Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge...10,800 feet of climbing and 100.5 miles!

Kenny giving the big NUMBER 1!

We're here to ride!

I'll keep this one short but it was a great to ride this past weekend with Team SA. What made this ride extra special was the opportunity to ride with my friend Ken Emerson as this was his first major ride following heart surgery just 9 weeks ago (yes, that's "9" weeks)! Ken was incredibly strong and by no means did the group need to slow the pace...although he did ride his geared bike this year as opposed to his preferred choice of a fixie.

I felt I rode strong this year beating last years time on the famed Jamison Creek Time Trial (by a couple of mins but the final results have not yet been posted) and kept a lower cadence from the start all the way up the 2.9 mile course that had an AVG Grade of 9.7%! My Garmin reported a whopping 23 PRs (Personal Records) over the multiple climbs that totaled 10,800 ft in 100.5 miles.

Bursley off the front leading the
breakaway up the first climb
under Police escort

This was a great ride...Steve, Ken, Virginia, and Lane, thanks for letting me hang with the competition for this event.

I proudly wore my Team WIld Hare jersey sporting the #10 that represents the 10 MILLION children and adults around the world that launch their attack on Primary Immunodeficiency diseases every day!

Just 67 days left till we battle it out in the desert at the Furnace Creek 508 with some of the fastest and strongest ultra cyclists from around the world with this year's roster including someone from the Pro Peloton who has raced in the Tour de France!

Enjoy the ride and NEVER FORGET THE CAUSE!

-Steve

one tough ride 2011, a strong finish!

2011 Furnace Creek 508 Finish: (L-R) Bursley, Melville,
Chris Kostman  (Race Director)

2011 Furnace Creek 508, Stage 1 neutral start
Bursley (RT w/"10")

Meals for Wheels Ride, Wild Hare U12 Team:
(L-R) Nicholas, Steve, Spencer

Meals for Wheels Ride, Wild Hare U12 Team:
(L-R) Spencer, Nicholas, Steve (team domestique)

one tough ride 2011 VIPs, Nicholas and Dr. David Lewis

It’s been a great season and this post will include a full recap of the 2011 Furnace Creek 508 as well as our last event for the 2011 Season which was the Wheels for Meals ride that I completed with Nicholas and his best friend Spencer whom I have dubbed the “Wild Hare U12 Development Team”.  This is a fairly long post so grab your favorite beverage and sit back and we'll recount the race stage by stage through to the finish!

The Furnace Creek 508 is an awesome experience in not only testing one’s mental and physical limits but also as a cycling odyssey that can really only be understood if you have done it.  In 2011, I had the pleasure of teaming up with Mike Melville as a two-man relay team as Team Wild Hare.

Mike took the even stages (2, 4, 6, 8) and I took the odd stages (1, 3, 5, 7) which would be completely new to me having ridden stages 4 and 8 with Team Magical Leopleurodon (a 4-man team) in 2010.  The 2011 Furnace Creek would also include the special treat of being able to race against the Founding Fathers of Ultra Cycling.  These four legends (Lon Haldeman, John Howard, Michael Schermer, and John Marino) were there when it all started 29 years ago with the 1982 Great American Bike Race which was the first non-stop bicycle race across the US and also covered at the time by ABC’s Wide World of Sports!

At 8:30 AM on Saturday, October 8th I lined up at the start and the crew and Mike headed out 24 miles onto the course to wait for me.  After a 5 mile neutral start led by the California Highway Patrol we’d turn left onto San Francisquito Canyon Rd. and the race was on!  The first 20 miles were tough with a lot of wind and much cooler temps (than last year) and I was fighting some sort of sinus thing and it was just tough to get into race mode.  After catching up with the crew at mile 24 I was feeling better and looking forward to a nice descent and then rolling along the flats till I’d hit the windmill climb before I’d hit California City and log my first 83.6 miles and more than 6,176 feet of climbing.

With cooler temps and fairly mild winds the Windmill Climb was not the effort I anticipated it would be and I rolled into California City at 14:21 with an AVG speed over the first 84 miles of just over 15.6 MPH.  Mike was ready to roll and I handed off the totem (a fake carrot of course since we were Team Wild Hare) and I got into the car to settle in for what would end up being just under a 4-hour rest before my next stage.

