The Racing Roosters have a podium finish at the Silver State 508...more details to come!

We'll dig deep this weekend, will you be a part of the team?

2013 Furnace Creek 508

Thanks to everyone that has responded to the call for action in the email campaign that I launched this past weekend. The 508 is a significant endeavor to train for that requires both physical and mental training. And unlike the epic Grand Tours such as the Tour de France, the "team" is on the podium at the finish and each racer on the team is recognized equally.  While the team may have varying levels of skill, all members of the team motivate and drive the best that each has to give that day or night on the 8 Stages of this 510.4 mile non-stop race.

2012 Furnace Creek 508

Just as I consider my wife and children as team mates supporting and motivating me from afar during this and past four 508 races, I like to think that everyone that has donated to the ONETOUGHRIDE project over the past 5 years has been right alongside my family and I in being a part of the team that the Jeffrey Modell Foundation and amazing doctors and scientist's like Dr. David Lewis are on. This team raises awareness and funds and leads research to find treatments, and one day a cure for Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases. They work incredibly hard and dedicate endless hours to the cause.

2011 Furnace Creek 508

My team of the Racing Roosters and I will dig deep this weekend and there's a lot that can happen over 510.4 miles of non-stop racing even when everything goes right. If you haven't clicked the Just Give link yet I am challenging YOU to dig deep and support the cause.

Just like it will take the support of the team to make it to the finish in Reno this weekend, it takes the support of a team to ensure amazing organizations like the Jeffrey Modell Foundation and incredible doctors and scientists like Dr. David Lewis are able to accomplish the goals that they strive for.

2010 Furnace Creek 508

The challenge is personal but the impact is global, WILL YOU dig deep?

Best,

Steve

2012 Furnace Creek 508 recap post still coming but here's a little bit of what it was like out there in October!

Team Wild Hare at the finish line in Twentynine Palms, CA - Finish Time of 36:40:29 - more details on the race to follow!

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

Just having a little fun with the new GoPro Camera!

We'll share more details on our 2012 plans soon!

While I am extremely disappointed to share that other unanticipated challenges will not allow us to drive the onetoughride fund-raising project for 2012, I will race as a part of a 2-man team in the 2012 Furnace Creek 508 this fall to continue to raise awareness for the 10 MILLION children and adults that around the world who live with Primary Immunodeficiency diseases. The DONATE NOW link on the right side of this page will continue to remain active throughout this cycling season.

Please check back for additional updates during the 2012 season and thanks to all of you that have supported the onetoughride project that has generated more $15,000 in donations during the past two seasons which has resulted in a total of more than $30,000 going to the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

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

I am hoping we are in Twentynine Palms two weeks from now

Nick at the top of Longview Drive

Nick and I in our Team Wild Hare jerseys - top of Longview

As I write this post there's now less than two weeks till the start of the Furnace Creek 508!  And while finishing the 508 for a second time would be a welcome achievement, it just cannot compare to the thrill of reaching the top of Longview Drive in Pleasanton on Saturday with Nicholas. Longview Drive was actually relatively short in relation to our overall 16.3 mile ride (that we completed on Saturday) at just over 0.3 miles but that's only part of the story. Longview Drive hits grades of up to 28.4% (AVG Grade is 15.2%)! Nicholas and I set a goal just after we got the tandem (in May) of making it to the top of Longview Drive and we nailed it this past Saturday which was also the day we were celebrating his 11th birthday as he'll be at Outdoor Ed this this Wednesday during his actual birthday on the 28th. I was extremely nervous about doing this climb with Nicholas for a number of reasons but as we neared the top Nick dug deep and once we reached the top we stopped and after a round of High-Fives, we shot a couple of photos and then headed down the hill to complete our ride.

Anyone who has ridden a tandem knows that it takes two people working together as a team! And in many ways, this is similar to winning against diseases such as Primary Immunodeficiency. Last year, we worked together and raised more than $10,000 which was matched by the team at the Jeffrey Modell Foundation resulting in more than $20,000 going to the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

You have donated more than $4,000 to the one tough ride 2011 project and we're going to keep the fund-raising going through the end of October. THANK YOU to everyone that has supported the project and to those that still wish to make a donation, you can do that electronically by clicking on the JustGive button on this page or if you prefer to send a check or cash, those can be sent directly to:

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

I'll continue to update you as we prepare for the race and I'll also post various links for you to track Team Wild Hare as we compete against a field of 230 racers from 10 countries around the world in the 2011 Furnace Creek 508, "The Toughest 48 hours in Sport".

