by Chris Geiser

So a guy, you know the guy, this guy, this guy walks into this burger joint. You know the one. No names, but it has the secret menu, and it’s only available in certain areas, and they cut their fries from fresh potatoes, but no names. Suffice it to say, for as up as I thought I was on the secret menu, how to get the right onions, how to get the extra whatever sauce, and how to even get the burger wrapped in lettuce. Dude. Really? We need to have a talk if you are that guy. Go the whole way, treat yourself, just maybe don’t have the 1700 calorie chocolate shake. Have a bun once in a while. Ok, we are off track. Anyway — the secret menu…I had to test a theory.

With my last trip to California, I had to know, was there a hidden archaeological link between my use of the double-double, and, you know, the double-double. I put it to the test. I sauntered up to the window, to see what the burger guy (BG), knew about our GFNY Double-Double.

Me: Hey, so this secret menu.

BG: Yeah, what do you need to know?

Me: Well I want to see if I can get a GFNY Double-Double, Portugal and Deutschland style?

BG: The what now? Dude, all I caught was double-double. (Editor’s note — check out how dude is clearly dealing with the wrong thing, he doesn’t even capitalize double-double. I had heard these were the politest people in the fast-food game, but come on).

Me: Well, see, I just hear that there was a “double-double” (non-capped), as you had said, and I am like, well, I wonder if they mean a GFNY Double-Double — because, what else is there?

BG: Dude, I don’t know what that is, and dude, there’s a line, and people look pissed. Are those three dudes with you?

Me: Yes, but, forget them! Now, I must know — the GFNY Double-Double — with Portugal, and Deutschland — the inaugural GFNY of Portugal, do you have it? The GFNY European Championship, do I get it here? Dude, do you know what a Double-Double really even is?

BG: Look man, I don’t know what reality show you guys are working for, but do you want some food or not?

Me: Well, yeah, I guess, I will have a double-double- you know with the small letters, if that is really a thing.

BG: It’s a thing dude. Fries?

Me: Sure.

So I ate it. Sue me. But anyway…(continued below photos)

 

Well there it is in Red and White, and Yellow (psychological thing I think). Should I redact the logo?

Back to the Real Double-Double

We are starting to wind down to the magic week of the GFNY Double-Double. With my Training Peaks warning me today that it was only 4 weeks until GFNY Deutschland, I had yet another, “Home Alone” moment in realizing how much planning, training, and anticipation there is yet to go before we board that plane for Frankfurt.

With our plans in full motion, there were some observations made by Tom and by Jack about some of the logistics that we were facing. All this in the face of my call with Peugeot about the short term lease we had arranged for that would allow us to drive a brand new van from Frankfurt to Lisbon, via Belgium and Southern France. I had booked the reservation, confirmed it, paid for it, and got a confirmation email that said Lisbon to Lisbon. Hmmm…that’s not very convenient, you know, with the arrival in Frankfurt and all that? I got on the horn…(with apologies and adoration for Bob Newhart — if you read this in his voice, I promise it will be funnier).

Me: So, I want to inquire about this reservation confirmation number is 555, 1–2–1–2, yes, 1–2 that’s right.

(Editors Note: Part of the Bob Newhart experience is only hearing the one side — just go with it).

Me: Yes, that’s right, I know it says Lisbon to Lisbon, but the problem is that I wanted Frankfurt to Lisbon.

Me: Well, yes, I understand, but the thing is, I booked it for Frankfurt. Oh, yes, I’ll hold.

Me: Yes, still here. Yes, well I wanted Frankfurt to Lisbon.

Me: Well, Yes, I realize that Lisbon to Lisbon would be easier for you. What’s that?

Me: Well, sure, I guess that would be nice, and, yes, we want to end up in Lisbon, and spend time in Cascais, but I am flying into Frankfurt you see. That’s, that’s in Germany you see.

Me: Well, the other side of Spain. No, other way, toward the Alps. Right. Yes, that’s right, yes, but if you get to Denmark you missed it.

Me: So you can’t do that. OK, well can you cancel it?

Me: Thank you, you’ve been very helpful.

