The Ride of a Lifetime

ALSO TOUCH - What does it stand for? - Day 3

2011-09-20T17:03:00.001-07:00

DAY 3 - Monterey to Big Sur

Today we wore our team jerseys in memory of Christiana! We have 15 members from NorCal and SoCal and have raised over $35k as a team! Quite a few people were asking what does Also Touch mean. We (and members of the team were able to share her story and how Also Touch were the last 2 word in her journal. Only God knows how this will be used...

Today was another touring day starting in Monterey at Fisherman's Wharf and watching the sea lions. Then we cruised to 17 mile drive and along the beautiful coastline (pictures below). Just a fabulous day to be outside on a bike and riding for a great cause! We were able to go onto the Pebble Beach golf course (hole #18) and take pictures from the tee and the green. From there we had the 26.2 mile 'climb' up to Big Sur. This is the same route they run the Big Sur Marathon. As we got close to the Bixby Bridge, the fog started rolling in, so we could not see how long the climbs were. For me, this was great because "I'll get there when I get there", but for Maria - "she likes to see where she is going and how much she has to go". Just another day in God's beauty.

At the end of the ride, you get to enjoy the cold water at the River Inn. Yes, our feet did thank us!

BTW, we did ride 50 miles with about 3300' feet of climbing. We stayed within the speed limit this time ;-)

See you on Day 4....

Is that rain? - Day 2 - Santa Cruz to Monterey

2011-09-18T22:24:00.001-07:00

Day 2 - Santa Cruz to Monterey

So last night, we heard a sound that sounded like rain, except it was intermittent. I thought that it was strange that it would rain on a section for 10 seconds and then move. Wow, thats a fast moving storm. Well, When it is midnight, i'm not thinking clearly... What moves water fast at 5-10 second intervals .... Yes, a sprinkler system. The sprinklers went off in the campsite at midnight and soaked 25% of the tents. While most of the water was outside, some tents had their vents open and it soaked the whole inside. What an exciting way to start the 1st night.

So, onto the ride. Today, we rode from Santa Cruz to Monterey - 56 miles in 4.5 hours and 2530' climbing. It was a very easy and relaxing day with LOTS of sightseeing. We had over 30 riders go with us (see the picture below) back to see the lighthouse in Santa Cruz near the boardwalk. For many people, this was their first time to Santa Cruz on a bike and it was a lot of fun. It was another beautiful day with gorgeous weather. Maria and I danced in Capitola to a live band - I'm hoping some videos do not show up on YouTube. We visited The Farm in Soquel, where I got my customary mocha chai - incredible - I like chocolate with everything! The best view was coming down into Monterey as we saw the wind-blown sand dunes and the Pacific Ocean on the right. In the distance, there was a large American flag waving. What a view! Until tomorrow....

We are on our way - this never gets old!

2011-09-17T22:25:00.001-07:00

Day 1 - SF to Santa Cruz - Amazing Day, amazing weather...

It was 89 miles averaging about 15 mph down the coast with about 5000 feet of climbing. It was great to see old friends and meet some new ones. Mike D and Danny Kim have joined us from San Diego and are doing awesome!

Incredible weather all day - perfect riding weather. We crossed GG bridge even though it is not on the route, but when you are close, how can you resist! It was a beautiful coastline (see some of the photos) outside of SF and right before Devils Slide. There were alot of big rolling hills - the best part are the downhills - Dwight got up to 45 but don't tell Maria ;-). It was nice to have a little tailwind for the last 25 miles as we cruised into camp.

Day 1 is officially in the books and we are off to Day 2 and the Mocha Chai's!!!

One more DAY!

2011-09-16T01:01:00.000-07:00

Well, one more day! We are excited about riding down the coast in memory of Christiana! Again, thank you for your prayers and donations. Without you, this would not be possible. We would love to reach $5K each on our donations page, so feel free to give to either Maria or myself:

http://2011cccnca.kintera.org/spongebob
http://2011cccnca.kintera.org/spongefan

Thank you....

We will continue to post updates (and pictures) to this blog on our daily adventure down the coast. I'm also trying to link up iMapmyride, so you can follow our every pedal.

Tour de Tahoe - 2011

2011-09-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

In preparation for our ride down the coast, we did the Tour de Tahoe (72 miles around the lake) on 9/11. It was a beautiful morning but a stormy afternoon. We still had a great time!

For Dwight - http://2011cccnca.kintera.org/spongebob
For Maria - http://2011cccnca.kintera.org/spongefan

4 Weeks to Go!

2011-08-17T23:43:00.000-07:00

There are only 4 weeks to go until we start our ride in SF. We've been getting in most of our training on the weekend - last weekend it was down in Capitola/Santa Cruz; the week before up at Old La Honda to Pescadero and back via Tunitas Creek (65 miles and 6000' of climbing). One of our best rides was a couple of weeks back when we were up in Arnold and we rode to Bear Valley Lodge. It was 50 miles round-trip (25 miles up hill - about 5-7% average grade), but then we got to ride the 25 miles downhill! What a great ride... We averaged about 22 miles per hour on the way back down and enjoyed the ride.

As we get ready for the ride, remember us in your prayers for health and for safety. Also, take some time to go to www.alsotouch.com and see videos of the last year of Christiana's life. This is why we ride!!

Team Also Touch is at it again!!

2011-07-31T22:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Dwight and Maria's blog for the California Coast Classic. This Dwight's 5th year and Maria's 3rd year in riding down the coast in memory of Christiana.

Here's where you can find the updates on our rides and even comment!

We currently have 6 weeks until we leave San Francisco for our bike ride to Los Angeles. We leave from San Francisco on September 17th and arrive in Los Angeles on the 24th. It is a total of 525 miles over 8 days (but we do a little more as we do some site seeing). The team (Also Touch) will be 16 people (so far) this year; 9 from Northern California and 7 from Southern California.

Over the past 4 years, we have been able to donate $120,000 to the Arthritis Foundation because of your generous donations. Thank you all so much!

If you are able to contribute please click on the following links below for Maria or Dwight. If you notice that one of us has already reached our minimum of $2900, please donate to the other.

For Dwight - http://2011cccnca.kintera.org/spongebob
For Maria - http://2011cccnca.kintera.org/spongefan

Also, continue to keep us in prayer as we continue our training for the ride.

