Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Inspiration

If you are going through hell, keep going.
—Winston Churchill



Pour les vaincre, messieurs, il nous faut de l'audace, encore de l'audace, et toujours de l'audace...!"
--Danton
(To defeat them, gentlemen, we need audacity, still more audacity, and audacity forever...!)



Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.
—Lance Armstrong





I sometimes used to sit on my bike, weeping with the pain.
—Eddy Merckx



If you wish to be out front, then act as if you were behind.
—Lao-Tzu



Because stories that matter have ends.

Anything that matters, ends. It's the end that gives it a meaning.

And the joy, for me, of fiction, the joy of narrative fiction is you get to pick your beginning and get to pick your end. And that imposes form and shape on the material between those two things. And that gives you a story. Otherwise you don't have a story. You have a life, maybe. But even then it's the dying that gives you a shape and the birth that gives you a beginning, that helps to form a life.
—Neil Gaiman (Prisoners of Gravity Interview, 1993)


Gear

I believe that all cyclists are gearheads.

To that end, I am cataloging my gear. It's (more than) a bit like alphabetizing your CD collection. It is a labor of love that taps into that "it's mine, all mine!" childishness in all of us.

Bikes

  • BMC RaceMaster (SLX-01) (2009)
  • Bianchi Veloce (1997)
  • Novara Ponderosa 29er (2009)
Clothes
  • Gore Summer Jersey
  • Rapha Classic Jersey
  • Rapha Long Sleeve Jersey
  • Rapha Roubaix Tights
  • REI Rain Pants
Shoes & Accessories
  • Sidi Mega...
  • Cateye Double Wireless




Bikes
Bianchi Veloce (1997)



Novara Ponderosa 29er (2009)


Specification

Description

FrameAluminum
ForkRockShox Dart 3 29'' w/ lockout
CranksetTruvativ Firex 3.1 44/32/22
Bottom bracketTruvativ Giga Pipe
ShiftersSRAM X-7
Front derailleurSRAM X-7
Rear derailleurSRAM X-7
Rear cogsSRAM PG-950 11/34, 9-speed
BrakesAvid BB7 Disc
Brake leversAvid FR 5
RimsWTB SpeedDisc All Mountain
Front hubShimano M475 Disc
Rear hubShimano M475 Disc
TiresWTB Prowler MX 29x2.1"
HandlebarTruvativ Stylo SL 31.8mm
StemTruvativ XR 3D
Seat postTruvativ XR
SaddleWTB Pure V Race
PedalsAlloy platform
HeadsetIntegrated semi-cartridge
ChainSRAM PC 951




Clothes
  • Rapha...
  • Rapha...
  • Rapha...
  • Rapha...

Shoes
  • Sidi

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

About

I am a husband.

I am a father.

I am a son.

I am a cyclist.

I am a cancer survivor.

I am a myriad of things.

I am one of you.

I RIDE TO LIVE

Riding is my therapy. It is my happy place. Riding makes me feel vital. Riding makes me feel virile.

Riding makes me feel alive.

On my bike I have wept for joy.

On my bike I have wept from suffering.

I have whooped with delight.

I have screamed my angst.

I RIDE TO BE ME

On my bike I learn my truths.

I pray to the Divine; and I hear It answer.

I dive deep within, and I emerge enriched.

MY STORY IS TYPICAL

In July 2006 I was diagnosed with testicular cancer (nonseminoma Stage IIB) the day before my 38th birthday. Two surgeries proved successful, and I am here today as a survivor.

NO ONE EXPECTS CANCER

We live our lives. When I was diagnosed, my youngest daughter was five months old and I had just started a new job. I never expected cancer.

IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE

Consider:
  • 1.4 million Americans are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year.
  • 560,000 Americans are expected to die from cancer this year, or more than 1,500 per day.
  • Nearly 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will develop cancer during their lifetime.
Chances are, you will be affected; 3 out of 4 families will help care for a family member with cancer.

THERE IS HOPE

More than 10 million cancer survivors live in the United States today.

I am one of them.

Gear

I believe that all cyclists are gearheads.

To that end, I am cataloging my gear. It's (more than) a bit like alphabetizing your CD collection. It is a labor of love that taps into that "it's mine, all mine!" childishness in all of us.

Bikes


  • Bianchi Veloce (1997)
  • Novara Ponderosa 29er (2009)

Clothes


  • Gore Summer Jersey
  • Rapha Classic Jersey
  • Rapha Long Sleeve Jersey
  • Rapha Roubaix Tights
  • REI Rain Pants

Shoes & Accessories


  • Sidi Mega...
  • Cateye Double Wireless




Bikes


Bianchi Veloce (1997)



Novara Ponderosa 29er (2009)


Specification

Description

FrameAluminum
ForkRockShox Dart 3 29'' w/ lockout
CranksetTruvativ Firex 3.1 44/32/22
Bottom bracketTruvativ Giga Pipe
ShiftersSRAM X-7
Front derailleurSRAM X-7
Rear derailleurSRAM X-7
Rear cogsSRAM PG-950 11/34, 9-speed
BrakesAvid BB7 Disc
Brake leversAvid FR 5
RimsWTB SpeedDisc All Mountain
Front hubShimano M475 Disc
Rear hubShimano M475 Disc
TiresWTB Prowler MX 29x2.1"
HandlebarTruvativ Stylo SL 31.8mm
StemTruvativ XR 3D
Seat postTruvativ XR
SaddleWTB Pure V Race
PedalsAlloy platform
HeadsetIntegrated semi-cartridge
ChainSRAM PC 951




Clothes


  • Rapha...
  • Rapha...
  • Rapha...
  • Rapha...

Shoes


  • Sidi

Rides

When we ride, we go...somewhere.

I find that mapping my rides brings closure to the experience. It gives me perspective on time, distance, and elevation, and it roots the experience into an image I can grok.

Even a simple loop can have character. sometimes, it is only revealed in its map.

I use www.bikerouttoaster.com to create maps of my routes. This Google Maps mashup does a nice job of creating cue sheets and providing elevation profiles for the routes.

I have grouped my rides into Local and Exotic categories. The local routes are those I access directly from home (Laurel, MD) or after a short (<30 minutes) drive. Exotic rides are those that take more effort to access. Local



Exotic



RideDistanceElevation
New York 5 Boros Ride43.09 Mi.2260 Ft.