AAAAND SCENE! And just like that we are on to searching for alternatives, with the most plausible being an RV. Yes! That’s the life, no need to stop in Spain or anywhere else, we don’t need no roadside bathrooms — we’re mobile! And with the best of intentions, before you know it, a combination of cost benefit analyses and good ole common sense from Tom, and Jack provides us with some clarity. Race GFNY Deutschland, a train to the ancient French city of Avignon (where I once drove a car down a pedestrian alley — if you think the people on line behind me at the burger joint were pissed — wow), drive to Vaison la Romaine, meet Tom, climb the Ventoux, eat, sleep, drive to Marseilles, and Fly to Lisbon. It’s the perfect plan. Less driving, less expense, hit the highlights, and race both GFNY Deutschland and GFNY Portugal with maximum energy.

Some Travel Perspective

With as much travel as I do for work, you would think that you could burn out on travel outside of work, but I would never say that that’s the case. As was mentioned in a recent GFNY podcast (#humbled), I had never left the country until I was 40. I grew up in NY, spent 7 years in Seattle, and thought I knew everything there was to know. In 2007, just after my 40th birthday, I got the opportunity to go to Moscow on one of the most interesting and exciting adventures I had ever had. It completely changed my perspective in that, I had never seen another way of life, and also because, I thought NYC was the biggest city in the world. I found out very quickly, that I didn’t know anything. I was hungry for more, and in 2015 I combined cycling and travel via GFNY, and I was hooked.

In the shadow of Ventoux, I made new friends that I am still in touch with. The following year, I reciprocated, when a rider from Belgium came to NYC for GFNY, and we went out for a training ride together. We have been in touch about cycling and other topics ever since. And if you read the Italian Job, you know how many new friends we made in Italy, including this guy:

Mirko D.P. The assembly of the bike, and the special ceremonial exchange of garments over coffee with Vito Valentini.

Hey, Was this Headed Somewhere?

I am SO glad you asked! It’s absolutely headed somewhere. To Europe in fact. Where we plan to gather, race, eat, tell stories, and create new friendships, new experiences, new adventures. We are bringing folks that are new to GFNY, like my friend Jack. Jack and I go back 27 years. Recently reconnected, I told Jack about the GFNY Double-Double in an airport club a few weeks ago. I sent him the blogs, I told him the plan. He got back to me immediately (before I had even taxi’d out- “I am in”).

Jack and I after an evening of training for the GFNY Double-Double in Seattle

After an evening of training, and streaking through the I-90 bike tunnel in Seattle (an experience I thought I had caught on video but didn’t hit the right button DOH!) we headed into the sunset and the last climb up into the downtown area.

Me: Jack — how are you feeling, are you ready for the GFNY Double-Double, Deutschland, Portugal?

Jack: Maybe not this second, but in six weeks I sure will be.

Me: Are you excited?

Jack: You know what, I am. When we talked in the Alaska Boardroom that day, I thought, this is one of those life experiences you have to jump on, you have to do it when you are 54, so that you don’t regret not doing it when you are 64.

Me: the good news is, if you start doing it when you are 54, you will probably still be doing it when you are 64!

And We are Off to the Races

With that — I think it’s time to focus on the races. After all, that’s what is driving our trip. I won’t pretend that the European travel adventures I have had have not been rich experiences, but the races are the essential DNA in creating those experiences. In the next two editions, we will focus on the races, and the race organizers. With a little reversal, Portugal will be coming up first (published simultaneously with this article), and my conversations with Ana Paula Cavalcanti, an originator of GFNY Brazil, and now in Portugal getting set to produce the inaugural GFNY Portugal!

Read all about it here: https://medium.com/@chris.geiser/gfny-double-double-a-edi%C3%A7%C3%A3o-especial-de-portugal-7a5821af3c4d

by Chris Geiser

The Inaugural GFNY Portugal

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ana Paula Cavalcanti, the organizer of GFNY Portugal. A cyclist herself, after her experience in the 2014 GFNY Championship NYC, felt that she had to bring that experience to Brazil, and now that she is in Portugal, she is bringing the experience there. In the city of Cascais, on the Portuguese Riviera, the first ever GFNY Portugal will take place on September 9, 2018. A dream for Ana, realized through her love of cycling, her passion for the GFNY mantra of “Be a Pro for a Day” and her ability to connect the right people at the right time, and to leverage a regional love of cycling, to produce a top-tier cycling race for over 1,300 cyclists.