Thank you!

2010-10-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

Well, we have been home for the last 2 weeks and enjoying our comfortable bed instead of the sleeping bag! We don't have to setup and tear down the tent and sleeping bags until next year ;-)

One of the things we do miss, is all of our friends (old and new ones that we met for the first time). It is truly a family and if you join us next year, you will not be disappointed!!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your financial contribution, prayers, thoughts and well-wishes. Our team met our financial goal and we raised almost $40,000 as a team! Woo Hoo!!! Over the past 4 years, we have raised almost $120,000 for the Arthritis Foundation, to help them in their fight against arthritis.

So, who is in next year for the ride of a lifetime? We are planning on doing it again! If you are interested, contact Maria or me at dpowery@gmail.com.

God's Blessings,
Dwight & Maria
In Memory of Christiana

Day 8 - Ventura to Santa Monica

2010-10-03T22:47:00.000-07:00

Today, we finished the last day (Day 8) of the ride from Ventura to Santa Monica. It was a relatively short ride of 60 miles right next to the ocean. We had a nice, cool breeze and a little rain as we rode; a change from the previous days!

While we were riding, we saw some dolphins playing out in the ocean... What an amazing sight!! How often do we miss simple things like this because we are going too fast or not paying attention? Take the time to appreciate and enjoy the small things in life!

As we rode through beautiful Malibu (27 miles of sandy beaches), we were in awe of the beautiful beaches, the ocean and the sun shining. We noticed that it was different in each one of the beach towns and they had their own flavor.

Maria and I stopped at a local park to refuel and to catch 2 teams playing soccer. Two people asked us what we were doing and we had a chance to tell them. They could have walked on by and not said anything. How often do we pass by people and not ask them their story? How often do we not ask "Why are you riding?"

It was an incredible journey! Alot of time to reflect on God's beauty, on what God has done in my life and with my family and seeking what he has planned next for us.

Finally, it was GREAT to see Serena and her USC SBG friends at the finish line... SBG... in Tha' House!!! (BTW, SBG stands for Saved By Grace Gospel Choir!).

Well, until next year... Will you join us?

Day 7 - Buellton to Ventura

2010-10-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

Today we rode from Buellton to Ventura down the coast. It was a total of 86 miles with a little over 3500 miles of climbing. The morning started with a beautiful, bright rainbow in the sky; we knew it would be a good day! The weather was beautiful with the temperature in the 80s. We had an adventure alright as we rode down Hwy 101 near Lompoc where it is 6 lanes. Not my idea of fun, but it did keep us awake. We rode a total of 25 miles on the freeway! The neat thing is that they closed a lane for us over this bridge for about a 1/2 mile - Bike RACERS coming thru :-)

We rode through the beautiful city of Santa Barbara and stopped on the pier for lunch... Very delicious!! People were out sunbathing, playing volleyball, boating, etc... It seemed like a Saturday... Hmm, what day was today ?

Tonight we are camping next to the San Buenaventura State Beach and enjoying the nice, cool wind. We definitely appreciate that!

BTW, has anyone ever had a sandwich with peanut butter, banana and chocolate? Oh my goodness, it is sooooo good!

Until tomorrow - one more day to go!!!

Day 6 - Oceano to Buellton (near Solvang)

2010-09-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Today we rode 73 miles with a total climbing of 3000 feet. It was another warm day ad the temperatures hit the 100s again. We left camp and rode an extra 6 miles to get the best cinnamon rolls in town - called Old West Cinnamon Rolls in Pismo Beach. They were incredible as always!! We'll post a picture or two for you to see!!

Today was the day we went inland through farm and wine country - Guadalupe, Santa Maria, Los Olivos, etc. It was a day of incredible smells - lettuce, strawberries, other vegetables... We saw quite a few of the farm workers picking their ware for the day and realized how tough of a day this is. We only have to ride through it and when we get back home, we pick the fruit/vegetables we want from an air conditioned store. Do we stop to think how it got there? Do we stop to thank those that went through all the labor to put it on the shelves for us! As I was riding, I was thanking them for all they do and how appreciative I am of their labor.

Ride-wise, it was harder because of the heat but not too tough with the climbing. We averaged almost 14mph on this ride. There was a point as we were going thru the fields that 8 of us were drafting at about 20 mph. We looked like the green train (we were wearing green) as we went by. All in all, it was a tough day, but a good one. The showers were a welcome treat!

Onto Ventura tomorrow (through Santa Barbara and onto 101)...

Day 5 - San Simeon to Oceano

2010-09-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

Today we rode from San Simeon (Hearst Castle) to Oceano. It was a total of 63 with very little climbing today, compared to yesterday. We got to relax our legs a little after all that climbing to get into San Simeon. We went through some cute beach towns on our way - Cambria, Cayucos, Morro Bay, then inland to SLO and then back to the ocean at Pismo Beach and finally to Oceano. It was a nice relaxing day, but it was still hot in San Luis Obispo. My favorite part of the ride was the downhill heading into SLO where it was like a mini-roller coaster ride (long and smooth). The other part was celebrating our 26th anniversary together.

On to Buellton (near Solvang) tomorrow. We are hoping for some cooler weather ;-)

Day 4 - Big Sur to San Simeon

2010-09-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

Did we tell you that Dwight will be getting a new bike? ;-)

Today was a tough day!!! We had alot of climbing (5300 feet) over 65 miles! This is similar to the training rides we do with Jerry Kruse, our NorCal trainer (but it was still tough)!

We continued to ride along Hwy 1 down the coast and listened to the ocean beat against the rocks. This ride started out with a 2 mile climb right from the campsite. It felt like we were on a rollercoaster all day - up and down, up and down. You know the best part about hills - after you climb them, there is always a downhill waiting for you. At about mile 40, we started a 3.7 mile climb, followed by a 2 mile downhill, followed by another mile climb, followed by another 2 mile gradual downhil. It was worth it!

Today was another hot day - it went over 100 again along the coast. I can imagine how hot it was inland. One of the nice parts, us that you get 15 miles of rollers at the end with a slight tailwind AND we get to see hundreds of sea lions beached right outside San Simeon!

The night ended with Annie (one if our teammates) singing on the Pier. What a voice...