Stage 1 - Bursley: Miles Ridden 83.6, Elevation Gain 6,176 ft, Miles into Race: 83.6 miles, 6,176 ft, Time Station 1 Check-in 02:21 PM (Saturday)

Mike hammered Stage 2 with an AVG speed of just over 18.3 MPH over the 70 mile stage.  While Mike is always an amazingly strong athlete, this was an even more incredible effort considering he was still struggling with flu he had not been able to beat for the last three weeks.  Mike arrived in Trona at 18:11 setting me up for a great early evening start to Stage 3 which included the infamous 13 mile 3800 ft climb to the top of Townes Pass at just under 5,000 ft elevation.

Stage 2 - Melville: Miles Ridden 70.2, Elevation Gain 4,212 ft, Miles into Race: 153.8 miles, 10,388 ft, Time Station 2 Check-in 06:11 PM (Saturday)

Before we could roll out of Trona, we had problems with the vehicle safety beacon lights that had to be operational as it was after 18:00 and they would have to be on till 07:00 on Sunday morning (race rules and the penalty is a DQ).  After a bit of fiddling I was able to get them working and jumped on the bike and was off for my 99 mile stage.  I passed a number of riders as I headed out of Trona for Panamint Valley but as the sun started to set it was clear that the top of Townes Pass was going to be cold.

As I made that right turn onto 190 East I could see Townes Pass right in front of me and all I can say is that it looked like an elevator of lights that went straight up into the sky.  With 130 miles on my legs and 47 miles into my 99 mile stage it was getting cold and this was just not going to be a lot of fun.  After just under 2 hours of climbing, I was at the top with a 16 mile descent in front of me but with the wind it was going to be hard to enjoy.  I did warm up considerably about 4 miles before hitting the rollers into Furnace Creek where Mike would get on the bike for Stage 4.

Stage 3 - Bursley: Miles Ridden 99.2, Elevation Gain 7,538 ft, Miles into Race: 252.9 miles, 17,936 ft, Time Station 3 Check-in 01:47 AM (Sunday)

After refueling the car and getting Mike on the bike he was off and ready to pick off some of the competition and attack the other of the two toughest climbs in this race which is Jubilee Pass.  Again Mike was like a machine out there dropping other riders as he ascended on Jubilee Pass then up and over and rolled out of Death Valley into Shashone where I’d ride Stage 5 into Baker.

Stage 4 - Melville: Miles Ridden 73.6, Elevation Gain 6,744 ft, Miles into Race: 326.5 miles, 24,680 ft, Time Station 4 Check-in 07:08 AM (Sunday)

Mike arrived shortly after 7AM and I jumped on the bike and was off.  Stage 5 was probably one of the best stages that I’d have with cool temps and relatively calm winds which was very different than 2010.  According to the Garmin, I was idle for only 1 minute and 7 seconds over the 53.6 miles of Stage 5 and had an AVG speed of 18.9 mph! I rolled into the Baker time station at 10:16 AM and was elated to know that I had only one stage left that was roughly 34 miles...the heavy lifting for me was now done!

Stage 5 - Bursley: Miles Ridden 53.6, Elevation Gain 2,186 ft, Miles into Race: 380.1 miles, 26,866 ft, Time Station 5 Check-in 10:16 AM (Sunday)

Stage 6 while relatively short at just over 35 miles is a brute starting out with a 25+ mile climb that offers no relief and is unprotected from the sun.  Mike cruised up the climb at a steady pace where he’d descend 10 miles into Kelso over some pretty nasty pavement and in fact I was told that it was so rough that another rider had broken his bars the prior year.  Mike arrived into Kelso at 12:36 PM with another great effort averaging just under 15 MPH over the Stage.

Stage 6 - Melville: Miles Ridden 34.9, Elevation Gain 2,920 ft, Miles into Race: 415 miles, 29,806 ft, Time Station 6 Check-in 12:36 PM (Sunday)

It was now time for me to get back on the bike for what would be my final Stage (7) for the 2011 Furnace Creek 508.  The Garmin (like me) was ready for the race to be over having personally logged 236 miles (and 15,900 ft of climbing) of racing but unlike the Garmin (which died at mile 7.2) I soldiered on into Amboy arriving at just after 3PM where Team Wild Hare would be required to serve a 15 minute penalty (before starting Stage 8) for a Stop Sign that “I” had run in the first stage of the race...I am still not clear on where I did that:)