With the time differences between NY and Lisbon in play, I spoke to Ana via a Facebook messenger call while traveling home from a time trial in Upstate New York, on a Sunday afternoon, at close to 10PM Lisbon time. Ana’s patience for taking a call at that hour was very much appreciated. I wanted to make the best use of her time and to get right to it.

The Course

I asked Ana about the course — what are the challenging aspects, what were the high points?

The course has a beautiful combination of the ancient and the modern. While seeing castles and medieval history along the way, you will also pass one of the most modern and advanced universities in all of Europe. Riders will also get to experience the beautiful coast lines, and get their fill of climbing throughout.

How about the climbs? Are the climbs challenging?

Oh yes, there are climbs that punch up for 10–12% in some places, and take you through winding old European roads, as well as through beautiful forest land.

Our read of the course shows an undulating profile, where you are really never finished climbing, but with some fast, and some technical descents that will challenge the most experienced riders looking to get to the front of the pack.

What would you say the most challenging aspect of the course is?

For sure it will be the elements. The course goes through varied terrain, and while going in and out of shadows and forests, into sun, and down to the coast line where the wind will surely challenge every rider, keeping your temperature managed, and being able to ride against a headwind will be key to a great performance in the race. You will heat up on the climbs, and need to be ready to cool down some on the descents. 8,100 feet of climbing over 100 miles, you will be challenged throughout the course.

Support for the Race

Listening to the Daily Cafe with GFNY you can hear how the support of the town, region, and country of the race, is critical to it’s success. Portugal’s cycling culture is ready to roll out the red carpet for the event. Ana, tells us how the various governments are ready to support.

We will have professional Moto support from the same group that provide moto support for the Tour of Portugal (Volta a Portugal), they are the professionals who love cycling, and know how to provide safety during a race of this type. The Portuguese Cycling Federation is also in full support of the race. Riders should note, some, but all roads, will be closed to traffic, so we remind riders to obey our local traffic laws at all times.

We will also have amazing ambassadors for the race, such as mountain bike rider/teacher Beto Liber, who is an accomplished triathlete, mountain biker, road cyclist, and ultramarathoner. Daniela Reis, the Women’s Time Trial champion will also be an ambassador, as well as many of cycling’s elite from across Portugal and Europe.

I was grateful to gain some insight into the race via my phone call with Ana. As a follow up, and in preparation for writing this, I was excited to learn more about how she got involved with GFNY, and how the ideas for bringing GFNY to Brazil, and to Portugal came about. As it turns out, we both raced our first GFNY’s in 2014. That was my best GFNY result to date — but it’s early days yet. After speaking with Ana, I am focused on taking a deep dive into Portuguese culture and history, possibly learning to surf in Cascais (where do you think #SurfGFNY came from), and to ride and race the beautiful and historic roads of GFNY Portugal through Cascais and back to the ocean, where we will all celebrate a fantastic day of racing at the team villa!

Hopefully, we will see you there. If you are coming — please get in touch with me through Facebook, or through Medium, and we will get you connected with the rest of the group.

Next up — the GFNY Deutschland, Special Edition.

by Chris Geiser

But do not despair…It’s merely the End of the Race vehicle. This is where I found myself on May 20, 2018. While I had hoped I could race, circumstance, a culvert, a few non-displaced fractures, and there I was.

Camping Out…

The De Rosa | Gavia Cycling camp was in full swing, during the week leading up to GFNY Championship NYC. With crutches and a thermos full of coffee I took on the role of driving the team car, and providing support, directions, and the ability to drive by the riders yelling “ALLEZ! ALLEZ! FORZA RAGAZZI! If you ride like that on Sunday — the money is up the road and you are through! Let’s GO!” The combination of fake, yet polite laughter, and the telepathic thoughts of “slow that car down you bastard, and I will ALLEZ your face off!”. (This was especially true while they were climbing, but as usual, I digress).