Tomorrow - San Simeon to Oceano (past SLO)

Day 3 - Monterey to Big Sur

2010-09-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

This ride was a total of 49 miles and we spent time touring the Monterey Wharf, 17 mile drive (just gorgeous), Scenic Drive in Carmel! It was a very warm day with temperatures over 100 so we had to stay hydrated. From Carmel, we rode (climbed) 26 miles to Big Sur where you see the most gorgeous coastline in the world (pictures to follow). We stopped at River Inn where we soaked our feet and enjoyed the time there relaxing after a long ride. Today's ride was 49 miles with 3400 feet of climbing.

Dwight enjoyed the bike rental, but is also checking out other people's bikes - carbon, here he comes ;-)

Tomorrow, onto San Simeon....

Day 2 - Santa Cruz to Monterey

2010-09-28T21:59:00.001-07:00

We are trying to update the blog daily, but we are having some Internet problems. We will update as much as we can.

We rode from Santa Cruz to Monterey, which was a total of 60 miles with 3000 feet of climbing today. It was a beautiful scenic ride down the coast. We toured the Santa Cruz lighthouse, Natural Bridges and the Whart in Santa Cruz. We also visited Capitola and listened to a folk group singing on the pier. We had 2 favorite spots to stop and eat at - The Farm (near Cabrillo College) where got Iced Mocha Chai and at Phil's Seafood in Moss Landing where we got the clam chowder and crab salad. Hmm, Hmm, Good!!

The team is getting alot of questions about the SpongeBob on our bikes. This gives us an opportunity to share our story of her. It was beautiful weather and an easy, relaxed day compared to Day 1 (except for the steep climb up into camp).

On another note, I took my bike in to have mechanic look at the 'creaking' when I pedaled. They found that the frame was broken under the seat post. Luckily, they have spares and I'll be riding one tomorrow. The good news is that Dwight will get a new bike!! He had over 10,500 miles on this one.

Day 1 - San Francisco to Santa Cruz

2010-09-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

Today we rode 90 miles with 5000 feet of climbing as we rode from San Francisco to Santa Cruz. The temperature was incredible and the scenery was even better
down the coastline. Initially, as we started going thru downtown,, someone yelled Maria (think about West Side StoryY and we all just laughed. We rode across the Golden Gate bridge and enjoyed the gorgeous weather.
We just had to be careful as we went around the bridge towers; it was a amazing there was not an accident. The temperature got up to 100 degrees as we climbed Devils Slide. From there it was down the coastline and enjoying the ocean and breeze to Santa Cruz.

Now I know why I ride - raise donations for the Arthritis Founfation, see God's creation in action with the beautiful coastline and the wonderful people and to share His story through our family's life and thru the life of Christiana.

Until tomorrow... Santa Cruz to Monterey ...

Tomorrow is the DAY!

2010-09-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow (Saturday) is almost here when we start the ride down the coast in memory of Christiana! We are very excited to be riding in support of the Arthritis Foundation and to help bring a cure to this disease and other rheumatic diseases. We thank everyone for all of their support (physical training, financial donations, prayers, thoughts, etc).

Continue to follow the blog as we post our updates on here:
Day 1 - San Francisco to Santa Cruz
Day 2 - Santa Cruz to Monterey
Day 3 - Monterey to Big Sur
Day 4 - Big Sur to San Simeon
Day 5 - San Simeon to Oceano
Day 6 - Oceano to Buellton
Day 7 - Buellton to Ventura
Day 8 - Ventura to LA (Santa Monica)

See you on the road! Look for the Spongebob!!!

We are 3 days away!!

2010-09-23T00:19:00.001-07:00

Hi all,

Well, I can't believe it is almost here.... We've been training for months in preparation to cycle down the beautiful coast of California from SF to LA. This coming Saturday, 9/25, we start on our journey as we remember Christiana, raise money for the Arthritis Foundation and enjoy God's beauty along the coast (all at the same time)! We are doing this again in memory of our daughter, Christiana, who is ALWAYS with us. This will be Dwight's 4th year and will be Maria's 2nd year.

Continue to check back on this blog as we post our daily ride updates and the experiences of the day. With modern technology, you'll also experience pictures and possibly a video or 2.

We were interviewed by the SF Examiner. Click here for a copy of the article...

Personal Best: Couple to bike coast in memory of daughter | San Francisco Examiner

http://www.sfexaminer.com/sports/Personal-Best-Couple-to-bike-coast-in-memory-of-daughter-103162624.html

To Donate, click on the following:

- Maria's Page --- http://2010cccnca.kintera.org/spongefan

- Dwight's Page --- http://2010cccnca.kintera.org/spongebob

Day 8 (Last Day): Aventura to Los Angeles

2009-10-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we rode 60 miles to the finish line and were met by a bunch on cheering family and friends, including Evelyn! What a feeling! We're done! As we approached L.A. we saw beautiful migrating dolphins along the coast. The weather was the best ever as we rode through Malibu and Santa Monica. We were sad for it to be over since all the riders experienced a strong bond throughout the eight days. We ended the day with closing ceremonies and a bbq lunch. Next year is the Coast Classic's 10th year anniversary. We're doing it again. Anyone want to join us? We'll help you train!

Day Seven - Solvang to Aventura

2009-10-10T02:27:00.000-07:00

Specifics - 87.6 miles, 13.9 mph, 483.6 miles ridden, 60+ miles to go!

Two words: Freeways and flat tires!

483.6 miles ridden, 60+ miles to go!

Today was probably the coldest day as we left camp. It was fogged in for the first 50 miles down the freeway. Did I mention we were on highway 101 for 34 miles? Yeah. That's right. Highway 101 from Solvang to Santa Barbara. What an adventure. Maria did not like it one bit. Not to mention this was a real freeway, not a back road one with cars and 18-wheelers driving by at 65-70 mph. Also, Maria had 3 flat tires, one as left camp and two more right alongside the highway. A group of us took turns changing the tires and found a piece of glass embedded in the tire. After that it was smooth sailing. When we finally reached Santa Barbara, the sun came out and it was a beautiful ride down the coast of Southern California. It was a really long day of cycling. We are staying at Aventura Beach and look forward to sleeping on a real mattress tomorrow. One day left and we're off to Santa Monica!

Day Six - Oceano to Solvang

2009-10-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

Specifics - 73 miles, 14 mph, 5 hours 12 minutes of riding

396 miles ridden, 140+ to go!

