South Park got it right in their traditional hilarious way.  What am I on and what do I stand for?

Ride Map for the 2012 Tour de Cure Colorado

Ride Profile for the 2012 Tour de Cure Colorado

Early morning at the Boulder County Fairgrounds

Ethan at the third rest stop 20 miles into the ride... Glycemic Park at Carter Lake

Rest Stop #8 at mile 50 and Ethan made it over Devil's Gulch without stopping. Amazing ride!

The kid says he is tired but wants to finish. 25 miles left. Great effort from a 10 yr old.

The finish line is in sight.

Escorting in one of the team's Red Riders (ride with diabetes). The reason why we ride!

FINISHED! Team Agapee across the line with the Red Rider in front and flanked by five team members.

Relaxing in the tent with the team

With the century ride over, time for a little recovery.

After doing the Tour de Cure Colorado century ride four times, it was time to change things up.  My nine year old, Ethan, who did the family 12 mile ride last year and crashed came back and rode the 63.4 mile ride with me on the tandem.  The kid performed fabulously and was pushing the rhythm every chance he could.  I am proud of my son for the effort he put in and is already talking about next year where he wants to ride the 100 mile century ride.

Distance - 63.36 miles
Time - 03:47:44
Climbing - 2,314 ft
Max Speed - 38.4 mph
Ave Speed - 16.7 mph (this is a 9 year old who helped to push this pace!)

 

  Riding along on the tandem

Ethan and I at the 42 mile rest stop 

  A successful finish for the Tour de Cure Colorado 2011 - 100km ride

 Map of the route

  Profile of the route

While other people may look at this and laugh, riding two time trials in a week is a major feat for me.  Last year was the first time I raced since my knee injuries years ago so two times in a single week is major progress.  Although I did not tear up the courses, I did meet most of my goals.  A sub-27 minute ride for the Cherry Creek Time Trial Series - Week 1 was great since I rode retro.  For the Haystack ITT, a sub-45 minute was not as good as I wanted (was hoping for sub-40 minute) but the time was within the acceptable range due to the high winds on the return trip. 

Two ITTs down, six more to go.  Hoping to get sub-24 minute with the Cherry Creek ITT by the end.

The new year is upon us but thanks to 2010.  The past year had a lot of completions I never thought were possible with my knees.  My first ITT since 1992 and was able to beat my self-imposed time.  The Triple Bypass was a ride I never thought my knees would handle but I was able to crank at the end.  After two previous attempts at the Copper Triangle (attempt one was canceled due to work travel and attempt two was never completed), the monkey is off my back for that ride.  Setting another PR on the Tour de Cure and watching my eight year old ride in his first charity ride was fabulous.  Finally the stats... Yes, the stats. 

4,003.89 miles (goal at the beginning of 2010 was 3,600 miles)
249:50:49
16.0 mph average
163,558 ft of climbing

2011 will bring up a few more challenges focused less on the speed and the mileage but more on the fitness and competition.  Ethan received a Redline Conquest 24 for Christmas and so begins the father/son bike racing.  I would love to be competitive for the Morgul Bismarck race over Memorial Weekend as that was a race I was strong in during the early 90s.  I would like to see how my knees can handle a stage race.  But, I am looking forward to riding the Tour de Cure in August with Ethan on the tandem.  The goal for us will be the 60 mile ride.

For me, 2010 was a great year.  Hopefully 2011 will be as good.  Bring it on!

I love cycling.  Since the first time I got on the bike as a six year old without training wheels, I have been in love with the sport.  While most of my friends in school were more interested in cars and driving, I was working over my training plans.  Friends worked at fast food restaurants and seasonal jobs while I was lucky enough to work at one of Denver's premier bicycle shops.  Even when the bilateral patella tendonitis stopped the racing, the desire was still there.  After two orthopedic surgeons, an accupunturist, two chiropractors, and seven physical therapists, my knees are on the mend.  I am concluding my fifth season since the injury but I have been finally able to pass the passion along to the next generation. 

During the Tour de Cure 2010, my youngest son, Ethan, completed the ride.  The finish was a tough one for him...  About a mile before the finish, a mom was working on her son's bike on the bike path.  The child stepped backwards without watching what was going on around him and poor Ethan swerved into the gravel and then hit the ground.  He got up with both knees and his right elbow bleeding, had me clean out the wound with some water, walked around to shake off the pain, and got back up on the bike.  With blood dripping down his body, he pulled himself to the finish line.  After a short visit to the medic where his wounds were cleaned and wrapped up, he hung out with Team Agapee.  He was asked about his experience and this response summarized the passion.  Walking wounded, he looked the person in the eye and said "It was tough but I enjoyed it."  Prodded about riding next year, he replied "Maybe" but paused for a second.  He quickly changed his response to "Yes, I will be back."