Stage 7 - Bursley: Miles Ridden 33.8, Elevation Gain 2,280 ft, Miles into Race: 451.3 miles, 32,086 ft, Time Station 7 Check-in 03:08 PM (Sunday)

After serving our time Mike was off to wrap this race up and he was a man on a mission.   Rolling out of Time Station 7 just before 3:30 PM a daylight finish was well within reach but we were also about to be treated to some head-to-head racing as Mike approached the Sheephole climb on Stage 8.  As he started the ascent Mike had our friends from Team Wolf Pack in sight.  I was driving and trying to make sure that both team riders were safe as the traffic was fairly heavy.  After a couple of attempts Mike attacked and overtook Neil just before the first half of the climb thinking that the false summit was the top. Both Mike and Neil are extremely strong climbers and I was enjoying the competition (especially since my stages were complete) but I feared that Mike had the disadvantage of not having ridden this race and Neil was a veteran and new the course.  Just beyond the false summit Neil would attack Mike and hold it through the top of the climb and descent but that race was apparently not yet over.

As we rolled along the last 20 miles into the finish Mike saw Team Wolf Pack and Neil was in sight and Mike was going to hunt him down.  As Mike closed in he dropped the hammer and passed Neil and never looked back.  Rolling into the city of Twentynine Palms with a tandem in sight Mike was going to drop another one before arriving at the finish line.  With a total time of 03:48 for Stage 8 Team Wild Hare had an official arrival time of 6:56 PM with an official finish time of 33:56:08!

Stage 8 - Melville: Miles Ridden 58.2, Elevation Gain 4,170 ft, Race Total: 509.5 miles, 36,256 ft, Time Station 8 Check-in 06:56 PM (Sunday)...we did it in under 34 hours!

Two weeks after the Furnace Creek 508 I had the pleasure of riding in the Meals for Wheels ride with my son Nicholas and his best friend Spencer whom I have deemed the Wild Hare U12 Development Team.  We had an awesome day rolling just after 9:00 AM and then arriving back around noon in time for a great BBQ lunch complete with live music and ice cream for dessert!

I was very proud to ride with Nicholas and Spencer and see them complete the 15-mile course for a second year running.  We were also looking great with matching Team Wild Hare jerseys emblazoned with the Jeffrey Modell Foundation logo, Wild Hare team logo, one tough ride web site and our generous corporate sponsors CSLBehring, BMC Software, and Crank2.

I want to acknowledge some very important one tough ride 2011 team members for without their support and help we would have never achieved the success that we did and they are: my very patient and supportive wife Paula and my children Rachel and Nicholas, Vicki and Fred Modell and the entire team at the Jeffrey Modell Foundation, and Dr. David Lewis who is both Nicholas' Doctor and the Director of the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

Thanks to everyone that supported the one tough ride 2011 project and for those that may still wish to make a contribution, please click on the Just Give badge on the right!

Racing for 10 million...

-Steve

It's "almost" time to ride!

2010 Furnace Creek 508 Finish

I want to thank all of our friends and family and our corporate donors and sponsors that have supported the one tough ride 2011 project. We have now raised just over $4,200 and I am hoping that others will join the team and consider making a donation to the cause (just click the JustGive badge on the right side of this page) as Mike and I race this weekend as Team Wild Hare at the 2011 Furnace Creek 508. I also want to thank our AWESOME CREW Amy Bode and Peg Miller who will support Mike and I as we race this weekend!

The 2011 Furnace Creek 508 will also be unique in that the founding fathers of ultra cycling will not only be in attendance but also competing. Race Director Chris Kostman shares his story while taking you back to the beginning at http://www.the508.com/2011web/fullcircle.html

For those of you that want to track our progress, you can check this blog or find us on the one.tough.ride Facebook Fan Page. You'll be able to track our location in near real time using the link on the right side of the page as we'll carry the SPOT GPS Messenger throughout the race and post Time Station check-ins to this blog and on the FB Fan Page. If you know me you probably are aware that I am a gadget guy and as such will try to share our whereabouts and happenings throughout the weekend with USTREAM, SPOT, Twitter, and FB updates.

