Just happy to be alive (Helmet Required)

On the TDC on Sunday a fellow rider was in a bicycle accident. The ADA requires us to wear helmets on the ride. Some people don't like that (Mark is not one of them). I don't understand why people don't wear one when riding their bicycle let alone their motorcycle. I was in a motorcycle accident in 1997 and I am sure that I would have been hurt a lot worse if not for my helmet. There were scrapes on from the ground, what would my head have looked like?

I am glad that Mark is doing better. So the next time you hop on a bicycle or motorcycle think about this letter from him.

Friends and family,

Some of you know what happened yesterday. A miracle. The details are fuzzy, but let's just say I'm thankful for still being alive and eventually well.

During my bike event for diabetes, which I also helped plan, during a fast, winding descent I ended up in the guard rail. Thankfully my friend Dave was behind me and realized I needed help.

From talking with him, the scene was ugly. I was knocked out, bleeding, helmet cracked in half, and lucky! Somebody is giving me another chance. The fact that I'm home healing and able to write (albeit slowly as my fingers on my writing hand are swollen and the other arm in a sling from the broken collar bone) merely 30-some hours later tells me not to complain much.

I get another chance. Many others don't. I thank you for the kind words of support and look forward to seeing you again sometime.

Oh, and please always wear a helmet when biking. It really works.

Mark

I ride my Bicycle from Alex Sheridan

Alex did this song during the song contest in GOBA 2007.
Listen here

This is for you bicycle

 I love u

I ride my bicycle bicycle everywhere I go

I ride my bicycle bicycle everywhere I go

I ride my bicycle bicycle everywhere I go

I ride my bicycle bicycle only God knows

only God knows what i would do without my bicycle

this songs overdue im givin love to my bicycle

livin life baby whats the use without my bicycle

my bike got so much ice that it is frozen like an icicle

u should see my green one same color as a nice pickle

i got all colors green blue red and grey purple black

i used to have just one but then i picked up all the slack

and i got slacks that i will wear when i got bicycle

let the wind blow thru my thru my hair when i go bicycle

it was pretty tight I had nice old bicycle

a schwin made for two is my ideal type of tandem 2 wheel tricycle

I ride my bicycle bicycle everywhere I go

I ride my bicycle bicycle everywhere I go

I ride my bicycle bicycle everywhere I go

I ride my bicycle bicycle only God knows

I had this girl I used to love she put my bike into the stand

She had the cutest eyes

I swear she had the cutest tan

She had the cutest accent

She was really from japan

I had a basket on my bike so she called me basket man

I was the catcher on my baseball team she called me catcher man

She put mustard on my hot dog

I put ketchup on her hand

She was allergic to tomatoes�so you have 2 understand

why she was angry when I did it her face started 2 expand

she was swellin started yellin started speakin in japan

she said were thru were done were over then she told me once again

she said were thru were done were over then she stole my new kickstand so now im broken in my heart and im a lonely bikin man

I ride my bicycle bicycle everywhere I go

I ride my bicycle bicycle everywhere I go

I ride my bicycle bicycle everywhere I go

I ride my bicycle bicycle only God knows

I ride my bike, bike, ride my bike,

Ride all day and ride all night,

1st turn left and then turn right,

Bikes are black and bikes are white

I ride my bike, bike, ride my bike,

Ride all day and ride all night,

1st turn left and then turn right,

Im riding much to my delight

o im ridin on my bicycle

Im Ridin in street

So im Ridin on my bicycle

Im Riding in the heat

Its like 100 degrees so im wearing some degree I gotta drink a lotta water

Dad says drink it so you pee

I gotta buggy on the back

I gotta cooler in the buggy

When I get down to the park

Im gonna snack beside my huffy

If you wanna sandwich too hey well pull on up a seat, maybe we can sit on bicycles and we can

start to eat

I ride my bicycle bicycle everywhere I go

I ride my bicycle bicycle everywhere I go

I ride my bicycle bicycle everywhere I go

I ride my bicycle bicycle only God knows

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June 29th Workout #?? 180th Day of the year

I rode my bike to the gym this morning to take a spin class with MB.. I got there and found out someone else was going to do that class.. I hopped back on my mountain bike and did 5 miles out and then the 8.5 back home to shower and ride in to work. Total miles for the day was 21 miles..