Best,

Steve

Just three weeks till I'll line up at the starting line in Santa Clarita

Team T-Shirt (back)

Wow, as I start to write this post from 30,000 ft (yes I am in a plane) there's only 3 weeks till we'll line up at the starting line in Santa Clarita, CA for the Furnace Creek 508. This race is unlike any other ultra-cycling event in that there is so much planning and preparation that has to be done with vehicle preparation, race nutrition planning, crew, accommodations, night lighting (vehicle and bikes) race provisions, etc. That said, I am sure it will all come together and one again be an awesome journey for the team and for me even more meaningful for the cause I am racing for.

Right now we are at close to $4K and we'll fund-raise up to and right through the race but if you make a donation prior by Monday I'll also make sure that your name is recognized on the back of the team t-shirts (like those on the left side under the "Thank You") that we'll wear at race check-in and during the pre-race meeting. I know it's a tough economy but any donation helps and is appreciated as "all" donations will be matched by the Jeffrey Modell Foundation. Donations can me made electronically by clicking on the "Just Give" badge on the upper right hand side of the blog. If you prefer to send cash, check, or a money order, please send those directly to the address noted below.

"Racing for 10 Million" bracelet

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

All donors will also receive a one tough ride silicon bracelet with "Racing For 10 Million" on one side and our blog URL on the other. We will take the remainder of the bracelets that are not given to donors and pass these out during the race to raise awareness for the cause and also hopefully capture additional donations.

I have been traveling on business this week but plan on more training this weekend with a double assault on Mt Diablo and a training ride with Nicholas on the tandem which will definitely be the best ride of the week!

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

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

Volagi test ride, helping a friend get to the top, and onetoughride fund-raising!

While I would have liked to have gotten a bit more training in over the past week it just didn't seem to happen. However, I do have a few updates including some comments on my Volagi test ride that I did last weekend which I'll save for last.

First, the one tough ride fund-raising campaign is off to a roaring start and if I have your email address you probably received a letter from me looking for your support. I am excited to report that we have received a check from our first corporate sponsor and four of our friends totaling almost $2,200! This is just awesome and on behalf of the Jeffrey Modell Foundation and the onetoughride team, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I will be sending out 1-2 more emails prior to the Furnace Creek 508 to share information on the race and let you know how you can track us live on the web as Team Wild Hares races non-stop across 509 miles with more than 35,000 feet of climbing.

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to get a couple of rides in starting with a ride with my friend and neighbor. He mentioned that he had a goal to get to the top of Mt Diablo by the end of the summer and I offered to help him train to get there. We'd done a few rides around town over the past year and then a little local climbing on a ride Friday after work. On Sunday we headed to the Athenian School in Danville to start the ride and I set a goal of getting to the pay station at the top of the S. Gate. Well we got there and he pretty much climbed that without a problem so we headed for the midway point between the pay station and the Junction and again, not a problem. This being his first real climb I was impressed and suggested that we shoot for the Junction if he was up for it and we nailed it. I am pretty sure that we'll beat his goal of summiting Diablo before the end of July so we may have to shoot for both sides of Diablo with a summit from each side as the goal for the summer.

After I got back from riding Diablo (even before I had a chance to change) Nicholas and I took off on the tandem to set yet another record for the day which was our longest ride together with the most climbing in a single day.  Nicholas and I headed from our house through Pleasanton and down Happy Valley Road. Next it was off to Sunol to climb Kilkare Road. Kilkare is classified as a CAT 3 climb and is 3.6 miles long climbing 665 ft. Nick and I rode non-stop from the time we left the house and then through Sunol up the climb and through the descent where we stopped at the Sunol train station for a quick snack. Nick is now getting so confident on the tandem that we don't even have to stop for him to grab his water bottle, drink, and then return it to the bottle cage. This was my best ride of the week and we are really enjoying the tandem and have already ridden more than 140 miles together since we picked it up in early May from Crank2 in Pleasanton.

Volagi Liscio Rival

Last, I had the good fortune of being able to get a real test ride in on the VOLAGI LISCIO RIVAL and have to say that I was very impressed. I picked the bike up on Saturday late afternoon from Crank2 and got it home and set it up to replicate the fit of my SL3. While I had originally planned to take it out to Portola Valley to climb La Honda and Tunnitas some unexpected car issues led to it being a local test ride which ended up being shorter than I would have liked due to 100 degree temps. One of the first things you notice is the Longbow Flex Stay Suspension which really does a great job at absorbing a lot of the road vibration and I gave the bike to proper test up the road to the S. Gate of Diablo which as you know if you have ridden it, this road is bad! The bike sports a BB30 bottom bracket and the frame is stiff when you stand on it. I cut the climb a bit short due to the fact that the cranks ended up being 175 mm and I set the saddle height assuming they were 170mm.