Last, thanks to my wife Paula, and my children Rachel and Nicholas for supporting me and all of your inspiration as I could not do this without you! I will provide a post-race post and share photos from the event when we are back but in the meantime, enjoy the race. Check out the AdventureCorps official Furnace Creek 508 webcast page at http://the508.com/2011web/index.html for updates and photos as well as live webcasts at the finish.

Racing for 10 Million!

Steve

Find us and watch us during the Furnace Creek 508 at:
Twitter: twitter.com/onetoughride
blog: onetoughride.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/onetoughride/110681012284550
SPOT Page (live GPS tracking during the race): bitly.com/trackthehares
USTREAM: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/one-tough-ride-2011

Less than four weeks till the Furnace Creek 508

The infamous Stage 3, Furnace Creek 508

As the clock continues to tick down to the start of the 2011 Furnace Creek 508 (watch the countdown on this page) Team Wild Hare is finalizing logistics, race strategies, and training for the race that is now less than four weeks away. The Furnace Creek 508 is unlike any other ultra endurance cycling race I have participated in previously and while Team Wild Hare will be a 2-man squad as opposed to the 4-man team I raced on last year, the crew is equally important to a successful finish! We are fortunate to have two friends joining us that not only have a professional medical background but are also ultra cyclists themselves. The team and assigned stages are:

Amy Bode: Co-crew Captain

Peg Miller: Co-crew Captain

Steve Bursley: Stages 1, 3, 5, 7

Mike Melville: Stages 2, 4, 6, 8

We are at roughly $4,000 in donations for this season and I would like to thank everyone who has contributed and reach out to those that may still be waiting to consider hitting the link on the top right side of this page and show your support. While I am excited to participate in the Furnace Creek 508, my main goal is to raise awareness and MUCH NEEDED research dollars so that the great work that the Jeffrey Modell Foundation started more than 25 years ago can continue delivering breakthrough treatments for Primary Immunodeficiency (PI) and ultimately a cure. As I have shared before more than 10,000,000...yes TEN MILLION people around the world are living with this disease and due to the frequently overlooked common symptoms, often go undiagnosed for years. Once again, I have the personal commitment of Vicki and Fred Modell that all donations will be matched and directed to Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford which is under the direction of Dr. David Lewis who is a world renown Immunologist and also one of my son's doctors. Last year "WE" raised more than $10,000 which meant that more than $20,000 went locally to the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

As I shared at the start of this post, this race will take a team effort and "WE" can't finish strong without strong riders on the bike and a great crew supporting those riders. This will be a difficult race and at least twice a hard a last year but as I make the 13 mile 3,800 ft climb up Townes Pass (EL 4,956') in the dead of night as my second of four stages, I know I will have the inspiration of my son Nicholas and the 9,999,999 other children and adults around the world that deal battle the PI every day...for me, it's a choice to participate in this race but for someone with PI it was something they were born with.

I am also pleased to share that you will be able to track the team again this year on the web thanks to the generous support of our friends at SPOT. The following link was captured during the race last year and then photos uploaded and linked to the various locations/times during the race - 2010 FC508 Magical Liopleurodon. I will post a new link on this blog to access the web page that will enable you to follow us again this year with updates roughly every 10 minutes as we compete in this 508 mile non-stop ultra endurance bicycle race...this can only be done with a SPOT GPS MESSENGER that posts via a satellite uplink! We'll also post photos and updates during race check in and if possible during the race from the very rare locations that offer cell access. We'll also post to the one.tough.ride FB Fan page so if you have not LIKED US yet please check us out.

Last, we just received the new one tough ride "Racing for 10 Million" silicon bracelets that will be sent to everyone that makes a donation of $20.00 or more. They look great and are obviously for a great cause. Also, if you would like to make a donation but would prefer to send a check or cash, please send those to:

Jeffrey Modell Foundation
780 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Attn: one tough ride project

I will try to post once per week up till the team leaves for Southern California for the race and then will be posting to the blog and our FB page throughout the day during race check-in and up till the race start at 09:00 PT.

Best,

Steve

Double #5...Mt Tam Double Century Recap

The Mt Tam Double was my 5th Double Century of the season and the 6th of the onetoughride series that included the top 4 of the toughest of the Double Century calendar and completing my CTC (for a second consecutive year), CTC Stage Race Series, and the Gold Thousand Mile Club. With the completion of the Death Ride, the total course miles ridden over these 6 events (in the past four months) was 1,133 miles with and just under 85,000 feet of climbing.