The cycling passion has spread to the next generation.

Check out the red on the knees.

So the major rides have come to an end with the conclusion of the Tour de Cure.  Another great time was had by Team Agapee.  Reflecting back on the season, I participated in my first race (an ITT) since 1993, completed the Collin Classic while out in Texas on a business trip, did the Triple Bypass even though I broke a spoke going up Squaw Pass, rode past last year's crash zone and successfully rode through the finish line during the Copper Triangle, and soloed a majority of the way during the Tour de Cure while still breaking my personal record.  This year has been a wonderful breakthrough for efforts and has given a great roadmap for next year. 

No wonder cyclists get hit by cars.  716 people killed and 52,000 injured every year while riding bicycles is really funny, isn't it?  According to ESPN's Tony Kornheiser, it must be.  This is from his March 11, 2010, radio broadcast on ESPN 980 radio show.

"And they all wear...my God...with the little water bottle in the back and their stupid hats and their shiny shorts, they are the same disgusting posers that in the middle of a snow storm come out with cross country skiing on your block. Run them down.

I don't take my car and ride on the sidewalk because I understand that's not for my car. Why do these people think that these roads were built for bicycles?

They dare you to run them down. And then when you do, they get angry. What is that about?

And so you tap them. I'm not saying you kill them. I'm saying just tap them. Tap them once. If you're not rubbin', you're not racing right? So you pop them a little bit and see what happens.

...and somehow the law does not allow you to run them down.

I have a large powerful car compared to your stupid little bicycle."

Glad to know that a company such a Disney promote such violence.  I would expect this from a shock jock show but what kind of Mickey Mouse organization are they running?  Write the ESPN 980 management and let them know this is unacceptable.  Funny how the MP3 is now down but thanks to the Internet, the audio is still alive!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7wnBoWOfAU

In less than a month after CBS highlighted Waste Management on their Undercover Boss television show, tragedy hits. Cindie Holub, a cyclist in Arizona, was struck and killed by a Waste Management driver. What is sad about this is Undercover Boss showed the drivers having to quickly drive around their routes to meet the bottom line figures. Although the CEO stated he was changing policy, I guess preserving the life of another human was not part of the equation. Below is an email I just sent off to WM Customer Service. It is will interesting to see if they respond, I hope so...

As a Waste Management customer and a cyclist, I am concerned when I read about a Waste Management driver hitting and killing a cyclist in Arizona. As there is a three foot minimum rule in Arizona where a driver needs to give a cyclist a minimum of three feet of room before passing, this was not just an accident but negligence. While Colorado is not Arizona, do your drivers receive education about Colorado Senate Bill 148 that was approved and signed into bill last year? It provides similar language to the Arizona bill. I can appreciate Waste Management drivers are extremely busy but you can please let me know that your drivers are receiving ongoing educational training on the vehicles they driving and they understand no route or service is worth the cost of a life? I would appreciate a confirmation on this as I would like to believe Waste Management is a customer service-oriented company and not one that cheapens life.

References
Bernardi, R. (2010, March 2). Scottsdale cyclist's fight for her life ends. Retrieved from http://www.bicyclelaw.com/blog/index.cfm/2010/3/2/Scottsdale-Cyclists-Fight-For-Her-Life-Ends

Update

Here is what I received from Waste Management on March 5, 2010:

Rob, Waste Management does provide training for its drivers as it pertains to bicycle and pedestrian safety that is specific, detailed and the result of WM being the safety leader in the industry and the Company with unmatched resources to address this and all other hazards.  Hazard we continue to isolate and address faced by our drivers, customers and the public, each and every day.  This incident although tragic, will be used to improve our safety programs, ongoing safety training and our safety culture.  I (myself) am actually traveling to Phoenix next Tuesday as part of the Company’s specialized investigative team, a singular team that will try to learn from this terrible, terrible occurrence.  I do want to say thanks to you for taking time to voice your concerns about a topic I can tell is important to you and your fellow cyclists.  I will assure you, I will do everything I can to make sure this never repeats.  Always great to hear from a involved citizen and thank you for being a WM customer; if you have any questions or concerns, please call my cell # 602-xxx-xxxx.

Sincerely,
Rory Wirtjes
Colorado Utah Safety Manager

Time will tell if this improves their practice.  Hopefully Larry O'Donnell, Waste Management president and COO, will live up to his promise on CBS's Undercover Boss and back off on some of the insane work practices his company demands for their drivers.  Life is more precious than the need to rush around to pick up trash.