and remember everything that happened. Before leaving I asked the techs if they could send me a copy of the show for myself and my family back in Ohio.

I do remember talking about the fund raiser with Todd and that I had over $12,000 in funds. Nina talked about her job in the Navy as a welder. For some reason I still don't see that but she strikes me a person, a lot like my wife, who will take on those kinds of jobs that often are associated with men only.

I'm an emotional kind of guy and those feelings where starting to bubble up as we came closer and closer to hearing who the winner would be. Scott let us know that a request of a vote had been sent out to the remaining radio contestants and count produced a tie.

Scott pulled out an envelope opened it, passed it to BR who looked at it and then passed it back. He hesitated for what seemed like an hour and then...made an announcement. "Mike Henderson is the Winner". Even as I write this I feel the goosebumps on my skin and that cool sensation running around my body. What do you say, what do you do, how do your prepare for something like this?

Scott talked about that last year someone called in at the end and offered up another $5000 to ensure both radio contestants would go on the ride. I had been thinking long and hard about what I would do with the $12K I had raised and knew that part needed to go to the Challenged Athletes who had not raised enough as yet to go. I quickly spoke to Kristine and she let me know that things would be OK there so I told Scott I would donate $4000 from my funds to Nina so she could go. He announced it on the air and Nina started to cry. We hugged and I started to cry too. (I'm just a big baby)

It's hard to sum up in 22 minutes of air time what this experience has been all about or why in the end I was the winner. In my mind it could have been anyone in our group of 30 but for some reason the stars aligned for me.

In the parking lot I called my mom, my wife, my brother, and my sister. My sister in law had hooked up a phone to the Internet for my mom to hear the broadcast back in Ohio. I took a few minutes and thanked my dad who had passed away last year because without the values he and mom had instilled in our family this would not have been possible.

When I returned to my home office there where hundreds of phone calls and emails of congratulations but one that really stuck out from my wife.

"You can get everything you want in life, if you are just willing to help enough other people get what they want". Zig Ziglar

The helmet cam and regular cameras will be with me and rolling on this trip down the coast. My plan is to daily update the blog with clips and notes along the way. If you've been reading this blog then you have been on the journey as well.

Thanks to all the friends and family who have been a part of this with me. It took a village to get here and it would not be possible without your help.

The Question...?

Sunday: Today was full of questions. This was the last ride before we start our journey down the coast from San Francisco to San Diego. But the question from just about everyone I met today was about the radio contest. Questions like...have they made the announcement, when will they tell you, are you nervous, etc.

Scott Kaplan of the Scott and BR Show, is back in town and I was glad to hear his voice this past Friday morning. A lot is riding on his shoulders right now with this contest and the ride. I'm hoping he's ready for 600 miles but am more than willing to lend a wheel when needed.

Speaking of wheels, I decided to not run the ZIPP 404 set on my Trek Madone frame during this event. With such a deep dish to them Dan Plummer of Wheels on Wheels and some of the ride leaders made the suggestion to leave them at home. Those East and East shore winds will make me work as it hits those wheels from the side which will act like sails.

We had a nice showing of the original radio contestants today. Kevin, Kevin, Steve, Todd, Carl, Mike, Scott, Nina, Momo, Brent and myself where there. We broke into our separate groups for the ride up the coast today. Lots of hugs and smiles. Ant-Artic Mike had this cool looking skin suite on but his comment was it was a bit too thin this mornings for temperatures of below 50. Yes, that's cold for California.

Floyd Landis was present this morning to wish us all a fair well and safe riding up the coast. His words of wisdom where to ride hard the first 3 or 4 days so that we are tired out by the time we reach our last leg of our journey so we won't beat him up too much. He plans to connect with our group on Oct 24th.

There are still a few people who have not completely raised the required $10,000 for this event. So many are close but if the dollars aren't in the account it's the responsibility of the individual rider to cover it.

For me the contest is now about winning so I can use the $10,000 plus I have raised to help others make this ride. Everyone has worked hard and deserves to go. We'll just have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday to hear.

Final Days...

Thursday: We are into the final days prior to leaving on this epic adventure. Tuesday night we had packet pickup at the local Trek store, www.treksandiego.com. Mike Olson and Brent Smith were on hand meeting and greeting the riders along with the QMDC staff. Kristine and Kris had modified the Jersey some to give it a more feminine touch.