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New Location

I have recently moved to a different working location. Same company and same
position. It is now 2 miles from my house. Today was the first day that I
had rode to work on my bicycle.. Because my legs are sore from yesterday it
hurt a little.. Ok.. They were screaming.. But I did it and I rode back
home.. I did not take the tandem to pick Morgan up at Summer camp, I took
the car and we went shopping for GOBA Snacks.. I did not work out today but
I am ok with that..

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2007 Tour De Cure (Team Wipe Out)

I would like to start of by thanking everyone that has supported my family
and me this year and in the past.

As I was driving out to Blossom for the Tour De Cure I drove down this huge
hill. I started to doubt if I could do the 100K Challenge ride.

The 100k Championship Ride will take you through the winding hills and
beautiful scenery of Cuyahoga Falls through the towns of Bath and Peninsula.
Once you are out of the Valley you will wind through the quieter roads. The
100k Championship ride is not for the faint of heart! The 100k Championship
ride requires pre-event training! Any cyclist who completes the 100k
Championship Ride will receive an Official 2007 Tour de Cure Champion Medal
at the post-event celebration.

The more I thought about the more I decided that I was not going to do it..
I would just do the 50 K difficult ride. Yea that is the ticket.. I went
back and sat in my car waiting for 50 K ride to start an hour after the
100K.. I started to think about what I would tell my daughter if she was
going to not do something because she didn't know if she would be able to do
it.. I got out of my car, got the bike down and decided to go for it..

We all lined up (about 30 riders out of the 60 riders that signed up for the
100 K) for the start of the ride (not a race). Before I got out of Blossom
I had to stop because there was not enough air in my back tire. I must have
forgotten to check the back tire.. So now I am by myself.. I did not see
another rider for another 6 miles. I stopped at the rest stop at about 12
miles. I was only there long enough to grab 1/2 bagel and so on.. There has
been some hills but nothing that was too big at this point.. Then I see a
note painted on the road.. Hill be warned. I went up this hill and thought
this is not bad. This is going to be easier then I thought.. After about
another 1/2 mile there is another note.. IT IS HERE.. It was the hill that I
drove in on.. I made it up it.. I was still feeling pretty good about at
mile 30.. Only 30 to go..

We have had lots of hills but only that big one so far.. Then I see another
note.. Climb Every Mountain. It was a huge hill but again I made it up with
out walking.. Then another couple of miles down the road was "UP, UP and
Away" I look up the hill is steep but does not look very long.. I shift and
I am grinding up it.. Then it turns and I see that it is a HUGE hill long
and steep. I stopped for a second and catch my breath and then grind away
some more. Ok.. Great I didn't walk that hill.. A couple miles later
another huge hill.. I see 2 people walking the hill.. I pedal past them.. I
saw a motorcycle rider that was helping on the ride sitting on the side of
the road getting ready to go.. I asked him if he needed a push up the hill..
Made it up that one also with out walking. I am talking to the two other
riders about how hard the hills are.. Then we hit another hill right away..
I shifted.. Pedaled and then it was like hitting a wall.. I had to stop. It
was so steep that I could not get enough momentum to start riding up the
hill again. I had to walk this hill. I was not happy about this

Then on the ground was another note.. Want Hills.. And we had a lot of hills
not huge or really steep but a lot of them.. So for the entire ride I only
had to walk the one hill. It took me a little bit over 4 hours of riding
time and 5 hours in all to do the 100K Challenge ride..

The rest of team wipeout.. They did the family fun ride that was just inside
of Blossom.. Next year we will be doing 3 different mileages. My daughter
and my niece that are the same age will be doing the family fun ride with my
wife. One of my sisters and my other niece will be doing the 25 K.. One of
my other sisters volunteered for registration and already said she would do
it again next year.
Team Wipe Out raised a total of $1,950.00 for the American Diabetes
Association..

Team_Wipe_Out.JPG

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