Me and Mr. Wolf (Mirko), pausing for the nectar of the godz — a little coffee, this time NOT in the middle of a race.

Or maybe they liked having me around. It was tough to tell. The mind does wander to the smart phone while waiting for a half a dozen cyclists without motors to get up and down Bear Mountain. The posts from GFNY HQ kept getting more exciting, and missing out on the day just felt impossible. With three starts on the bridge, and one start with a walk of shame on the bridge, I would have been about to finish my 5th, and so the though of not being part of the race was a little tough to handle. Time to put the smartphone to good use.I reached out! (text thread is abridged to protect the innocent and may actually be written in subtext):

M: dude, crashed, out of race, lack purpose, direction, motivation to continue, need meaning on May 20.

U: dude, had a feeling this was coming. Can U drive

M: dude, driving with De Rosa | Gavia camp — right now — yes — can drive

U: end of race?

M: YES!

U: great

M: you made my day!

U: email coming!

So let it be texted, so let it be done. Was on my way to driving the End of the Race vehicle. For the uninitiated, the End of Race car sets a pace that is commensurate with the cutoff time. Drive over the bridge after the last riders, and keep a pace that reaches Fort Lee at 5:30 PM. For anyone you pass, you notify them that the race is moving on, and while they are OK to keep going and finish, all the support is now ahead of them. For those who race, this could be a sinking feeling.
In 2014, at 155lbs, I never saw the end of race vehicle. It wasn’t until 2015 when I saw it as I approached Mott Farm Road. It was coming in the opposite direction, toward Bear Mountain, as I was getting ready to start climbing again to the unforgiving back half over Mott Farm, Pinarello, and Cheesecote. My elapsed time that day, was 7 hours. That should give you an idea. In 2016, having a not great day, and not great season, I saw the car climbing Bear, as I was descending. I stopped in Ramapo that day and it took me 45 minutes to find myself and the will to continue. I signed up at Gavia to be coahed by Vito Valentini the next day. In spite of my difficulties in 2017, I missed the car again, before meeting the Bonk in Clarkstown and limping home.

The 2018 PR I was shooting for (10:30 would have been nailing it, but I wanted more)

Understanding the Race

With an early start time of well before 5AM, I met my partner for the day Cherie, at the foot of the bridge before we proceeded up the ramp to the start area. We were given supplies like water, gels, and instructions on how to brief the riders we would pass. At the bridge, we were kitted with the light bar, and we would roll as the convoy did, the last vehicle to cross the bridge.

Not racing, but proud to be wearing the GFNY logo. The bike leaning up against the car is Frosty! Frosty has spent a lot of time leaning on, or being carried by the car you see — also known as the Gavia Cycling White Whale. We warn that you not refer to the driver as the White Whale — it never ends well!

Cherie was a pro. This was not her first rodeo, her first GFNY, or her first time in the end of race car. She had a great demeanor for speaking to the riders, and a completely professional outlook on how the day would go. There was a lot to this, and a co-pilot was critical. In addition to talking to the riders, Cherie plotted what time we should be at each turn, had water ready for the riders, and kept communication with the command center active so that they knew where we were at all times.

As we commenced, it was mostly phoning in support. It was early, still a little cool and we couldn’t give any water away. It was all good and people were making their way. We had a number of Bear 50 riders we were seeing once the speed of the full course got going through the park and up to the first climb at Alpine. For me, I knew the course. Where the turns were, where the climbs were, and where riders may be in difficulty. As you might expect, the first forty or so miles were pretty uneventful, mostly flat tires, that we would identify for support when they were not already there (most of the time they were), or simple mechanicals that someone was already working on. It became very clear, very quickly, that some of the things that you take for granted while you are racing, are so professionally done. Hearing the motos and support cars communicate, made me feel like I was driving in a convoy in a World Tour race.