Two words: Cinnamon Rolls and great scents.

What a beautiful day of riding! We started off by taking a 3 mile detour (6 miles roundtrip) to the best cinnamon rolls around. It is a store called Old West Cinnamon Rolls in Pismo Beach. About 12 of us went off route to "get the rolls" and they were definitely worth it. Today we rode through beautiful farm and wine country (Guadalupe, Santa Maria and Los Olidos). The scents of lettuce, cabbage, mint, cilantro and strawberries were incredible! Just amazing. We had two medium sized hills, both of them at around 58 and 53 miles. Maria conquered them like they were flats. The nice parts were the downhills and flats (with the wind behind our backs). We were averaging about 20+ mph for the last 10 miles with drafting going on. Six days down, and Four to go! On to Aventura tomorrow!

Day 5 - San Simeon to Oceano (Pismo Beach)

2009-10-07T21:39:00.000-07:00

Specifics - 63.4 Miles, 14 mph... 323 miles so far, 200+ to go!

Two words: Hot springs and downhill

Today we left San Simeon where the Hearst Castle is at headed down highway 1 toward Oceano. Our first stop was in Cambria at Lily's coffee shop where we had homemade coffee cake and fresh pear tart. She promised to make cherry pie next year! She remembered Dwight from two years ago when he gave her a bookmark about Christiana and she asked about Evelyn. She's looking forward to meet Serena when she finally decides to do the ride. On the route to San Luis Obispo we felt very special because there were police escorts and people on the side of the road waving the American flags.. until.. they were there for the wounded veterans (Ride to Recovery) who were right behind us. Well, we felt special for a moment :) Before heading into camp, our highlight was the hot springs of Avila where the water is a nice 104 degrees. It was very soothing after a long, hard ride. In the water, Annie, one of the AlsoTouch team members, serenaded us with a couple of songs. A couple of funny moments: 1) Our tent is being referred to as a Taj Mahal because it is the biggest tent in the camp and 2) on one of the downhills, one rider yelled "car back!" because they thought a car was coming but it was really Dwight riding fast and going "swishhhh" past them, so then the rider corrrected herself and said "Dwight back!" Next stop, Sovang!

Enjoy a couple videos of us speeding down the coast!

Day Four - Big Sur to San Simeon

2009-10-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

Specifics: 5035 ft climbing, 65 miles, 12.5 mph

Two Words: Hills and Climbing

This was our coldest morning! We woke up at 6am, got our gear on, took down our tent and were treated to breakfast at the Big Sur Lodge rather than outdoors. We warmed up real quick though because the hill climbing started immediately. There was no place to stop and site see today but we did meet one group called Ride 2 Recovery. They are cycling down the

coast like we are and raising funds for wounded veterans. It was great to see them pushing and helping their fellow injured veterans up the hill. We pedaled constantly along the coast and got to see hundreds of elephant seals laying on the beach by San Simeon. We also got a glimpse of Hearst Castle. Tonight we are camping out on the beach. It's clear and breezy.

Day Three - Monterey to Big Sur

2009-10-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

Specifics - 49 miles, 11.6 mph, 3000 ft climbing.

Two Words: Cliffs and coastline

Today was probably the most beautiful day so far. Our team wore our AlsoTouch jerseys. We started early this morning with a tour of the Monterey wharf, rode along the ocean to 17 mile drive into Carmel. We then headed up highway 1 toward Big Sur. The coastline was crispy clear and cliffs were spectacular. 90% of the time we were along the coastline. Our highlight was the huge California condor that flew within arms reach of us after we crossed the historic Bixby bridge. Oh, by the way, Maria fell today for the first time ever. No cuts, just a bit sore. She clipped someone's back wheel and fell over. But the most important part to her was that her pants did not rip. We got the opportunity to share Christiana's story several times and even got a donation. Also, Dwight has felt quite at home on his tour since there's a team here from Jamaica. He even got some photo opportunities with them!

Day Two - Santa Cruz to Monterey

2009-10-05T01:23:00.000-07:00

Specifics: 57 miles, averaged 15 mph

2 words: drafting and scenery. Our day started at 6:30am and we had to eat breakfast, get our gear on and ta

ke down the tent. it was cold but tea and hot chocolate were very welcoming. We once again deviated from our assigned route and took a tour around our assigned area. 37 of us visited the lighthouse, stopped at the art festival at Capitola beach then stopped at the Farm bakery for a mocha chai, an eclair and chocolate macaroon! Mmm. After putting on the pounds we had to work on getting rid of it. Our legs were sore! Thank god we didnt have to climb too much today. It was just half of yesterday at about 2000 feet. as we proceeded to Monterey, we passed a beautiful scenic farm. You could smell the strawberries! We stopped at Phil’s fish market in Moss Landing for clam chowder. Maria also learned how to draft! (riding close behind the person in front of her) It was scary for her but she did it! The wind was very strong today but we finally made it to Monterey!

Day One - San Francisco to Santa Cruz

2009-10-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

Specifics - 89.4 miles, 14 mph, 6 hours & 15 minutes riding.

Two words: beautiful and windy. Wow, what a great day. It wa

s a beautiful day in San Francisco - sunny, clear and just fantastic. We took an early deto

ur off-route and

went across the golden

gate bridge before heading down the coast. This ride took us from San Francisco (Pier 39), down highway 1 to beach area, farmlands and into Santa Cruz. The worst part of the ride was going up "Devil's Slide," where it was windy and cars were pretty close as they passed. It was definitely the longest day of the ride and gets us ready for the rest of the week. Maria was fantastic - it was her longest ride by 27 miles. Dwight's favorite part of the ride were the downhills

along the coast. In fact he clocked 50.3 mph heading into Davenport (Shh! - Don't tell Maria). Maria's

favorite part was seeing the beautiful ocean all the way down the coast. Until Tomorrow! On our way to Monterey.

One Day to Go!

2009-10-02T22:16:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the hotel in SF about to go to sleep. We just had our kickoff dinner. Team Also Touch (our team) was recognized for being the top fundraising team in Northern California! It was a great time and we seem to be putting our name out there as having the best supporters for the cause. It's because of you! Well, it's bedtime. Breakfast is at 7am and we have to start riding to Santa Cruz by 7:30am. Good night!

