Another post.. Another ride..

Saturday I went out to Wildwood to hang out with Zach, then decided to go on a ride with him and the rest of the DGAFSBUDC2007BG guys. We headed out for pizza during this, and ended up riding a little over 12 miles total during the night which was spent just pedaling around Wildwood and having fun.

Sunday I headed over to see Zach again to fix my rear brake, and he was doing work on Joe's new basket bike, Street Justice. Then it was off for more pizza.


Just 30 more days until the trip starts! Please, get any donations you have been holding off on in as soon as possible! I really appreciate it.

Also, if you'd like to order anything from Hammer Nutrition just use this link: http://www.hammernutrition.com/affiliates/187857 it is good for 15% off your order, and I will get a little bit of money out of it to pay for the suppliments I will be using on my trip, every dollar of that helps!

But more urgently, please goto http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/5565 and donate whatever you can afford to Bike & Build, I am still $800 away and remember it is all tax deductible!

Thank you for all the support you have given me as I prepare for this trip of a lifetime!

33 days.. Thats just over a month!

Here we are guys, just over a month until my trip starts. I couldn't be more excited or nervous, seriously, at this point it is mostly what I think about. Day and Night.

I still have some fundraising to do. There is a bit of money that is still waiting for me to get a chance to deposit and donate it, but after that I am $800 away.. Thats right guys, just $800! That is just $20 from 40 people.. 40! We can do this, I need your help now. This is the call to arms!

Seriously, if you donate and live in New Jersey, I will personally do photos for you of whatever you want. Own a car? I do awesome automotive photography:

Racer? Autocrosser? I love going to the track:

Sports?

Maybe you just like portraits? I can do those too (except I don't have any online right now to show you, but trust me!)

I can also shoot real estate, food, bands, and hell, I will even do pets if you want it!


So seriously, if you need photos done, please take some time and donate to Bike & Build by using this link: http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/5565 and we will work something out, either before I leave or after I return.
This is especially awesome for those of you who will be racing cross this season!



I will say it one more time, please goto http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/5565 and donate anything you are able to, I am $800 from my goal!



Now, onto the not as important things. This week was kind of slow, I got out for three rides so far.
Wednesday was an interval day

Thursday I did a nice 26.8 mile ride with my friend Josh, it was a slow pace but it was a nice time to socialize and recover the muscles.

And today I did a 25.93 mile ride in the wind, solo, it was a fun time and the route was awesome.

And thats really all, I had dinner with my family on Tuesday and today.. Missed another group ride on Tuesday... and I shot a trance drum circle on Thursday night. All in all a good week so far!

The Human Bicycle.. The Best Use of Podium Time. Ever.

How did you spend your weekend? Well I will tell you about mine, right here.

First lets kick it off nice and easy, Friday Shannon and I had pizza and I decided it would be a good idea to ride right after eatting. Boy was that fun!
I did 17.6 miles of spinning with quite a bit of wind and almost puked a few times, not to mention that truck that seemed to think he didn't have to give me any space on the downslope of a bridge.

Then I went to sleep because the next two days were to be hectic. 

Saturday was practice and qualifying for the Grand-Am Rolex series, I was slated to cover two stories. Saturday was to be the story of Dr. Jim Lowe, a local man who was racing in the professional series with Paul Tracy. And Sunday was mothers day, and I was there to cover the Taylor brothers as well as their mother who was at the track.

I took quite a few photos, being at the racetrack is something I love and being able to have the run of the place is something I love even more.

Here are a mix of photos from both days, enjoy.

This is a photo I seem to take everytime I am at the track, infact I think I have this exact photo of this teams car from 2009 in the same spot!

Well thats that.. can you say photo dump?

Yes, this was a fun year and I got some great images. I was very happy to be there and be able to put out these images for all to see.

Well, there is one more image. The title of this post says it all, but here it is again, I have seen many many podium ceremonies in my time of doing this, but this one really has to be labeled as the best I have ever personally seen. When asked for a group photo, Ricky, Max, and the rest of the crew jumped on stage and formed what can only be described as a human bicycle.