When you race any GFNY World event, you see motos, you see support wagons, you see the broom wagon (sometimes you and Massimo see it together), you see the rest stops, and you see the police. The police spend the entire day keeping the race moving, and keeping the race safe. When you slow down and take a look, you get to experience every detail, the sheer number of supporters, drivers, police officers, and volunteers that it takes to create an unbelievable experience for 5,000+ racers. It’s absolutely staggering.
The day was all about tight communication, talking to riders in difficulty, providing encouragement, and helping out however we could. As we got through Haverstraw and closer to Bear Mountain, the day started to heat up. The water that no one was interested in for the last 37 miles was suddenly a hit. We got up and down Bear as the gate was closed for Perkins. The last of the Bear 50 riders were on their way up, and the last few that got up before the cut-off were on their way down. They had successfully completed the challenge and were ready to bask in the spoils of their finisher medal and the knowledge that they had tackled a tough course.

It was time to move into the back half of the course. At various times during the training season, we spend time focusing just on this part of the course. The grades kick up with a maddening frequency providing a true test of your climbing capability. You have just climbed Baby Bear, Bear, back over Baby Bear, and now move toward Mott Farm Road. A sharp, steep, hairpin turn that introduces you to what the next 60–90 minutes of your life are going to be like. You continue to climb on Mott Farm before the respite of a quickie descent, a right turn, and then the sharp kicker of Queensboro and up to the quick descent and base of the Andrea Pinarello, with little respite before Cheescote. Knowing that was ahead led me to look at Cherie and say “I think it’s getting hotter, and even though the temperature is not that high, once you start climbing that sun will bleach you dry”. From the air conditioned purview of the white whale, we started to notice riders stopping here and there. With water and gels to provide we were able to provide some relief to riders that were running dry between rest stops.

On to the climbs. Some riders I knew, some riders I didn’t. The situation was explained, we were keeping a pace, and as we move on, so does the race. But as these brave riders heard the news the response was usually, “but I can finish, right?”.

Like the Grinch finding out that finishing GFNY doesn’t come from a store, perhaps finishing GFNY, thought the Grinch, means a little bit more.

I began to think of how grateful I should be for all the riding I have had the good fortune to do, all the races I have been able to complete. The good days, the bad days. Somehow, replaced at some point by the wattage, and the cadence, and all of the data that starts to take over your cycling life as you start to get deeper and deeper. But what does it really mean? In 2007 I did my first cycling event and barely finished. I had no data except for “I think I left the parking lot around 7, and I got back to the parking lot around 5”. I was never prouder. We all have goals, and every rider we talked to had their goals in site.

More and more as the roads tipped up, and got seemingly close to the sun, the water was flying out the windows of the whale. Folks were asking questions, and we were keeping a careful count. Punctures on the side of the road had been replaced by leg cramps — but they were not deterred from meeting their goals and finishing the race.
When we crossed the finish line, with a view over the dashboard of the kite that marked the end, I had a greater appreciation for GFNY than ever before. As a rider, it’s provided me with life lessons, a great coach, friends, and a second family. As a driver I was honored and privileged to see the sheer determination that develops in competing, completing, and coming back for more.

Eric Olson

Riding Because I Can
Eric Olson is riding GFNY to remind himself of the simple challenges his beloved wife faces.

Tracy Olson will never let her husband Eric, 52 take his health for granted. A Clemson Alumni, Olson has been riding for six or seven years and has tackled some of the world’s toughest rides. For cycling enthusiasts the names the Etape du Tour and Alpe d’Huez, B2B, speak for themselves. He has also ridden closer to home and heart on cycling endurance challenges in the name of fund raising. 

“Ride 4 MEE was a 3 day 500mile idea my biking buddy had to help raise over $6000 for Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (MSF). The MEE stands for Motivate Educate Empower.”

2016 was Olson’s first GFNY NYC after his best friend Kyle Schneider introduced him to the event.

“I definitely owe my finish last year to Kyle,” recalls Olson. “We had suffered many a mile together and due to the cold weather and inadequate clothing I was ready to throw in the towel at Big Bear!”

Olson is rolling out again this year, hopefully better prepared for what the weather may deliver. This year, wife Tracy will be his inspiration along the 100miles. 

