CycleOps - Cycling Computers, Power Meters, Indoor Bike Trainers and Cycles

Day 1 - March 4, 2011

It was a brutally cold start. We gathered at City Hall Plaza in Boston at 7am in sub-10 degree weather. Ride was 7 hours of move time, with another 2 + hours of idle time.

For the final 20 miles we were joined by a small group of local advocates and urban commuters that brought us into our hotel in East Hartford, CT. After warm showers, we had a nice evening at a local bar in Hartford to rally discussions with local advocates and governmental officials.

Ride was smooth; we have 4 days left to ride. Tomorrow we roll out at 7am, riding through the Bronx and heading to New York City.

Day 2 - March 5, 2011

148 miles and 9.5 hours of 'moving' time with near 8,000’ feet of climbing into New York City.

We had a 20 mile stretch through the Bronx where we were rock stars, joined by 25 riders in addition to the core 7 riders (myself, Tim Johnson, Pete Smith, Jeremy Dunn, Peter Bell, Kevin Wolfson, Richard Fries). We stopped at Cannondale in Connecticut, and they provided us a group of escort riders.

The climbing was unreal today, with many walls. We stopped in the Bronx at KFC to use the bathroom, but it turned into a mid-ride food eating festival.

Tomorrow we leave from NYC and will end up in Philly. It looks to be another 100 day. Weather is supposed to be pretty bad tomorrow with a ton of rain coming through.

Wish us luck.

Day 3 - March 6, 2011

We rode 85 miles yesterday from NYC to Philly in open pouring skies. It was of epic proportions. The guys soldiered on at a blistering pace, and we made it into Philly at 7pm.

Tomorrow we ride 100+ to Baltimore, and we’re hoping for a safe and quick ride. So far the ride mileage is 348 over 3 days with 18,000’ feet of climbing.

Day 4 - March 7, 2011

We rode day 4 from Philly, PA to Baltimore. The ride was hilly country rolling hills. The group was beginning to show signs of fatigue from the 148 mile day and the 85 mile day in the epic rain. We also had to deal with 15-25mph winds - often head winds. Spirits still remained high.

I was involved in a crash and ended up with a separated shoulder (AC Separation grade 3 and a night in the ER). The crew discussed the great night we had in Philly with such a solid turnout of supporters. After the crash, the guys rode to the hospital to meet me in the ER. They received a 2 mile police escort across a one-way bridge to meet me. Tim Johnson made the call to my wife as I ended up on morphine and was in-and-out from the crash.

Day 5- March 8, 2011

Day 5 was the final leg of 40 miles from Baltimore to Washington, DC. I drove the team truck, following the SRAM Neutral Race Services vehicle driven behind Butch. We followed as the crew rode into DC proper to end up at urban press camp at the National Bike Summit. What an adventure!

As a result of their efforts, the riders raised for this ride $30k towards Bikes Belong. To learn more about the Tim Johnson ride to the Bike Summit, visit their page on BikeReg.com:
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=12385

Or find them on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tim-Johnsons-Ride-On-Washington/101094589966522?v=info

This year's event takes place on Sunday, August 29^th 2011.  To learn move, visit the city's website: http://www.cityofmadison.com/transportation/ridethedrive/.

20by2020 is a community organization working together to increase the quality of life in Madison through bicycling. We are offering free, friendly, and convenient Valet Bike Parking service at Concert on the Square on July 21st. It's like a coat check for bikes — show up, hand over your bike to the 20by2020 bike valet, and go enjoy the event — no need to worry about the safety of your bike, relax, we'll keep a close eye on it till you come back! The Bike Valet will be located at the top of West Washington. It opens at 5:30, closes at 9:30. There will be a fee cupcake and cup of coffee to the first 100 people who arrive at the event by bike. Remember biking to the event = guilt free cupcake.

In addition there will be an informational tent about 20by2020. 20by2020 started when a group of Madison civic leaders took a trip to Northern Europe to study state of the art bicycle infrastructure. Many of these trip participants, including Susan Schmitz president of DMI and Kevin Hardman executive director of the Wisconsin Bike Fed, will be at Concert on the Square to answer your questions about what they learned and how they will bring those ideas back here to Madison.

