Reality Sets In

Last September when I first decided to embark on this endeavor, I only imagined what being in great shape and riding a stage of the Tour de France would be like. This past weekend I reached another milestone in my training, an 85 mile ride, which is officially the longest that I have gone on any single day of training. Since I am a pro cycling geek and follow all of the major races, I know what the Dauphine Libere race means each June. It is the final tune up for the TdF and it is starting to sink in that I am only 5 weeks away from my date with Mt. Ventoux.

My training is going well, I was able to ride 85 miles at an average pace of 18 MPH. Just 3 months ago that pace and distance would have been unthinkable. As I watched the stage of the Dauphine that went to the summit of Ventoux, I thought about how I would have my own opportunity in a few weeks. Lance Armstrong was quoted this last week as saying that the Ventoux is the hardest climb in France, well that certainly makes this feat even more special.

I really appreciate all of the encouragement from friends and family, I can't begin to describe how your kind words have pushed me to my limit, when I thought I couldn't go any further. My fundraising efforts for the Lance Armstrong Foundation are doing well. We have raise $1065 so far, and I am in the process of receiving a $1000 matching grant from my company. On July 20th it will be me, my Trek Madone 5.2 and 107 miles of pavement. I am quite confident in my ability to finish this ride, but their is a very sadistic part of me that is starting to think about how fast I can complete this. I think that is crazy talk! Just finish! By the way, I received my entry form the ASO the other day.......I will be racing as # 6299. Thanks again to everyone, and I will check back soon!