Thought this was blog worthy:
I wanted to thank Mike More and his parents, who afforded Stephen Brown and I the opportunity to participate in the Sunflower Revoltion Ride on Sunday.
“The Sunflower Revolution bike ride celebrated its fifth anniversary Sept. 7 with new courses that begin at Riverside II Park in Milford and wind through Clermont County. It was a beautiful day with a touch of rain, which added to the sweet suffering that was endured. The ride, which raises funds for Parkinson’s disease research and wellness at The Neuroscience Institute at University Hospital and the University of Cincinnati, is presented by the Davis Phinney Foundation of Boulder, Colo., in partnership with the University Hospital Foundation. Phinney, a former Tour de France cyclist who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 40, will headline the event for the fifth straight year.”Cyclists can choose among routes of 100, 40 and 20 kilometers and of course we chose the 100k. By my estimation, around 150 cyclists were at the start line at 730am, ready to race…I mean ride the 100k charity race…I mean ride, complete with a timing clock and transponder chips. That’s right, a charity “ride” with a time clock and transponders…that leads me to the “challenge”, Mike proposed to me the night before…“Athletes entered in the 100K event can participate in the second annual Platinum Challenge, which offers a goal-setting opportunity. Those who cross the finish line in less than 2 hours, 45 minutes – an overall average of 22.5 mph -- will receive a platinum-level medal. Wayne Stetina, a three-time Olympian and five-time national champion, set the standard in 2007 with a time of 2:32:16. Cyclists who complete the 100K in less than 3 hours, 15 minutes will receive a gold medal, and those who finish in less than 4 hours will receive a silver. All remaining 100k finishers will receive a bronze medal.Leading cyclists entered in the 100K will be divided into starting corrals according to their qualifying times. To earn a position in the platinum-start corral, cyclists must have:• earned a platinum time of 2:45 in Sunflower Revolution IV• earned recognition as a CAT 1 or 2 cyclist• qualified at a Sunflower qualifying event• earned recognition as a Triathlon All-American by Inside Triathlon• received a special invitation”
Well, that’s all it took really…Mike and I had agreed that we’d shoot for the gold medal, which seemed like a pretty loafty goal, considering the lack of consistent riding we’ve both been doing.
Anyway, I wont bother you with a play-by-play of our 60 miles but I can say that it was one of the more enjoyable cycling challenges or rides that I’ve been a part of, in a very long time. The route and the people were great and considering the scope of the course, it was very well marked and marshalled by police and a host of volunteers.
For a race against the clock, the three of us busted our humps and did very well. Mike and I stayed with the main pack till about 20-25 miles-in (after the covered bridge dismount) and formed a six person group that worked hard to finish under the 2:45 Platinum time. The six of us barely made it, coming in at 2:35, averaging around 22.5 mph. Brown was riding like a champ and finished only a few minutes behind, earning the gold.
The food and after party was a lot of fun and I look forward to hopefully doing this great charity ride again next year. THANKS MIKE!
http://www.velonews.com/calendar/detail/79674
http://www.davisphinneyfoundation.org/
I wanted to thank Mike More and his parents, who afforded Stephen Brown and I the opportunity to participate in the Sunflower Revoltion Ride on Sunday.
“The Sunflower Revolution bike ride celebrated its fifth anniversary Sept. 7 with new courses that begin at Riverside II Park in Milford and wind through Clermont County. It was a beautiful day with a touch of rain, which added to the sweet suffering that was endured. The ride, which raises funds for Parkinson’s disease research and wellness at The Neuroscience Institute at University Hospital and the University of Cincinnati, is presented by the Davis Phinney Foundation of Boulder, Colo., in partnership with the University Hospital Foundation. Phinney, a former Tour de France cyclist who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 40, will headline the event for the fifth straight year.”Cyclists can choose among routes of 100, 40 and 20 kilometers and of course we chose the 100k. By my estimation, around 150 cyclists were at the start line at 730am, ready to race…I mean ride the 100k charity race…I mean ride, complete with a timing clock and transponder chips. That’s right, a charity “ride” with a time clock and transponders…that leads me to the “challenge”, Mike proposed to me the night before…“Athletes entered in the 100K event can participate in the second annual Platinum Challenge, which offers a goal-setting opportunity. Those who cross the finish line in less than 2 hours, 45 minutes – an overall average of 22.5 mph -- will receive a platinum-level medal. Wayne Stetina, a three-time Olympian and five-time national champion, set the standard in 2007 with a time of 2:32:16. Cyclists who complete the 100K in less than 3 hours, 15 minutes will receive a gold medal, and those who finish in less than 4 hours will receive a silver. All remaining 100k finishers will receive a bronze medal.Leading cyclists entered in the 100K will be divided into starting corrals according to their qualifying times. To earn a position in the platinum-start corral, cyclists must have:• earned a platinum time of 2:45 in Sunflower Revolution IV• earned recognition as a CAT 1 or 2 cyclist• qualified at a Sunflower qualifying event• earned recognition as a Triathlon All-American by Inside Triathlon• received a special invitation”
Well, that’s all it took really…Mike and I had agreed that we’d shoot for the gold medal, which seemed like a pretty loafty goal, considering the lack of consistent riding we’ve both been doing.
Anyway, I wont bother you with a play-by-play of our 60 miles but I can say that it was one of the more enjoyable cycling challenges or rides that I’ve been a part of, in a very long time. The route and the people were great and considering the scope of the course, it was very well marked and marshalled by police and a host of volunteers.
For a race against the clock, the three of us busted our humps and did very well. Mike and I stayed with the main pack till about 20-25 miles-in (after the covered bridge dismount) and formed a six person group that worked hard to finish under the 2:45 Platinum time. The six of us barely made it, coming in at 2:35, averaging around 22.5 mph. Brown was riding like a champ and finished only a few minutes behind, earning the gold.
The food and after party was a lot of fun and I look forward to hopefully doing this great charity ride again next year. THANKS MIKE!
http://www.velonews.com/calendar/detail/79674
http://www.davisphinneyfoundation.org/
2 comments:
Does anyone know if results of the 100K will be posted? And, if so, where?
I liked the fact that even though it was a charity ride, time chips were used and there was a competitive element. The ride itself was good but the roads were really bad in places and some of the route seemed dangerous to me. A truck came within an inch of me on 132. I live in Clermont County, in New Richmond, and 132 and 50 are bad roads - some people just don't care about bikers. I agree that the route was well supported at intersections - thanks to all the volunteers!!
Overall a good ride. Food was amazing!! Whoever thought of shrimp/scallop kabobs deserves credit for making it all worthwhile!
The results are posted on the web at sunflowerrev.org.
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