Two Days to Go!

2009-10-01T22:29:00.000-07:00

Well, we're almost done packing! So far the forecast calls for no rain! Can't wait!

2009 California Coast Classic - Three days to go!

2009-09-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

Well, the time is almost here! We will be leaving in two days to ride down the coast. We are ready! Training has been very difficult but well worth it. Two weeks ago we did the Tour de Tahoe. It was Maria's first official tour. We both finished in good time but most importantly, we did stop to take pictures of the beautiful lake. Thanks to all of you for helping us by donating money and/or praying for us. We will try to update this blog every day during our ride.

2008 Day 6 -- Pismo Beach to Solvang (Hot, Hot, Hot)

2008-09-25T22:21:00.000-07:00

Well, Bush's speech last night preempted Dwight's radio interview this morning. They wanted to talk about that instead. Could you believe it! :-) They rode 70 miles today averaging 16mph. They climbed about 2500ft. They started their ride with cinnamon rolls in Pismo. They had to ride an extra 6 miles to get it but it was worth it. It was very hot today. The temperatures reached 105 degrees inland. As they rode inland they had incredible smells like parsley, strawberries, celery, cilantro and jalapenos. They drafted again today (pace line) and it saved them lots of energy. People continue to ask about Also Touch. Dwight did get interviewed by a local paper tonight (Santa Ynez Valley News). It should be on syvnews.com next Tuesday.

Day 5 -- San Simeon to Pismo Beach (Eating Their Way Down the Coast)

2008-09-24T22:50:00.001-07:00

Today they rode 64.7 miles and averaged 14mph. They burned 4500 calories and consumed 4500+. The day started off very foggy in San Simeon until they reached Morro Bay. It fogged up again shortly after then the sun finally broke out at San Luis Obispo. Pismo Beach was pretty foggy. There were a few climbs but not many. One of our riders, Mike Curry (see picture), learned how to ride the pace line and enjoyed going faster. They stopped at the hot springs in Avila Beach and it was incredibly soothing to the sore legs. Dwight had an opportunity to hand out lots of Christiana bookmarks as people and cyclists asked about the Also Touch Team. In fact, Dwight is being interviewed by a Santa Cruz radio station tomorrow morning to share Christiana's story. Anyway, the team ate a lot today! Their menu consisted of an egg burrito breakfast. They stopped at Lillie's in Cambria for coffee cake and coffee. Lunch in Morro Bay was peanut butter, honey and chocolate sandwiches! In San Louis Obispo they had crepes (one healthy and one filed with choc bananas and strawberries). They stopped at a place called Belgium Fritas and had Jamaican jerk fries, regular fries and garlic and parsley fries. They stopped at a local bike shop and had homemade tamales chips/salsa. At camp they had Chinese chicken salad then proceeded top go to a restaurant in Pismo that supposedly had the best clam chowder. Somehow Dwight managed to also find a place that sold Jamaican chocolate rum cake. This is why Dwight gained 1 pound after the ride last year! By the way, check out this link for a team picture with the Marin County fire fighters. http://www.iaff.org/Comm/SpotLight/08stories/092408MarinArthritis.htm

Day 4 -- Big Sur to San Simeon -- How Majestic

2008-09-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

They are half way done! Four days down and four to go! Today they biked 64 miles and climbed 4900 ft. Lots of rolling hills. The ride started with an immediate 2 mile climb out of Big Sur. They stopped at a cafe and looked at the spectacular views along the coast. Lots of rolling hills until mile 40 when they had a 3.7 mile climb then 2.5 mile downhill. At mile 50 they came across hundreds of sea lions. Today, they stopped to take in the sights a lot. Thank God they didn't lose anyone! Sounds like the exhaustion is starting to kick in though. Please, keep them in your prayers.

Day 3 -- Monterey to Big Sur (Where's Billy?)

2008-09-22T22:57:00.000-07:00

Today, the group expanded from 10 people to 40! It seems like riders are hearing about the touring that Team Also Touch is doing and are deciding to join them. Three minutes into the ride, Billy (see picture), one of our team members took a wrong turn. How did the 40 riders lose him? Who knows but several of the top riders went back and found him after 45 minutes. Wheww! A fellow rider who lives in Monterey then took the team on a tour of Monterey and Carmel (including 17 mile drive). They saw bunches of sea lions and stopped at a coffee shop called Il Fornaio for chai and coffee. They stopped at Pebble Beach and were allowed to take pictures on hole #18. It was a beautiful day. The touring added ten miles to the normal course so they rode a total of 52 miles rather than 42 miles. As they got closer to Big Sur, they stopped at Big Sur River Inn and soaked their feet in the cold river. They even got to hear some opera from a fellow rider named Annie. Team Also Touch is still going strong!

Day 2 -- Santa Cruz to Monterey

2008-09-21T22:27:00.001-07:00

Today we all wore our custom made Also Touch bike jerseys. A picture will be posted at the end of the ride but we sure did look good. The jerseys are blue, Christiana's favorite color. We have the Also Touch logo on the front, her picture on one sleeve and Sponge Bob on the other sleeve and sponsor logos on the back. We took beautiful pictures together as a team. We got all kinds of comments about the jerseys and, of course, it was a great lead in to Christiana's story. Several people have already told us that they want to join our team next year. Another beautiful day! We biked 54 miles. It was an easy day but we have to get ready for tomorrow as we head on up to Big Sur.

Day 1 --- San Francisco to Santa Cruz

2008-09-21T21:59:00.000-07:00

The adventure has begun. At 8:15 this morning, we started our ride across the Golden Gate Bridge and down the coast. There are ten people on our Team Also Touch riding in memory of Christiana. One our our riders, Mark, works for the Marin County Fire Department and he arranged a nice surprise for us. Three engines, including the fire chief, met us at the end of the bridge and greeted us with sirens and lights. We were able to take a picture of our team with the fire fighters. That picture will be posted when we get back. Are target to Santa Cruz today was 87 miles. We took a few detours and rode 93 miles and climbed 4700 feet. We averaged 14.6 mph. The ride was beautiful! Some of us treated ourselves to massages at the end of the day.

One Day to Go

2008-09-20T00:46:00.000-07:00

Well, we only have one more day to go before the ride down the coast! Alot has happened since I blogged last.