The disk brakes on the bike instilled an added level of confidence and the saddle was very comfortable. This is really a nice bike and considering it was a pre-production bike I was even more impressed. The bike I rode was a 53 and included the upgraded carbon wheel set. The weight was a bit more than my Madone 5.5 or my S-Works SL3 at roughly 17 lbs, 15 oz. This is a great all round bike and I especially liked the idea of the disk brakes for steep descents on a lot of the tougher centuries and double centuries as well as when the weather gets a bit wet. In wet weather disk brakes provide both the benefit of better stopping but also you are not tearing up the sidewalls of your wheels (especially bad with traditional full carbon wheel sets). I am sure that the production bikes will be lighter especially DA and Ultegra versions.

Thanks again for your support and if you haven't made a donation it is as easy as hitting the Donate Now button at the top of this page.

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

OK, time to start some regular posts!

The onetoughride 2011 season is off to a roaring start with our first two corporate donation commitments in totaling $3,000! While the rides on this season's calendar are shorter, the difficulty is raised to a higher level with the first event that I completed being the same course as Stage 7 of the Tour of California. This event was amongst the most difficult that I have ever completed and I felt redeemed a couple of weeks later as I watched the pros of the peloton dig deep over the last 4 miles of the course that climbed 2,000ft "after" the 9,000ft that had already been completed.

Following the L'Etape du California it was the Tour de Starbucks where I would serve as team driver, captain, and domestique to one of the toughest guys I know in this world and that is my son Nicholas. I fulfilled my duties working for Nicholas and his best friend Spencer and they not only nailed the "Tall" course but also decided to throw in a few extra miles just for fun...and since we went a bit off course;) This was their second tour and another great success!

I am currently looking for a Death Ride ticket and will add that as a training event for the Furnace Creek 508. As I write this I have also just added the Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge to this seasons schedule and am looking for a couple of other challenges before the main event which will be the Furnace Creek 508 where I'll race on a 2-man team. This will be my second time competing in the 508 and I am looking forward to riding with a great team mate and top notch crew!

I have added the Donate Now button to the top of the blog page as that's what this project is all about and I would appreciate your support and ask that you share info about this blog with others who might be interested in supporting the cause or may themselves be living with Primary Immunodeficiency.

Last, please feel free to reach out and let me know if your company is interested in advertising opportunities that we'll make available around the Furnace Creek 508. Full details can be found in the pitch deck that was included in the last post or at http://www.slideshare.net/sbursley/one-tough-ride-2011-season We would also welcome support from companies that may be interested in offering products or services that could offset the expenses of our participation in the Furnace Creek 508 as "all donations" are going to the cause and expenses are being borne by the participants.

Thanks in advance for your support!

Best,

Steve

One Tough Ride 2011 Season | Project Pitch Deck

One Tough Ride 2011 Season

View more presentations from Steve Bursley

Game on, One Tough Ride will compete in 2011 Furnace Creek 508

Our application for the 2011 Furnace Creek 508 has been accepted and I'll be part of a 2-man team. I'll have more to share soon and also will be looking to reach out to corporate donors that may be interested in supporting the One Tough Ride project while gaining additional exposure for their company. More to come so stay tuned!

Enjoy the ride,

Steve 

onetoughride 2010 season recap video!

Furnace Creek 508 Race Report Part 1 (Stages 1-4)

Adventure Corps describes it as "The Toughest 48 Hours in Sport" with references on their web site that include: "A Spiritual Odyssey, An Unparalleled Personal Achievement and A Premiere Ultramarathon Bicycle Race" and I can say that Furnace Creek 508 (FC508) lives up to all of this and more.

The FC508 was the last of the series of scheduled events for the onetoughride season and this event truly represented the spirit of the project and the pinnacle of my cycling experience to date. This event was also very different from the others on this seasons schedule as I would ride with four other friends (three riders and a crew captain) as a part of a 4-man relay team over a 509.54 mile course with 35,000 ft of climbing which we would have to complete in 46 hours or less.

We departed N.CA on Thursday, September 30th and arrived at the start city of Santa Clarita, CA that evening to be ready for the vehicle and bike inspection and team check-in on Friday. After completing the inspection and check-in we had some time to run some last minute errands and then it was off to the mandatory pre-race meeting. It was during this meeting that it would really sink in that this race would start in just a little more than 15 hours. As the Race Director shared parting words that a lot of things can and will happen out there and that we all needed to do whatever it took to make it to 29 Palms before 9AM on Monday...I admit, I was a little nervous. Following the meeting, we headed off to dinner and then back to the hotel to call it an evening as Team Magical Liopleurodon had a race that next morning.