I arrived at the start of the Mt Tam Double about 3:30 AM and planned to start with my friends Jason and Mike. We were planning on an early start (mass start is was scheduled for 5 AM) but as it turned out we ended up being a part of an official 4 AM mass start with 32 riders. As we rolled from the start the pack thinned out as we headed for the first of many climbs up Lucas Valley Road. I set the tempo for the first climb but was overtaken by one of the riders about a half a mile from the top. As we descended the other side, most of the pack re-grouped and then split up again over the next 10 miles on Nicasio Valley Road.

As we rolled into Fairfax I missed the first right turn but then saw the group reassembling and was back on course. The pack again split up as we climbed Bolinas Fairfax Road toward the first rest stop at Pine Mountain (mile 24.5). After checking in I headed for the top of the first real climb which was Mt Tam. As I ascended Bolinas Fairfax Road toward Ridgecrest the pack had thinned to a point where I had only seen one other rider. As I crested the top of Tam at mile 38 I was told that I was the 4th one check in. Descending Tam and heading for Santos Meadows I saw Jason heading for the top of Tam. The descent down Pan Toll Road and then out to Muir Woods would be a combination of dense fog, extreme dew (resembling rain), and strong winds. As I rolled into Santos Meadows check point (mile 50) here comes Jason who must have been descending like a rocket.

After a quick refuel Jason and I were back on the road and heading for a ride up the coast. Clearing the next few rest stops and rolling into the Valley Ford Rest Stop at lunch (mile 124) we had a great pace but many of the fastest riders that left at 5 AM had now caught and passed us. After a quick lunch it was off for the infamous Coleman Valley Road climb. If you have ridden it you know, but if you haven't this is one of the toughest 1.4 miles of climbing of the entire course.

After getting dropped by Jason between leaving the lunch stop and the Bay Hill Road climb I caught up with him as I arrived at the Coleman check point (mile 136). Jason had been there for a bit so he rolled and I left shortly thereafter (downing Red Bull #2) and caught up with him as we rolled down Joy Road. As we rolled back into the Valley Ford Rest stop we refueled (Red Bull #3) and caught up with a few friends and were off again with 153 miles behind us and a few climbs to go.

As we got out to the coast it was a constant battle of head winds as we made our way down HWY 1 pacelining to try to pick up some time or at least save some energy for Marshall Wall. At mile 160 it was a quick left for another climb up Marshall. It was clear that the climb with 160 miles on our legs was wearing the group down but after reaching the Walker Creek Rest Stop and a short break we initiated a good pace and picked up few riders that we would ultimately find to be wheel suckers that wanted a free ride.

After a good pace considering the winds that we continued to encounter we had a decent climb and nice fast descent before turning left onto Nicasio Valley Road. As we caught up with another rider we again pacelined out to the final rest stop at Nicasio Valley School and grabbed a quick drink (no, it was not a Red Bull this time) before our final climb up Lucas Valley Road and then heading for the finish. As was the case throughout the day, Jason dropped me on the descent but I was able to catch up with him on the last few miles and we had a great 22 mph+ paceline as we rolled to Las Gallinas for the last 1.5 miles into the finish.

The Marin Cyclists put together one of the best supported rides hands down and this year also met with the same high expectations that I have seen in the past. It was great to ride with Jason (a.k.a. rocket of the descents) who is also my team mate for the FC 508 this year and it was again amazing to see Mike Melville add yet another of the toughest rides to his fixie resume...yes, that is correct he rode this ride on a fixie! And last but not least, I was very cool to see Peg Miller nail this years event well within the cut-offs (after being so close in 2009) and getting her CTC for 2010!

As I near the close of the onetoughride project with one last BIG event to go (the Furnace Creek 508) I am excited to report that we have raised a total of $8,500 and I am confident that we can get that to $10,000...or more by the end of October when I will be wrapping up this project. This project was a complete grass roots effort from the concept to pitching the idea to a number of organizations to marketing the project, fund-raising, and setting up all of the infrastructure to support the project....not to mention the training and completing the events. Because of the 32 individuals, one corporate donor, one foundation and the matching funding of the Jeffrey Modell Foundation WE will make a difference in the research for better treatments and ultimately a cure for the millions of people living with Primary Immunodeficiency diseases like my son.