We rode the Tour de Tahoe (72 miles around the lake). It was a gorgeous day and I was joined by the men from the Bible Study group (Dave, Gus, Virendra and Jim) as well as good friend of mine, Mike Curry. We had a blast (and I'll post a couple of pictures to show it).

We also had a fundraising dinner/auction/dance for Team Also Touch, the team that is riding in memory of Christiana. We have 10 members on the team, 7 newbies for the year. We will post pictures so you can see all of our faces.

Well, I should turn in and get some rest before our first ride tomorrow from SF to Santa Cruz.... a mere 85 miles :-)

Talk to you soon,
Dwight

3 Weeks and Counting!

2008-08-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, I just realized we have only 3 weeks left before we take off on our bikes down the coast. I have been travelling quite a bit up to Seattle, so I have not been getting as much cycling as I wanted, BUT I will be ready.

I'm going out this weekend with Jerry and doing a 44 miler tomorrow in Half Moon Bay.

I'm excited because we know have 10 (!) members on our Team Also Touch! Oooooeeee!

Talk to you all soon,
Dwight

Follow this link ... Dwight Powery to submit any donations! Thank you!!

Riding the CCC again in Memory of Christiana

2008-07-12T23:06:00.000-07:00

Hi... Here I am again getting ready to ride the CCC down the coast in memory of Christiana. This year Evelyn will not be riding with us (she is studying in Granada, Spain for the summer), but we have signed up a couple of our friends to join us. I am excited about doing this again in the memory of Christiana and in sponsorship of the Arthritis Foundation. I will miss Evelyn, Mel (Dr. Balboni) and Joyce (Dr. Hsu) along the ride the coast.

Keep checking for updates on my training, etc.

To donate click on the following link: Dwight Powery

Our original promo video for the CCC

2007-10-24T00:41:00.001-07:00

I never put this on the blog, but here's the video we created to raise money for the CCC...

It has clips from Christiana's last year of life :)

The long-awaited videos

2007-10-23T22:43:00.000-07:00

So I did a lot of video on the tour... and I compiled them into little videos (which basically needed to be separated by day because uploading would take very long and watching a 50-minute video in one sitting could get boring).

Here they are...

Day 0

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3 (Part 1)

Day 3 (Part 2)

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 8: The End

2007-10-09T23:15:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone... (this is Evelyn) sorry we left you hanging for a couple days after we finished the race. It's been crazy busy with moving me in back to school, catching up with school and getting everything finalized for Hoops for Hope.

Anyway

Day 8: I fell a couple times today... just didn't clip out off the bike in time. I think I was a little too anxious to get there. Plus I wanted to have some wounds when I got to the finish line. We were on Highway 1 and passed through Malibu for half the ride (it was exciting to see that Los Angeles was less than 50 miles away!!).

Day 8 was very flat. I loved it. Just some rolling hills only 200 ft high (nothing like the 1500 ft climb we'd mastered on some other days). As we approached our destination, we stopped off at a seafood restaurant that was tradition (I actually forget the name at the moment) and just ordered drinks and a few appetizers. We wanted to make it quick because we were 8 miles away and I had some school friends waiting for me at the finish line.

When we continued, we rode along the Santa Monica pier (the path was literally paved on the beach with sand on both sides) and we followed Jerry to a different path than the guide so we could skip the final hill. Little did we know skipping this hill would also skip the lovely fans waiting for us at the finish line. We came to the finish line from the opposite direction and started looking earnestly for the friends who were supposed to be there. Suddenly they came running out of nowhere saying they had been lined up the other side of the street where "everyone else had come." Oops.

I was blessed to have about 12 friends from UCLA come and see me at the finish line, and we enjoyed food and the closing ceremony and got medals! Now that I'm at school, I'm putting my bike back in the garage. I think I've biked enough to last me the rest of the year.

Here are some pictures... more will be sent out soon! :)

Day 1: San Francisco

Day 2: Monterey

Day 3: Big Sur

Day 4: Sea lions

Day 6: Cherry Pie

Day 7: Santa Barbara

Day 8: LOS ANGELES!!!

Day Seven - The Well Deserved Massage!

2007-10-06T01:44:00.000-07:00

Today we rode from Solvang to Ventura. It was a total of 82 miles and 2800 ft. of climbing. It was one of the longer days but an easy ride. The view of the countryside was amazing. We rode on Hwy 101 for about 20 miles. They actually had a bike lane. We rode by Santa Barbara and the choppy ocean as the sun was starting to go down. It was beautiful. It got a little windy when we were putting up our tent. In fact, our tent almost blew away. Another biking team noticed our team and decided that they wanted to interview us and hear Christiana’s story. It can be viewed soon at www.c62007.blogspot.com. They have a recording of our interview. When we arrived into Ventura, we ended our day with a wonderful massage

Day Six - Can you say, "Farms"?

2007-10-04T22:41:00.000-07:00

We rode 66 miles today averaging 16 miles/hour. While Evelyn was “drafting” today, she fell and got a little bruised. Not too bad though. She did get back up and ride again. Today’s ride was more agricultural, not too coastal. We went through strawberry, cabbage, broccoli, cilantro, rosemary and parsley farms. It smelled real good. The pace was a little slower. We went through a town called Guadalupe (population 200) and stopped in a coffee shop for Chocolate Chai. Doesn’t that sound good? For lunch we went to a countryside store in the middle of nowhere and got some grilled corn (Mmmmm)! They wouldn’t let us use the bathroom at the store though so we had to bike a mile to use one of the porta potties some workers were using. We had to tackle a hill called “the wall”. It shoots straight up and was a mile long. Evelyn beat Dwight on the first hill and Dwight beat Evelyn on the second one. Dr. Balboni rode the whole way today despite her back problems. Dr. Hsu was “drafting” Dwight without even know it. When we finally approached Solvang, we were able to do our laundry. Yes!

Day Five - Hot Springs!

2007-10-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

Evelyn learned how to “draft”, riding efficiently behind someone, for 30 miles or so at 20 miles/hour. Total mileage today was 63 miles today at an average of 14.1 miles/hr. It was a pretty easy ride. We stopped at a bakery called Lili’s Coffee and they had the best cherry pie ever! We went to downtown San Luis Obispo and visited bubble gum alley. Gum goes all along the wall and down the alley. One of our riders went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the 80’s and it existed then. We even saw a whale by Cayucos. At mile 55 miles we went swimming at a regular pool then jumped into the hot springs. It was 104 degrees of natural heat. Now we are at Pismo Beach. What a beautiful relaxing day (believe it or not).