Saturday, October 2 at 3:30AM and we are awakened to the sounds of thunder, lightning and rain. We turn on the TV to check the weather only to find out the S. CA is being blanketed by a tropical storm that is not expected to pass until Saturday evening...I think, wow this should add an element to an already extremely difficult race. Gil and I head out to the van to check the damage to the signs that have been printed with an inkjet printer and while they are wet, only one is destroyed which is good as we'll be DQ'd without these and will not be able to start the race which is now only hours away. After removing the signs we bring them back to the room to dry them with a hair dryer and then apply clear packaging tape to seal them for what we anticipate to be a wet race.

About 5:30AM and the team is up and some are off getting breakfast while others are getting ready. Another hour later and we are loading up the car and the weather is improving and I am just hoping that this storm is faster than we are and that somehow we'll get a break and make it to 29 Palms by Sunday night. 8:00AM and the van is packed with everything we brought (the race ends in another city so we will not be back to Santa Clarita and must carry "everything") and Gil is ready to start as our lead man out and the rest of the team must get in the van and meet him at mile 24 which is before the end of the first mountain section of Stage 1. From there, we would leap frog (supporting them with liquids and fuel) our rider throughout the daylight hours of 7 AM to 6 PM when you are then required to trail your racer with the appropriate signage and lighting.

As I was able to work with a company called SPOT who generously provided us with a SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger (which would be worn by each racer during his respective stages) we were able to track Gil's progress by going to a pre-defined web page (on my iPhone) that had been set up so friends, fans, and donors of the onetoughride project could track the team by simply going to the web site.

At roughly 10:45AM Gil rolled past us as team mates Jason and Jim were ready to complete bottle and food hand-offs while I shot photos and our crew captain Cheryl (Gil's wife) readied the team car for departure and the start of the chase of our first team mate on Stage 1. As Gil passed and took fresh bottles and fuel he was nearing a long descent and then a relatively flat section for the next 23 miles till he'd start the next big climb. Gil was tearing it up over the flats and was making great time!

We leapfrogged Gil for roughly the next 29 miles and then waited for him in the middle of one of the climbs. After waiting for some time we were getting concerned as Gil had a great pace the last time we saw him but it was heating up and we were now about 53 miles in. Another racer would pass and told us he saw Gil on the climb and he'd arrive shortly thereafter. A little bit beat up from the heat, he took on some water and fuel and continued the climb finishing up the the second mountain section of Stage 1. At this point he had a nice descent and then a fairly flat run into time station (TS) #1 where Jim would roll for Stage 2.

After leapfrogging Gil for the next few miles we headed for the TS #1 to get Jim ready to roll for Stage 2 as Gil rolled the last 8 miles without us.

2:49PM Gil is in to TS#1 and Jimmy off and out on the course and the weather continues to heat up. Jim's got about 23 miles of rollers and flats before he starts mountain section 3. He's ripping up the course and taking taking positions from the other teams as he's now starting the mountain section and this guy is on a mission and not slowing down for anything! As Jim makes a short descent down to HWY 395 and then a right it looks like he may be cramping and we hand off more Enduralyte's and he's got another rider ahead...and that means another one to pass!

With a chance to refuel before heading into the evening hours (officially by race rules this is 6PM to 7AM) we leave Jim on the course in pursuit of a couple of other teams and the rest of the crew pulls over for water and gas. Jimmy's got a quick left in less than a mile and he'll begin some more rolling climbs. After refueling we're back on the course and chasing Jim but he's nowhere to be found and then we see him further up the course and he has now passed at least another 4 riders since we left left him before the gas station.

Jim is now heading for a 3 mile descent but we'll have to stop him right in the middle as it is a couple of minutes before 6PM and we have to start trailing our race with the appropriate lights and signage or face the possibility of being caught and receiving a time penalty or DQ. After stopping and readying the van for night riding we are back out on the course and heading for TS #2 and ready to get Jason on the bike for Stage 3 which will be our first stage that we'll complete in the dark. As dusk turns to dark Jim passes another rider who cannot keep the pace but struggles to get back in front of Jim. The Course Marshall sees this and waives the other rider and his crew to the side of the road...not sure if they got a penalty or a warning. Since we are now riding under night rules we cannot leave our rider and must pace Jim all the way in and only then get Jason ready and on the bike but he'll have to wait till we have Jim's bike back on the roof before he can start his stage.

