2015 Key-To-Keys Ride Day 7 (For all of my fellow K2K teammates!)

Well, it's day seven on the Key-To-Keys Ride. During our morning dedication circle, I dedicated my 28 mile ride to a quote made by the late Jim Valvano.

Jim, who coached the North Carolina state Wolfpack to the mens NCAA basketball championship in 1983, succumbed to cancer just ten years later on April 28th, 1993. However, eight weeks before he died, he gave a very memorable speech at the inagural ESPY Awards. There's a quote from that speech I've thought about all week during this journey:

"To me there are three things everyone should do every day. Number one is laugh. Number two is think--spend some time in thought. Number three, you should have your emotions moved to tears. If you laugh, think and cry, that's a heck of a day." By that standard, we all had one heck of a week!

Today's ride took us through the city of Miami and down to Key Largo.

I was in van 4 (for life!) with (l to r) driver Erica, Jen T, Janelle, Mary Beth, your humble blogger and navigator JP. They have this path which runs parallel to a road only used for buses. We figured it's off the busy Miami streets and we should have no problems. And we didn't. Except for the fact that every half mile or so, there would be an intersection and we'd have to stop. It took us almost an hour to go ten miles. Not very fun. However, we did see some interesting sights along the way:

We came upon a group of shopping carts clustered around a palm tree. Janelle hopped into one and wanted me to push her. Who am I to say no! :)

We flagged down our driver and navigator and asked them to find a road with not so many traffic lights. They obliged and soon, we were flying down Florida route 909 into Key Largo and our hotel.

This is us after the ride chillin by the bay in Key Largo. Awesome! :)

Tomorrow, we take the last leg of our journey into Key West.  It's going to be emotional. My final post of this adventure comes tomorrow. Until then,

Rider Up!

Gary

2015 Key-To-Keys Ride Day 6 (For Will)

Greetings from West Palm Beach, FL. It's day 6 of the 2015 Key-To-Keys Ride (K2K). During this morning dedication circle, I dedicated my 28 mile ride to the memory of Will K.

Will's journey began on June 17, 2009.   He was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). After eleven months of weekly chemo treatments, many hospital stays, cranial radiation and a multitude of side effects, Will lost his battle with leukemia on May 21, 2010. He was a fine young man and was taken from us too soon. Will (and kids like him) are the reason I keep riding my bike and raising money to support cancer patients and one day find a cure for cancer. My goal is for no other family to be touched by cancer.

Day 6 of our journey saw us leave Daytona Beach (got to see the Daytona International Speedway) for West Palm Beach.

I was in van 2 today with (clockwise) navigator Alyssa, Theresa (Spicy Sauce), Lee (Soy Sauce), your humble blogger, Keely and driver Julie.  It was recovery day after 100 amazing miles ridden the day before. It was easy peddling day although it started out with Keely thinking she was in the Tour de France and setting a very high pace.  Once we reined her in, it was a smooth easy ride the rest of the way. We rode along Florida state highway A1A which is along the Atlantic Ocean. It was some pretty picturesque views as we rode. Once we we were done riding for the day, we stopped for lunch at a seaside cafe. Here I was eating lunch outdoors while staring at the Atlantic Ocean.  Amazing! 

Our dinner tonight was hosted by the Seaside Ladies, an group that gives support to charitible causes. One of our support staff has friends within that organization and worked with them to provide a delicious dinner for us. Thank you Seaside Ladies! :)

Tomorrow sees us travel to Key Largo (just like Bogie and Bacall) as we move and groove towards our ultimate destination of Key West.  Until then,

Stopping!

Gary

2015 Key-To-Keys Ride Day 5 (For Tom)

Reporting live (kinda sorta maybe?) from the Sunshine State, it's day 5 of the 2015 Key-To-Keys Ride.  During this morning's dedication circle, I dedicated my 100 mile ride to the memory of Tom W.

I met Tom through Team-In-Training back in 2006. A cancer survivor, we cycled many roads together and shared a lot of laughs.  He was one funny dude. He also (with my permission) stole all of my March Madness pool ideas. The old saying "Plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery" was certainly true here! A few weeks ago, Tom was out riding his bike near his home in Texas when he was struck by a vehicle.  He died on April 7th from those injuries. As I write this, I still can't believe he's gone. Rest in peace Tom. You will be missed.

