And so it...begins

My dad and I arrived in Maine yesterday. On the way up we stopped at the Pez visitor center and had a generally good ride up.

We went to Triple X's house and I got a ride in a cobra reproduction from another brother of the club.

Then we went to sleep after a long night of talking at the table. Woke up this morning and we headed out to Federal Jack's to get some lunch and try the local brews out.

After that we went to get me a haircut, wherein I saw some riders from ME2SB on their first ride day.

Then I headed over to Caitie's house and met up with her and Francis, the first two I'd meet on this long trip. That was followed by a trip to the beach where Francis and I went for a swim (which Caitie has a video of me tripping in the ocean!)

After that Francis decided to dance to Party in the USA

Then we went and picked up Bri and Stella, and went for a driving tour before coming home and going out to the bar (back to Federal Jack's for me!) after Bryn got here.

Now its time to pack it in for the night, tomorrow it really begins.

It can't come soon enough.

So here we are, I leave in 3 days. It's getting to be that time, I pack soon and finish out any remaining things to do before I leave.

First things first, tonight is a show. An awesome show, I am going to see my friend's band, Facekick, open for the legends of ska, The Toasters. I can't wait, I know they can't wait.
A good time is going to be had all around.

Tomorrow, I am going to the brewery for one last fundraising push and to see everyone there one last time before I leave.

Speaking of fundraising, I am $439 away! We can do it!


As far as this past week.. Monday Pete, Nat, and I went to Delaware. We took the bikes on the ferry and rode to Rehoboth beach then came home.

Many photos were taken.

When we got home, there was a dinner waiting for us, cooked by Gloria, Holly, Cassie, and Ami. It was delicious.

It was a turkey burger, with bacon, lettuce, egg, and avocado. Along with seasoned potatoes and quinoa salad.

  

The rest of the week was spent with Shannon, I also got a final true on my wheels and drove upto the Caffeinated Cyclist to get new cleats and a derailleur hanger.

Once again, I leave in 3 days and I am $439 away from my goal! I will be at the brewery tomorrow and I hope to see you there!

Closing in now!

So I leave in exactly 9 days for New Hampshire to start my ride! I am beyond excited, I am finishing up my AH Homework tonight and then its just down to packing and getting that last little bit of cash!

So here are some rides I have done this past week:

Also, some of my photos of the brewery have been posted in the most recent Philadelphia Inquirer, seen here: www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20120608_High_tide_for_beer.html

Other than that, I figured I'd use this post to fill you in on some information.

I will be riding for 10 weeks, I will be taking photos with my phone during the rides, if you want to see those photos, here is where you can do it: http://www.gramfeed.com/kmarrinerjr

My Strava profile where you can see my rides is http://app.strava.com/athletes/108997

You can see a full profile of every ride I have done between January 1 2012 and Sept 1 2012, which will update everyday, here: http://www.jonathanokeeffe.com/strava/map.php?rider=108997&startDate=01/01/2012&endDate=09/01/2012&width=3&opacity=25

I will be posting on this blog as often as I can, retelling stories of the days. 

Thats it, I think. If you still would like to donate money, the only way to do it at this point is online or directly to me, but I prefer online: www.bikeandbuild.org/rider/5565

It has been a while..

Since I last posted its been a few days..Weeks?
Well, since I forgot to write this post incrementally, there will probably be no stories.. Just some info.

First, I did a bunch of rides!

I also took a picture of my cat:

Got new socks:

Cleat covers:

Made hotdogs in a cast iron skillet:

Got new gloves and shoe covers:

Went to the brewery:

Got new tires and waterbottles:

Other than that, I have been shooting a lot of jobs and preparing for this trip!

I only have 17 days until I leave! 

Again, if you need anything from Hammer Nutrition, I get a little bit of product for every new person who uses my link!

www.hammernutrition.com/affiliates/187857

Also, there is still time to donate at www.bikeandbuild.org/rider/5565, please anything helps!

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!