If you haven't donated please consider doing so right now and remember that every dollar donated is matched which means that right now the $8,500 is $17,000. Being an overachiever, I threw in an extra Double Century and I'd also love to break that goal of $10,000 and hope I can have your support in doing so. Last, the final jersey artwork (all donor names will be on it) will be submitted this weekend to Voler to ensure that I have the jersey for my final stage of the Furnace Creek 508 as well as the photo op at the finish. If your company (or you know of someone else) is interested in making a donation of $300 or more, I will add your company logo to the jersey.
Until next time...Enjoy the ride!
Steve

PS: I shaved 35 mins off of last years time coming in at 15:36 vs. 16:11.

Terrible Two replay...I am pretty sure this ride earned it's name based on the road conditions

Saturday morning, June 19th and it's 3:45 AM and after another short night it would be a long day in the saddle as I'd be on the road in less than two hours on the Terrible Two. Coming off of the AAC 8-Pass Challenge the previous weekend wasn't going to make this ride any easier as my goal was to complete the last of the Stage Race Series and my fourth double century of the season in less than two months.

I arrived at the start of the race about 4:30 AM and while it was still dark signs of daylight were not far off as this was expected to be one of the longest days of the year and little did I know, but the road conditions we'd been warned of would make it seem like that as well. Just after 5:00 AM and all the usual suspects of the Stage Race Series and other Double Centuries start gathering for the mass start that would be led for the first 13 miles out of the city limits by the pace car.

After a relatively short speech by the ride director of the Santa Rosa Cycling Club the start was announced and 250+ riders rolled for the city limits. I was up in the second or third row at the start as we rolled at an average of 20-22 mph. Nearly seeing a couple of crashes in this tightly woven peloton within the first couple of miles, I decided to fade back a bit so as not to become a casualty before even getting out of the city limits. Further back in the pack I met up with another friend Mark Horminghaus whom I would later find out crashed further into the race. Mark's a super strong rider and genuinely nice guy so it was great to catch up with him until he'd inevitably drop me.

As we hit the first relatively small climb the pack started to thin out and coming down the first descent we'd find a rider stopped in the middle of road and the descend. To this day I can only assume that he either had a death wish or was just inexperienced but I'll assume that it was the later. After a few relatively easy climbs we hit the first of the big ones called the Geysers. The Geysers was no only the highest climb of the day but as we'd find with other climbs in this event it had a double summit which is always fun (in some sort of sadistic way I am sure) when you have never done the climb. After reaching the top of the second summit I refueled at the rest stop and then headed for the descent which should have been a reward for the climb but I'd find out quickly that the roads resembled something more of a city that had been bombed vs. the quick beautiful descent that I was expecting.

Further up the road as we climbed out of the canyon large sections of paved road would be missing and replaced with gravel. This went on for a series of miles and when there was road the surface was similar to a back job of applying a chip seal surface which made this section extremely slow. About 112 miles in I hit the lunch stop and while my original plan was to blow through all stops only getting off the bike for re-fuels and mandatory breaks, lunch seemed like a good idea and I also thought I'd call into the team manager (a.k.a. Paula). After what seemed to be a relatively short lunch stop officials noted that anyone not leaving within the next 5 mins would be required to abandon the race and take the shorter route back to the finish. Good enough for me, I slammed the rest of my drink down and took one last bit of that sandwich and it was back on the bike.

It's now 1:45PM and it's warming up and in my opinion we are heading for the toughest climbs on the ride heading for the coast. After 2 hours of climbing over the past 15 miles there's another climb coming just beyond a nice recovery over the descent ahead. Just before the climb I see a series of riders abandoning the race and taking the SAG wagon back. As I make this last climb before a series of rollers to the coast, I am definitely feeling not only the effects of 143 miles I have ridden today but also the 200+ miles and 21,000 feet of climbing from the past weekend on the AAC. As I summit I see that the rest stop is ahead on the right. After a dozen orange slices, a Pepsi, and refilling the water bottles I am off for the coast.

Descending it is now getting cooler and I decide to put the arm wamers back on and zip up the vest for a cool ride down the coast to the last climb which will be Fort Ross. As I am pretty much ready to be done with this ride I am thinking about this climb which I am told is brutal especially considering it's at the end of the event. I make it down the coast at a fairly descent pace with the exception of a couple of stops to make sure that I have not missed the left turn for Fort Ross. Once there I check in with my buddy Jason (who decided to ride the first 150 miles that day to break in a new bike and then volunteer at the Fort Ross check point) and there's no time for stopping as it's after 6 and my goal is to be in before dark.