Today, our route takes us for a 100 mile jaunt from Jacksonville to Daytona Beach.  It's an optional century day so if you don't want to, you don't have to. But as those of you who know me know, I WANT TO!! :)

Today's team is as follows (from l to r): Patti, Holly, your humble blogger, navigator Julie, Lee, Danny and driver Wes. We are known as the "100 Miles of Fun" team.  The night before, we had to decide what pace we wanted to ride at. There were three sign-up sheets: 16-18 MPH, 14-16 MPH and 100 Miles of Fun. Being a slow poke (mostly) on the bike, I decided to sign up for Fun. My reasoning was let's just ride and see what the day brings.  And boy was I not disappointed!  My day started off with a flat tire. I suspected a slow leak from the previous day and that proved to be the case. At least it didn't happen out on the road so that was a good thing. I change the tube and then after pictures, we were off on aour adventure. We had an awesome time riding together! We went fast. We went slow. We laughed. We chatted. We saw snakes alive and dead. We saw turtles. We saw lizards. We got pelted by large rain drops that stung. We saw the Atlantic Ocean. But most importantly, WE FINISHED!! :) Holly, Lee and Danny completed their first ever century ride. Cheers! And my thanks to the Fun team.  I could not have completed 100 miles without your help and teamwork. Thank you Funsters! :)

Our day 6 destination takes us to West Palm Beach. I will talk to you from there.

Stopping!

Gary

2015 Key-To-Keys Ride Day 4 (For Uncle Richard)

Greetings from Charleston, SC! It's day 4 of the 2015 Key-To-Keys Ride (K2K). In this morning's dedication circle, I dedicated today's ride to my Uncle Richard.

My dad is so fond of his brother, he named my middle name Richard in honor of him when I was born.  Unfortunately, he's been fighting a battle with prostate cancer.  Fortunately, he is winning his battle and his prognosis is great!  Go get 'em Uncle Richard! :)

Today, I cried.  It was a good day.  We started the day a little different than the others. We visited the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion in Savanah, GA. We were there to talk to the patients and pass out chemo care bags.

This was our group at the center.  I spoke to a man named Greg.  He has Stage 4 colorectal cancer. He was being infused while I chatted with him.  He told me only 6% of Stage 4 colorectal cancer patients survive.  He felt blessed to be one that 6% and that God takes care of everything.  He took a bucket list trip to Las Vagas with his wife which he said he throughly enjoyed. I thanked him for chatting with me and then left that area. As soon as I made it to the door, I broke down and started crying. I felt so horrible for what happend to Greg and the rest of the patients there. It was a powerful and emotional moment for me. The patients were very appreciative of our visit with them. It also shows we're making a difference with the money we raise. God bless the patients and staff at the Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion.

After we left the center, we drove to our ride start point on the grounds of Fort Stewart military base in Hinesville, GA.

Our ride crew included (from l-r) your humble blogger, Holly, Monica, Steve, our driver Teresa, navigator Steve (not pictured) and some guy with a cool yellow Camaro. We had a hard time constraint today which limited our ride to 32 miles. We had to be at our hotel in Jacksonville, FL by a certain time which was the cause for our limited riding.  It was also hot today.  It's been a while since I've rode in hot weather.  But it was still a fun day!  We all shared laughs, tears and our stories during our 3 1/2 hours of van rides today. These are some great people I rode with today!  Thank you Team #3! :) And with the close of today's ride, we have reached the halfway point of the Key-To-Keys experience!

Tomorrow is optional century day.  I signed up for the "100 miles of fun" century. I have no idea what that means but it will be interesting to find out!  Talk to you tomorrow from Daytona, FL! :)

Car Up!

Gary

2015 Key-To-Keys Ride Day 3 (For Steve)

It's day 3 of the 2015 Key-To-Keys Ride (K2K) and our stopping town tonight is Charleston, SC.  During our dedication circle this morning, I dedicated my ride to Steve, one of my former cycling coaches and current friend.

Steve is in a tough battle with Stage 4 Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas.  He has been in this fight since March of 2014.  His doctors have switched his Abraxane/Gemcitabine regimen for the more toxic Folfirinox cocktail protocol in the hopes of eradicating the tumor. Steve, you are the true warrior in this fight. Stay strong my friend!

My van assignment for today was #4 which meant we would ride segment four for approximately 40 miles. However, our van driver Julie and navigator Allie had a littile suprise for us.  BREAKFAST!!! Yes a real breakfast with all the fixins! WOOHOO!! But it was a special breakfast. Allie, who works with cancer patients at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, had arranged for us to meet one of her patients at a restaurant in Charleston. We shared a meal with 16 year old Henry Burneson, his mom Heather and dad Eric. 

From left to right, teammate Jim, van driver Julie, Henry's mom Heather, Henry's dad Eric, Henry, navigator Allie, teammate Annette, teammate Marti and your humble blogger. Henry is battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and is preparing for a stem cell transplant in May. It was a real treat to share a breakfast and stories with Henry and his family.  Our team dedicated our ride today to Henry and his fight against cancer. Keep fighting Henry and stay strong!

Once breakfast was done, we hit the road to our starting point: a gas station in Georgetown, SC. We  started the ride and approximately four miles into the ride, the heavens opened up and a downpour ensued.  Because of the rain and the road we were traveling on was extremely busy, we hopped in the van to stay safe.  We drove approximately eight miles until we found this beautiful Nationall Park. The rain had stopped by that time so we decided to ride through the park and complete the ride.  We made it to 32 miles before we had to stop due to a commitment we had to keep later in the evening.  