At home I started to reflect some on the past months as I was pulling out items I might need on this ride like full fingered gloves. (You never can tell what the weather will be like on this route)

The months have passed quickly and I've realized that I'm not the same person I was when this started back on June 8th. Four months goes by so fast. I remember standing in the parking lot trying to imagine what this would be like. I could see all kinds of people starting to show up and I felt kind of out of place. It was the first day of school and I was the new kid who had just moved into the neighborhood.

Within minutes some of those feelings left as we all signed in, picked up our jersey and gathered to hear from CAF staff and others. Next thing I know we are laughing and clapping for each other. That fear that this would be a survivor episode with all the cut throat tactics left immediately. New names and faces. How will I remember everyone?

Our first ride was a short 33 mile up the coast. Along the way there was a camera man taking pictures. It was a friendly ride and a chance to chat with others. I asked Jim Carbaugh how he won last year. He said, "I don't know".

As the weeks pasted and the miles built up I remember something Jim told me when we had stopped on Camp Pendleton to assist someone with a flat. He said, "...you're doing the right things". At times I had forgotten I was part of a radio contest with XX1090. In my mind there was an event ride in Oct and we as a group needed to train and get ready. If someone had a flat, it always goes faster if we pitch in and help.

I didn't know that much about CAF but quickly learned how it started 15 years ago and what we were raising funds for, physically disable people. Ok now I have a purpose. In the second week I signed up to start raising money. My wife Crystal later told me she secretly thought, how in the heck is he going to raise $10,000. But to me she said, "I'll support you 100%", and she did.

As I started to get the word out the funds slowly came in. I started this blog and soon people were calling and emailing me. I was training, blogging, working, eating, sleeping, and trying to spend some time with Crystal and the dogs. Each day had to be scripted just right in order to make every minute count. In my everyday job my numbers were looking pretty good. I was thinking clearer and seemed to be a bit more insightful.

I had never put on an event as large as the Sushi Silent Auction before. Looking back I don't think Todd Northup and I realized the complexity or the amount of time it would take but we were fortunate that our paths had crossed. We complimented each others skills and took advantage of each others strengths resulting in over $7000 from this event. This ensured we both would be at the start line in San Francisco come Oct 18th.

So what's left...the radio contest. That added another element in my life of excitement, tension, curiosity, and wonder. Scott Kaplan introduced us all to something new and challenged us each week to learn more about XX1090, CAF and QMDC. And even in that process there was a level of sensitivity found for the radio contestants as each week another person was eliminated. Instead of a gap being created those that remained became closer. Emotions ran strong and Scott had purposely tried to separate himself from the contestants as much as he could. But in reality, I don't think it was possible.

The last brush stroke of this picture is the announcement of the radio contest winner which comes down to myself or Nina. It's been put on hold but for good reason...life. A very close relative, Scott Kaplan's cousin, was killed last weekend when he was hit by a vehicle while training for this very event in AZ. We have to take a step back and realize that life is precious and hold it tight while we have the chance. If we lost it all we would still have family and friends. When someone passes we have an opportunity to reflect on their life and our own. I never want to take what I have for granted and am thankful each day for my second chance at living.

The real winner in the end isn't Nina or me...it's those we have been raising funds for CAF. If we can add one more dollar then it will go a long way to helping someone else find that spirit we all crave when we are challenged to reach beyond our previous experiences.

Finding ways to help others was something I truly thought would be the basis of my campaign but the end result was that I've gained more and grown as a person. I guess I owe that to CAF, QMDC and XX1090 where it all started...Thank You.

Last Hard Ride

Sunday: Today was the Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge last hard ride. 93 miles from Fletcher Cove to Fallbrook with about 5200 feet of climbing. Next week we taper on a 40 mile ride.

Perfect day for cycle around the county. Some roads were a bit damp from the rain the night before but not slick. Slick is a cyclists worst nightmare. Twice I've hit the pavement on Miramar Rd when it was damp or wet out on those tracks by the furniture stores. There is rubber before and after and if you don't keep your balance when it's wet...bang, you will hit the road and slide.

It stayed cool the entire ride. If it had been 90 plus, it could have been torture.