We look forward to seeing you there.

For an entire week the participants only traveled by foot, bicycle and mass transit. The trip schedule was rigorous, but the participants returned with fresh ideas for improving the safety, convenience and appeal of bicycling in our community.

With 3% of commute trips made by bicycle, Madison is one of the top-ranked bike-friendly towns in the U.S. However, we feel that Madison has the capability of doing a much better job for those seeking alternative modes of transportation. We feel Madison could be a place where we are not confined to our cars but a city of choices. A city where it is easy and safe to bike, walk or take mass transit to any destination. That is why we have set the bar high: our goal is to make Madison a city where 20% of residents make the choice to commute by alternative modes of transportation by 2020. Imagine a city like that.

We invite you to come along on our journey...

Read the 20BY2020 Blog.

Become a Fan of 20BY2020.

Follow 20BY2020 on Twitter.

Sponsored and maintained by the local community, these 2 wells will make a tangible difference in the quality of life for each community member and support their efforts to lift themselves out of poverty. According to the World Health Organization, every $1 invested in providing clean water in Africa can yield economic benefits of $11. The Tour de H2O will be held on May 22, and will offer 25 and 50 mile rides on fairly flat, low-traffic, country roads on the southwest side of Columbus. Check out the event at tourdeh2o.org.

Thank you to the Tour de H20 team for putting your energy and time into this event. We wish you great success!

We think it is important to support and recognize people and organizations that we feel are utilizing bicycles to make positive changes in their communities. Last month we donated four Fluid2 trainers to Gearing-Up. Gearing-Up is a non-profit organization who believes that bicycles can help in the recovery process of women in transition from drug and alcohol addiction, domestic violence, and/or homelessness. The women are taught how to safely ride a bicycle for exercise and transportation. The main goal of Gearing-Up is to use the bicycle as a way to create a positive community for the women in transition based on exercise, independence, and strong social support. Our trainers will help keep the women at Interim House West pedaling through their recovery!

Learn more about Gearing Up at gearing-up.org.

CycleOps--How did you get involved with the World Bicycle Relief?

Jordan-- SRAM asked any sponsored athletes who'd be at Interbike if they would volunteer an hour at the WBR stand. I knew nothing about the project beforehand, but I read up on it prior to the show. It seemed like a great project, and when I got more information from Chris Strout and Katie Bolling during the time I spent with them handing out promotional materials, I became even more interested. I love the idea of helping someone directly. I think that charities like the Red Cross or Livestrong are fabulous, but I really connect with the idea of directly impacting an individual by empowering him or her. It's very tangible. I call it the "teach a man to fish" approach.

CycleOps--What made you decide you wanted to raise money for it in conjunction with Ironman AZ?

Jordan-- Professional triathlon is a very selfish and solitary endeavor, and I mean that in the best way possible. It's not a negative thing. Just the reality of it. I can't give in a big way financially myself. And the race itself is not a great platform either. So doing the fundraiser beforehand seemed like an ideal way to get involved. I proposed my raffle idea to Katie, who gave me the tools with Kintera to get it started. I thought it would be a great way to finish the season. I'd already achieved my goal for the season at Ironman Canada, so this was a way to focus on something more than winning just for myself. It was something for me to focus on and strive for that was about helping other people, which was really rewarding and also motivating.

CycleOps--Did you think about the cause during the race? How did it motivate you?

Jordan-- I thought about it a lot during training. Especially on crappy days where I thought about how much training I had done and how nice it would be just to take it easy. During the race I used it at some points where it was really starting to hurt to keep me focused. When I wanted to slow down, I thought about the bicycles I'd promised if I won. And that helped me tough it out. Seeing Rudy Garcia-Tolson, who has done so much for CAF (Challenged Athletes Foundation), was a good reminder about the power of performances to inspire. Rudy was kicking butt for CAF. And I needed to do the same for WBR.

CycleOps--What was it like crossing the finish line?

Jordan-- It's surreal. There is huge relief to be done. But that moment in the chute before the line is a total rush. You never want it to end. You feel like the king of the world.

To learn more about World Bicycle Relief, visit his page at worldbicyclerelief.org.