This is us at the finish today.  it was a a fun day riding with Jim, Annette and Marti! Lots of laughs and stories on the road today!

Tomorrow, we invade Jacksonville, FL.  We'll visit two cancer centers to see the how our efforts for UCF are affecting the lives of cancer patients, their doctors and nurses.  Talk to you tomorrow!

Slowing!

Gary

2015 Key-To-Keys Ride Day 2 (For JulieAnn)

It's day 2 of Key-To-Keys (K2K) and we'll be rolling into Wilmington, NC.  During today's dedication circle, I dedicated today's 50 mile ride to JulieAnn, one of my former cycling coaches and current friend.

A few years ago, JulieAnn successfully beat colorectal cancer.  However, she's currently engaged in a battle with cancer of the jaw.  An upcoming surgery and hospital stay are ahead for her.  JulieAnn has handled each of her cancer battles with grace, grit and determination. Go get 'em JA! Sock cancer in it's jaw! :)

Each day of the ride, they switch the van assigments so you get to know all the members of the team. However, I got van assignment 5 again which meant my team would ride from a point 50 miles outside of Wilmington into the finish at our team hotel.  Even thought I had the same van, I has three new team members and a new van driver and navigator.

Clockwise from left,  may I introduce your humble blogger, Annette, our driver Teresa, Patti, our navigator Wes, Brian and Janelle (my teammate from yesterday). We had an almost four hour van ride to our segment start today.   We had time for everyone to share their cancer connection.  I shared my story of how I came to be a part of this world via Team-In-Training and how that led me to UCF.  Powerful stuff.

Once we finally rolled out on our bikes, it was so looooooong (or at least it seemed so) due to couple of roads that seemed to go on FOREVER! We were so happy to see the lunch stop at mile 25!  And we had headwind and crosswind in every direction we traveled. It was tough.  But you know what? We kept peddling and it was so sweet when we finally rolled into the hotel. This is us at the finish:

An incredible day with an incredible group of people! :)

That's it for day 2.  Tomorrow, we head for Charleston, SC.  They are forecasing rain in Charleston so your humble blogger may be a little wet.  I'll report all the soggy details tomorrow. Until then,

CarBack!

Gary

2015 Key-To-Keys Ride Day 1 (For Hollie)

Today was our first riding day towards our ultimate destination of Key West, FL. Each day, we have a dedication circle where we state whom (or what) we are riding for. I dedicated today's 50 mile ride in honor of Hollie P. who is the daughter of a woman I work with. 

Late last year, Hollie received a cancer diagnosis.  She endured three chemotherapy sessions and 17 radiation treatments.  I am happy to report that radiiation session 17 was her LAST!! WOOHOO!!  Congratulations Hollie!! You are a hero in my book! :)

So here's how the ride works.  There are five seperate teams of five riders each.   Each team rides one segment of the total distance between stopping towns.  For example, the distance between our starting city of Baltimore, MD and our day 1 ending town of Virginia Beach, VA is 250 miles. This means each team will ride 50 miles.  There are 5 vans numbered 1 thru 5.  The van number determines what segment you ride.  Today I was in van 5 meaning we would ride from a point 50 miles outside of Virginia Beach into Virginia beach.  Today I was paired up with this group of riders:

From left to right, may I introduce Janelle, your humble blogger, Lee, Theresa and Marti.  I was dubbed by our van driver G. Love and the ladies were christened "The Saucy Ladies".  We had such a great time. Laughing, crying, riding and sharing stories.  It was an amazing day.  We finished on the banks of the Atlantic Ocean:

And decided to do some sport fishing after the ride! ;)  Actually, it was Park Ranger Bill who provided us with the fishing poles.  A fantastic end to a fantastic day.  To my readers, I encourage you to do a week long trip and indulge your passion.  You'll meet new people who share your interest and have a great time doing so.

Day one is in the books.  My next report will be from Wilmington, NC (birthplace of Michael Jordan).  Until then,

Keep the rubber side down!

Gary

Back At It Again!

Hello Everyone!

It's your humble blogger reporting from Baltimore, MD, land of crabcakes, Orioles and the start of an eight day, 700 mile bike ride called Key-To-Keys which benefits The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. Some of you are asking (well at least one of you) how did I get involved with this organization? One of my Facebook friends (who for the life of me I can't remenber) sent me a link to this ride last October asking me to check it out. I looked it over and thought to myself, "Why not?" So I filled out the application (yes, an application), went through the interview (yes there was a 45 minute phone interview), was accepted (WOOHOO!!) learned I had to raise at least $4,500 (as of this this writing, I'm just a smidge under $7,000) and bingo, bango, bongo, here I am! :) 

I'm excited, nervous, anixous and a bunch of other emotions right now. I hope I am adequately able to express my impressions of the journey we are about to embark upon. I hope you'll join me on this adventure via this blog. The fun begins tomorrow morning at 6:45 AM EDT. Welcome! :)

On your left,

Gary