Our group of 12 held together for most of the ride. Couple of spots we split but we regrouped to keep everyone in check. Todd hadn't ridden in a few weeks and neither had Scott. They were struggling some in the middle but held up when we hit the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Todd even put in some nice hill sprints at the end. Sand bagger.

I had some new wheels, ZIPP 404, which where rockets on the flats and down hills. Without effort I was flying on those buggers.

Everyone was a buzz talking about our upcoming event ride Oct 18-24. We know what each day will be like and there is a lot of miles and climbs in the first 4 days. However, the pace is much slower and there is time to stop and enjoy the scenery. Cameras are must.

At the beginning of today's ride we were told that Scott Kaplan, from the Scott and BR Show, would not be joining us today. He has a cousin who was training for this event in Arizona and was hit by a car this weekend and killed. Kristine was very broken up because this person had ridden in the QMDC last year and is someone she knows. We have got to be careful when riding. Cars have a hard time seeing us. Ride safe or as safe as possible.

This may also put the radio contest on hold. Life is too precious and we need to savor every moment with friends, family and loved ones. I'm sure we can wait.

I decided not to ride the Poway ride because I was still in the contest. Trek was very understanding and supportive. I spoke with Brent Smith this evening and he said it went very well. He provided mechanical help about mid way in the route so he didn't ride but we had all our Ride Guides to assist. I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing reports.

Just a few more weeks. Thank you CAF for expanding my world.

Last of the Fantastic Four

Wednesday: Today is the day to drive the number from 4 to 2 in the XX1090 Scott & BR show radio contest. Ultimately the end result is that XX1090 will cover the required $10,000 entry which the other 99 riders in the Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge are raising individually.

This has been a journey of a thousand steps or a million peddle strokes. I feel like I am riding on a train across the country. The scenery is constantly changing with beautiful pictures of forests, mountains, rivers and fields of gold. I'm just soaking it in, taking pictures and keeping notes in a journal.

This morning the final 4, Nina, Carl, Scott and myself, were asked to select one person to speak on our behalf. Their words and thoughts would be judged and used to determine who would move on. Two names came to my mind immediately, Crystal my wife and Todd Northup.

Crystal was more than willing to go on air and talk about why I should move on. She is an eloquent speaker, not afraid to talk about our relationship and passions and my biggest fan. However, she felt this was about CAF and that I should select Todd who has been a part of this journey along with me.

I called Todd and he indicated he would love to take on that role but was a bit nervous about what to say or how to say it in such a short period of time, one minute. We created an outline of topics that we felt would best represent the essence of the program and why I was in it. Todd then practiced saying the words. I could tell this was not an easy request that I had asked of him. My last comment was before hanging up last night..., "speak from your heart".

The first person on the radio this morning was Nina's mom. She provided a wonderful story of Nina's background and her family values in support of her mother. She let us know that after Katrina Nina received $300 in support but turned around and gave that to someone else who needed it more than she did.

Next up was Scott's wife. She said Scott is a quiet person but his heart is a banging drum filled with sounds of passion for this cause and others. He's not just a nice person when someone is looking. Scott always provides a kind word no matter what the situation.

Todd was next. One minute goes fast and he worked hard at getting the words out. He talked about the fund raising we have done, when I've stopped to help others during the rides, and 3 elements I thought were most important; CAF, QMDC and the XX1090 Scott & BR show. At the end Scott Kaplan asked him how our event went on Monday. Todd told him it was a huge success and that it put him and myself over the top of the required $10,000. (That has been our goal since the beginning)

Lastly was Carl and he select Brent one of the other radio contestants. Brent took his time to describe what a good friend Carl has become. He was the leader on their fund raising event and kept them on track. He also said Carl took time out of his schedule to help Dan Plummer of Wheels on Wheels to move his shop.

With that done Scott and BR took a few minutes to talk and then a message arrived, "...You've Got Mail". The names were announced and myself and Nina are the final two.

Emotions. That's about all I can say. I had this flood of emotions hit me like a rushing linebacker. I was crying, laughing, happy, sad, proud and relieved all at once. Butternut and Zeke, my dogs, came in to see what all the fuss was about.

Making it this far is an honor and not one I take lightly. And even when this is over no matter what the out come the cause of CAF goes on. I am very lucky to have a ticket on this train and will enjoy every moment of the ride. All I can say is thanks.