As I get to the foot of the climb I am ready to nail this last one and stop to get rid of the arm warmers and unzip the vest and jersey. As shot of Hammer Raspberry Gel and gulp of Perpetum and I am ready...let's do it! The climb is at a steady pace and while I wouldn't say that it's easy it is definitely not the most difficult climb of the day. As I reach the top it's now a quick descent down with some rollers and gradual climbs to the next rest stop.

While rolling toward the next rest stop I meet up with one of the riders that I had met at the rest stop just before the coast and we decide to roll the rest of the way in together. After another Pepsi at this last rest stop and refill of the bottles we are headed for Occidental up the Bohemian Highway. As we make the next left into a canopied climb it is dark and I hit the lights even though we have plenty of daylight once we crest this climb.

As we hit a fork in the road ahead it's a quick stop and backtrack to make sure we did not miss an unmarked turn. During this time we pick up another rider who'll ride the remaining few miles with us as his light is out. Rolling in the timer reads 09:30 and we are done. A final check of the Gamin notes just under 201 miles and more than 18,400 feet of climbing as opposed to the 16,000 feet of climbing that is noted for this ride. With a goal of completing the ride in 16:00 my official time is 16:08. With a rolling time of just over 14:56 I was off the bike a total of just under 01:12 - Garmin stats.

After checking in and receiving my official "I did it" t-shirt (given only to finishers that arrive before 10:00 PM) I called Paula and got some fantastic news that we had received a significant donation from a foundation that now put us well over our $5,000 fund-raising goal for the end of June. This was fantastic news and with total donations at more than $7,500 I am confident that we can make the personal goal that I have set of $10,000 for the One Tough Ride Project.

Meeting this goal for June also meant that I needed to make good on the challenge that I set against that $5,000 mark so I have added a 7th event to the One Tough Ride project and entered the Mt Tam Double. This 200 mile event with more than 17,000 feet of climbing will be yet another tough day but I am hoping this will inspire more of you to support this project and make that donation today. With the Death Ride in July, Mt Tam Double in August, and the Furnace Creek 508 in October I would love to not only hit that goal of $10,000 but exceed it. With the Jeffrey Modell Foundation matching all donations raised "WE" can make a real difference in the lives of those with Primary Immunodeficiency diseases with this money going directly to the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

The Death Ride is just a couple of weeks away and I am excited to have Paula, Rachel and Nicholas (the One Tough Ride Team) there with me in Markleeville as I ride for all of the children and adults that live with Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases. This will be my 3rd Death Ride in a row and I look forward to seeing a lot of you there as well.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

The first of the Double Double...and I am not talking about In-N-Out Burger

After another busy week I did manage to sneak in a couple of training rides on Friday evening and Saturday morning to wrap up the week with about 74 miles and just over 4,000 feet of climbing. I am happy to report that the onetoughride project is off to a great start as far as fund raising but I am hoping that we can really drive some donations over the next couple of weeks as I shoot to complete my 3rd Double Century of the season this weekend. On Saturday, I ride the Alta Alpina 8-Pass Challenge and will follow this up the next weekend (6/19) with the last of the CTC Stage Race Series, the Terrible Two! Thanks so much to all of you that have made a donation and to those who haven't yet, I wanted to remind everyone that all donations are being matched by the Jeffrey Modell Foundation!

Just to keep things interesting, "if" we can raise a total of $5,000 or more for the onetoughride project by the end of June I will add a "5th" Double Century to the schedule with the Mt Tam Double . If the registration is closed and I cannot get a ticket ,I'll commit to an alternate Double Century or a significant epic ride of 200 miles in one day (with an open invitation to anyone that would like to join me..Mike, Jason, Jim, Alan, and Dave I know you are all in). Go ahead and put another one on the calendar, I challenge you...

The profile on the top right (of this post) is the beast to tame for this Saturday. I also hope to catch up with my friends on the TNT Death Ride '10 Team that will be tackling the same climbs at Altitude Camp this weekend. Enjoy the weekend, ride safe, and look for a ride update on next weeks post.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

PS: For full details on the onetoughride project, please check out the latest slide deck with all of the details!