That was a great moment for all involved, and I am happy that someone got it on video aswell. 

Now, onto Monday. I woke up late, my legs were sore, my shoulder was sore, my body was tired. I lazed around for a bit before deciding to take a later ride and get in just 10 miles of spinning, but it was worth it and I felt great when I was done!

I leave in just a few short weeks, and I am very close to my goal. I have some money I need to deposit and donate myself, but I could really use your help. So please goto my profile in the sidebar and donate whatever you can, I'd appreciate it. Thank you!

Slow weeks are slow

Not much has been going on since my last post. Monday I made it out with the intension of riding down to Rita's to get some ice and then taking the long way home. But I ended up riding to Kona and hanging out there while Zach worked.

Then Zach and I rode to Cape May and Ralph met us there, we ate at Big Wave, and then spent some time just hanging out while Ralph hit some spots and we cruised for a bit. Taking some photos and videos..

Tuesday was spent hanging out with my dad, we took a drive up into Pennsylvania and then ate and came home.

Wednesday was sluggish and rainy so I just sat at home and ended up not doing much.

Thursday was a day where I had a bit of work to do in the morning covering a plaque dedication in Sea Isle, and then I did a short interval ride.

Other than that, not much has been going on. Tomorrow and Sunday I am going to be at the track all day covering the Grand-Am events and doing some profiles on some of the drivers. Looking forward to that!

Don't stop pushing

Here we are, just 44 days until I leave for New Hampshire and start my coast to coast ride! Now, as far as competiting,.. This year I have done 1 crit and 1 TT, and that will most likely be the end of my competitions until at least the fall, if I can locate a bike for cyclocross season. But that doesn't mean that I am stopping my push to be faster, I am still doing a group ride every Tuesday (and will be trying to do Saturdays when I can), not to mention I need the endurance for 375 miles a week this summer.
Because of that, I am still out doing intervals, this week I did two consecutive days of them.. Thursday and Friday I went out and did a 3.5 mile warmup followed by three 2:30 max intervals with a 1:15 cooldown in between and then a nice 10 minute cooldown spin home. My goal was to keep my cadence above 95 for the intervals and above 100 for the cooldowns.
These intervals are hard, they are not "fun" in the way most people would see it.. but cyclists know that feeling of suffering and embrace it. So here is the data for those two days:

Then Saturday I did a nice easy 18 mile ride (with lots of wind added for fun) before heading over to Nat's for Cinco de Mayo which was fun!

Today however, is a rest day! As for fundraising, everyday I get closer but I still need a lot to go, so please donate if you are able to!

The rest of the week was also fun, I went out on a few assignments for the Press. First I shot a pre-prom assembly at MTHS, I did a profile on a local business, Ella's Good to Go/Bliss Ice Cream, and then I shot an awards ceremony for MTHS Mock Trial who won the county competitions this year (a team which I was on all the way back in 2006!).

Soon...

So Saturday, Mike, Noah and I went upto Beacon for the Saturday morning ride. But on Rt50 Noah ended up catching a stick in his wheel which ripped off his derailleur, so Mike and I started to try and make the trek back to the shop but ended up going the wrong way and were picked up by his wife and driven back, all said we did just over 33 miles before the pick up. The ride could have gone better, Lou and I were dropped early and hammered on our own through a shortcut to rejoin the group.

Sunday I did a solo 22 mile ride in the wind which was enjoyable.

And then Tuesday I went to the Marmora ride, but ended up dropped on 83 because I couldn't get the acceleration going.. my legs just said no. So I tried to backtrack to attempt to find the group, but I got my timing wrong and reached the park before they did by about 5 minutes after my 34 mile ride.

I really need to pick up my training and get my explosive power up.

Now I am just about a month and a half away from leaving, and I am still $1,329 away from my goal! So now is the time, please donate and help out those in need!