Day Four - Hundreds of Sea Lions

2007-10-02T23:10:00.000-07:00

Today was clearer than all the other days and hotter. The day started with a 1.7 mile climb from Big Sur. It wasn’t too bad. After 40 miles we approached Twin Peaks which had a 3.7 mile climb. It was followed by a 2 mile down hill then a 2 mile uphill again. The rolling hills and the flat land followed. It was beautiful. After every turn there was a photo opportunity. We came across a beach with hundreds of sea lions lying on top of each other. Today wasn’t as hard as the first day but it was the most climbing, 4600 feet total. We rode a total of 64.2 miles.

We came across a couple on vacations driving a car with the license plate HELVSME The husband asked us what we thought it said. One of us said “hell vs. me”. The husband said, that's how he read it. The wife said it was supposed to be “he loves me”. So, how did you read it?

Anyway, tonight we are camping out by a beach in San Simeon. We can hear the ocean. Time to snooze and get ready for Pismo Beach tomorrow. Supposedly, hot springs await our arrival!

Day Three - In The Moment

2007-10-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

Today was another beautiful day. Mostly clear until we got closer to Big Sur then it got foggy and cool. The Daily Route Guide had us scheduled to ride 37 miles but we did 43. We started in Monterey and detoured through 17 Mile Drive (a scenic route). We saw the most beautiful beach with one big sand dune which went up almost 15 feet high. We passed by Pebble Beach too. The deer and houses looked like a fairy tale. We then went to Carmel. fifteen of us found a coffee shop and took a well deserved break. We mostly rode along the coast. Lots of pictures were taken. There was one long climb and getting to the top made it all worth it. The view of the Pacific Ocean was crystal clear. Then on the way down, the wind was blowing 55 miles/hour on our faces. Today was quite easy and relaxed. Tomorrow, however, is supposed to be one of the hardest days. One guy approached Dwight and thanked him for being so open about Christiana because he lost his daughter 12 years ago and has had a hard time talking about her. Please pray for us.

We wanted to take a moment to share what Dwight and Dr. Balboni talked about at the opening ceremonies on Friday evening. Dr. Balboni gave a brief description of the medical side of things. She explained when Christiana was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and when she was diagnosed with Juvenile Dermatomyositis. She then mentioned how she had to call us in the middle of the night to tell us that we had to bring her to the hospital immediately. Dwight then talked about how Christiana felt the last time she was able to go outside. After weeks of not being able to go outside due to her time in ICU and overall medical instability, we were finally given the okay to wheel her outside. We wrapped her up in warm blankets and went on our way to the third floor outdoor patio. As we walked out, Christiana commented on how good it smelled. Someone was baking cookies. When we got outside, she closed her eyes and said, “Listen to that!” We couldn’t hear what she heard until a few seconds later and noticed an airplane approaching at a distance. She then said, “Do you see that?” We looked in the distance and saw traffic lights and thought that was what she was talking about. But it wasn’t. She was pointing to Christmas lights in the distance and was just fascinated by them. Shortly after that she said, “Do you feel that?” She closed her eyes and felt the cold breeze brushing up against her cheeks. Our time at the patio was the most incredible ten minutes and without realizing it, Christiana talked about most of her senses. It just shows you how we take life for granted and we must stop to enjoy the moment. Dwight mentioned to the bikers that as they drive from SF to LA, they should take the time to be “in the moment” and appreciate all their surroundings.

Day One and Day Two

2007-09-30T23:10:00.000-07:00

Today is the second day of our adventure and what a wonderful time it’s been so far. We found out that Evelyn is the youngest cyclist this year! Go Evelyn! Many cyclists decided they wanted to race through the event, not us! When we started yesterday, we were the last ones to leave (busy taking pictures of the moment) but not the last ones to arrive. Close, but not the last. It was clear and sunny in San Francisco. It was the most beautiful day. There was not a cloud in the sky and the view of the Golden Gate Bridge was spectacular. We rode 85 miles to Santa Cruz and arrived at 5pm. (The first cyclist arrived at 1:30!) We saw over 100 people at a parasailing event and stopped at every vista point to take pictures. Christiana taught us a lot about not taking life for granted so we’re taking the time to enjoy God’s beauty. After we arrived at our destination, we pitched our tents, showered, ate a wonderful prepared meal and then went right to bed!

Today, we detoured a bit here and there to get a better view of the sites. In fact, we rode with 15 others and detoured an extra 15 miles. Our Daily Route Guide had us riding 52 miles to Pacific Grove (near Monterey) but we rode 65 miles. We had a snack at a nice place called The Farm in Aptos. We rode through a strawberry farm and it smelled so good. We had lunch at a place called Phil’s in Moss Landing. Good seafood! We ate dinner at Bubba Gump. The portions were really small so we went searching for Ghirardelli to have some icecream. Unfortunately everything closed by 8pm so we searched high and low for a Baskin Robbins. Found it! Can’t help but think about food after such a long day of biking. When we went back to the campground, the sprinklers came on soaking all our tents. So much adventure!

And so the adventure begins...

2007-09-28T23:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had the kick-off dinner where Dwight and Dr. Balboni spoke on behalf of our team and got to share Christiana's story. What a blessing that was! Right now it's 11:45pm and we're in San Jose and we have to be in San Francisco tomorrow morning at 6:45am. 6:45 AM I hope biking 85 miles on little sleep is doable. We'll knock out tomorrow night.

So basically over the next week we'll call my mom each night and she'll post about our adventures...

Before I go, though, I figured you should all know our destinations from day-to-day:

Day 1: San Francisco to Santa Cruz
Day 2: Santa Cruz to Pacific Grove
Day 3: Pacific Grove to Big Sur
Day 4: Big Sur to San Simeon
Day 5: San Simeon to Pismo Beach
Day 6: Pismo Beach to Solvang
Day 7: Solvang to Ventura
Day 8: Ventura to Santa Monica

Here's a map of our journey so you can visualize it as well (now it's like you all are doing the ride with us!)