TS #2 and it's 6:47 PM and Jason is ready to roll as he starts Stage 3 with 153 miles behind us and 355.8 miles to the end of the race. Jason's ride will include the well known Townes Pass which is a 13 mile 3,800 ft climb.  With grades of 10-13%, this is going to be one night of climbing. In addition, this is the longest of the first four stages at roughly 95 miles! Jason is riding like a machine as he pounds out mile after mile which includes a fueling regimen of Hammer products plus Skittles, Coke, and Red Bull. After nailing Townes Pass and the climbs that preceded it, it's a long descent and we cannot keep up with him as he passes other riders on this steep and sweeping descent!

Wrapping up Stage 3 Jason rolls into TS #3 at 1:47AM on Sunday morning and I am up next. While it is late and I have been up for almost 23 hours the adrenalin is flowing and I am ready to get out there and pound out some miles! It's now 2:15AM and after some logistics at TS #3 I am on the course for Stage 4. With 252.89 miles behind us we are roughly at the halfway point and I've got some Rush R30 on the iPod and it's just an awesome night to be riding with the stars out in the middle of the desert. About 1.34 miles up the road it's a right turn and I am heading for Badwater which also happens to be the lowest elevation in N. America at 282 ft "below sea level". I am feeling great and passing a few teams as I am able to wind it up when I am not out in the wind. After about 45 miles of rollers (and being a bit concerned as I see lightning in the distance) I am at the start of mountain section 6 and overtake another team as I start the climb up Jubilee Pass. Once at the top, I've got a 1 mile descent before hitting Salsberry Pass which will I will soon find out is a 9 mile grind that will take me an hour and 26 minutes (according to my Garmin) to finish. The sun is now coming up and I am ready to get off this bike as I have now seen the sun rise 2x without any sleep. At 7AM I am a mile or two from the summit and I waive the team forward to head for the next time station (it's 7AM so we can start leapfrogging again) so Gil can get his bike off the van and be ready to roll when I get in. 7:51AM and I am into Shoshone and TS #4 and Gil rolls out on Stage 5.

There's more to come but you'll have to wait for my next post!

It has been an awesome cycling season but this year the onetoughride project is my reason for riding. I'll be fund-raising through the end of October and while we are close, we are still about $425 short of the $10,000 goal that I have set (which will be matched by the Jeffrey Modell Foundation). If you have not donated yet, my family and the families and friends of the 10,000,000 children and adults around the world living with Primary Immunodeficiency diseases would greatly appreciate your support. For those that have made a donation (and in some cases multiple donations), thank you for your support!

Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Furnace Creek 508 recap video!

2010 Furnace Creek 508: Recap Video from Rachel Schmitt on Vimeo.

Furnace Creek 508 - Team Magical Liopleurodon will be on the SPOT

With the last major event of the One Tough Ride project just ahead of us on Saturday, October 2nd, I am happy to announce that we have now raised $9,434.00 that will be matched by the Jeffrey Modell Foundation and directed to the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. As I write this post on the eve of my son's 10th birthday, I am so grateful to all of you who have supported this project.

Team Magical Liopleurodon will depart for Santa Clarita, CA on Thursday for race check-in and vehicle inspection on Friday with race start time for all relay teams at 9AM on Saturday. I am excited to share that friends, family, and fans of the One Tough Ride project will be able to watch the Team Magical Liopleuridon's progress over the course through a live GPS feed (web page will be activated prior to the start of the race) as we compete in what is referred to as "The Toughest 48 Hours in Sport" against a field of more than 200 racers from six countries. Each member of the team will carry the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger in his jersey pocket for their stages of this 509+ mile non-stop race that starts in Santa Clarita, CA and ends in 29 Palms, CA. I want to thank our friends at SPOT for supporting the One Tough Ride project and we look forward to sharing our progress during the race and also our story after the race on SPOT Adventures.

Team Magical Liopleurodon is:
James Batson - Stages 2 and 6
Steve Bursley - Stages 4 and 8
Cheryl Hopkins - Crew
Gil Hopkins - Stages 1 and 5
Jason Pierce - Stages 3 and 7

I'll be tweeting and providing updates (from our departure on Thursday through the race and our return to Northern CA on Monday) to the one.tough.ride Facebook Fan Page and you'll also be able to get updates by using the links on the right side of the onetoughride.blogspot.com site - see links underTeam Magical Liopleurodon | Furnace Creek 508

Thanks again to all of you that have supported this project and if you haven't ,there is still time to make a donation to this worthy cause and of course one that is very personal to me. I will try to issue one more post prior to the race and will also provide a complete race report with photos and video next week.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Furnace Creek 508 Press Release...race start is 3 weeks from tomorrow

For those that may not be familiar with the event, check out the Press Release that was posted today for the 508! http://www.the508.com/2010web/2010pr.html