Tomorrow is THE Day!

2007-09-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

Well, we are preparing for our ride down the coast of California tomorrow... 525 miles from SF to LA with 250 other riders in support of the Arthritis Foundation!

I am definitely excited and a little nervous because you never know what to expect. We will be riding down beautiful Hwy 1 and will be taking pictures (not sure about how many, but we will have some to post when we return).

The tour posts pictures of those riding on www.californiacoastclassic.org, so check out the front page of the site periodically to see if we get a little limelight.

Here is a picture of Evelyn and I from the Tour de Tahoe 2 weeks ago, where we rode 72 miles around Big Blue (not IBM, but the Lake). Also, posted is a picture of the doctors (Dr. Mel Balboni next to Evelyn and Dr. Joyce Hsu next to me).

Stay tuned as we (or Maria) posts more as we ride down the coast!

Can you say nervous?

2007-09-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

3 days to go... and I'm getting a little nervous. 525 miles is a lot. That's a long bike ride.

I'm excited though. Very much so.

Counting down the days...

2007-09-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

So we have 5 days until the big ride begins. This week will officially be the best week of training ever. We're supposed to be going at an easy pace for no more than 1 hour (basically only 10-11 miles). I've been feeling pretty tired lately on the bike, so hopefully I'll be rested enough before Saturday.

Here's the layout of miles and climbs per day:
Saturday - 82.9 mi and 4,270 ft of climbing
Sunday - 52.6 mi and 1,770 ft
Monday - 38.0 mi and 2,220 ft
Tuesday - 64 mi and 4,530 ft
Wednesday - 55.6 mi and 1,270 ft
Thursday - 63.8 mi and 2,400 ft
Friday - 86.5 mi and 2,410 ft
Saturday - 63.3 mi and 1,430 ft

As you can see, days 1 and 4 are the hardest (day 7 seems pretty tough too). When I say they're tough, I'm speaking relatively because obviously all of the days will be hard. Like one of the doctors who are riding with us says, take it one rest stop at a time (hahha).

Oh! We got our jerseys in the mail... here they are!
The first is the front; the second is the back.

Tour de Tahoe video

2007-09-12T17:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a video I put together for our Tahoe ride. Enjoy!

(I tried uploading it onto this blog, but I think it's too big. Here's the YouTube version.)

So. The Tahoe ride.

2007-09-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

We rode 72 miles around Lake Tahoe on Sunday. Needless to say, I was nervous. Weather.com said that in the morning when our ride started it would be a little over 40 degrees (wow). We started the morning off with arm warmers, leg warmers, a jacket and full-fingered gloves. By the first stop (after 13 miles and one of the big climbs) we were ready to strip it all off.

The first 10 miles were flat, and we were probably averaging 17 mph. Hardcore racer people still passed us, and they would comment on the little SpongeBob attached to my bike bag or on the AMGEN jacket I was wearing. Then the climb started, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It zigzagged up, and it was funny to see so many bikers going so slow. At one point a truck went by and there was a guy drafting the truck flying up the hill. Some ambulances passed us about 10 miles in because a lady broke her arm. Mel went into the sag wagon before the first hill because of her back, and we passed her on the way up the hill. At the first rest stop, there were a lot of people. We stayed there for awhile (that's probably how we got to the back of the pack) to relax, get some food, take off our extra clothes, and take pictures.

When we finally got going again, it was about 10 more miles before the next rest stop. It was fairly flat. At the next stop, I saw a little girl (probably 12 or so) who was doing the ride too. That amazed me. She had her little biking gear and muscular legs like she'd been riding for awhile. At that rest stop they had potatoes. Oh. At mile 16 I got stung by a bee. We were going downhill and a bee (wasp?) nearly flew into my mouth. For a split second it was stuck to my mouth until I spit/blew it off. Then, sting! and it was gone. I kept spitting because I felt some remnant in my mouth (a leg or something, gross, I know). And it stung. I've never gotten stung before, so I bit my lip to keep it from stinging and swelling. A couple minutes later when my dad and I pulled over, it was swollen. Mel gave me some medicine at the rest stop (I forget that they're doctors) and it was just sore for the rest of the day.

We kept going. Lunch was at 42 miles. It was a beach, and that's where we started to see the pattern of people leaving when we barely got to the rest stop. We had turkey sandwiches, peanut butter with bananas, powerbars, brownies, etc. It was pretty comforting that we were more than halfway done, except for the fact that there was a 7-mile climb looming ahead.

That climb took FOREVER. It wasn't steep, but it was annoying to be gradually climbing for so long. You'd wind around the corner and still be going uphill. On one of the stops during the hill, we met this group of ladies who made their own jerseys for this ride. They were so sweet! They kept taking a ton of pictures and laughing... since Papi had the same camera, he took pictures of them. They loved it. Then we saw them at every stop after that and we all yayed each other for finishing the next leg of it.

After the loooong climb we got to go downhill for 7 miles and then had rolling hills for the remaining 5 miles. The rolling hills were even hard. Finally we got to the end. (There was even an uphill to the finish line. That was cruel of them.)

THEN we had a pasta buffet. It was awesome. By that time most of the riders had made their rounds through the party because we were probably within the last 50 people. Once we ate, we were stuffed. So we went to the hotel room, watched TV and fell asleep. I was tempted when my dad suggested using a "Buy one get one free" Coldstone coupon, but once I was in bed, I couldn't get up.

It was hard. It was beautiful, but it was hard. I feel a little better about our ability for the CCC.

3 Weeks 'til the big one... Tahoe here we come

2007-09-07T14:26:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Dwight and Evelyn's blog for the California Coast Classic. Here's where you can find the updates on our rides and even comment!

We currently have 3 weeks until we leave San Francisco for our bike ride to Los Angeles. We head up to San Francisco on the 28th for an orientation, and on the 29th, we're off! The most number of miles we've done so far is 50 miles - which we rode last weekend from San Jose through Morgan Hill to Gilroy and back. That's decent, considering that during the CCC, we'll average 65 miles a day for 8 straight days. We've still got some work to do...

Tomorrow we head up to Tahoe for a ride around the lake on Sunday (72 miles). That should be a good indicator how we're doing. It's supposed to be a hilly ride and they say the high altitude will also be a factor.

Pray for us, and we'll keep you posted how it goes!