“Tracy has had MS (Multiple Sclerosis) for 29 years and the last five have taken so much away from her. On a beautiful day she’ll look out the window and cry when she sees people walking, biking, running and golfing. She hates the cold and feels isolated and confined in the winter.  She can barely get around on her motorized scooter any more,” shares Olson.

The Olson’s have been together for thirteen years and married for ten. While Tracy thanks her husband for being on this “MS” journey with her, Olson thanks his wife, ‘his sweetie’ for letting him take the journey with her.

“Nothing has been harder or more rewarding than to JUST DO IT with her,” says Olson. 

Tracy needs help with every simple act of daily life, getting dressed, washing, even putting her hair in a ponytail. But despite the daily struggle of life’s simplest tasks she still manages to go to the gym and do what she can. Her courage is infectious.

“Some people complain about pain when they stand or walk …my wife just wants to walk.” Olson impresses. “She does not quit and is an inspiration to all that know her,” Eric continues.

Olson is riding GFNY to remind himself of the simple challenges his beloved wife faces. Some challenges appear to be Herculean tasks and Olson knows Sunday will be a tough ride but for him it is just about finishing.

“I have nothing to prove to anyone but myself. GFNY will remind myself what it feels like for her (Tracy) to get from the bed to the bathroom.” 

A timeworn three-word mantra will play over in Olson’s mind on Sunday. ‘Just Do It.’

“I’m riding for Tracy because if she could JUST DO IT, It would be done.”

 About MS:

Olson says, “We are getting closer to Cracking MS but there is a long way to go. To find out more or make a donation please click here: msfocus.org. Alternately Olson asks that you simply donate some time to a neighbor in need or a friend that may be feeling down. It is the simplest most rewarding act of humanity you can give. 

A Ride to Remember Bart

The old adage, ‘live every day like it is your last’ is one we are all two familiar with yet rarely heed. The truth of the matter is you just never know what lies around the corner. 

On Sunday, four riders will be celebrating their friend who tragically passed away last year age 34. Each will be donning a headband with the slogan “Powered By Bart” to be reminded that as they push themselves through the ups and downs of the grueling Campagnolo GFNY World Championship course that their friend is right there with them. 

Jeffrey Bart was a cyclist, not super serious but a weekend warrior, hobby cyclist. He had taken part in GFNY NYC in 2014 and 2015 and had tried to talk his best friend, Jared Rice into joining him on both occasions, but it had never worked out.

This year, 35-year-old Rice will be riding his first GFNY NYC. It will also be his first 100miler and he will be riding alongside some of Bart’s closest friends in his honor.

“He passed very suddenly. Alone in a hotel room traveling for work, we think it was due to an unknown heart condition or arrhythmia that caused heart failure. The true underlying cause of death was never clearly identified.” Reveals Rice.

Rice and Bart had been life-long best friends since the age of five. 

“We literally went through every stage of life together from playing as kids, to high school to college. We lived in Colorado after college as ski bums; we traveled in Europe together for a summer, and then lived in NYC together for many years in our twenties.” Recalls Rice.

 Not particularly avid cyclists, they both enjoyed riding as an occasional hobby.

“We didn’t really get into it (cycling) until I had moved back to Maryland, so living in different cities didn’t really provide many opportunities to ride together.”

Rice describes Bart as ‘always a happy guy – always up for going out to play, experiencing different and new things, and challenging himself.’ In the last few years he had become an avid Crossfitter, had run the New York City marathon and done GFNY NYC twice. 

This Sunday will be Rice’s debut. 

“I’ll be riding with our best friend Ron Kenigsberg who Jeff worked with for the last 12 years and two other friends, Paul Gigante and Franko Kokot.”

Coming to terms with the passing of a best friend or loved one is hard at any stage in life but particularly trying when a life is taken so young. Jeff undoubtedly left a huge void in Rice’s life.

“I’ve definitely struggled to find ways to honor and remember my friend since he passed,” says Rice.  When I talked to Ron about doing the GFNY this year, I knew immediately it was something I wanted to do to remember him. I remember being so impressed and in awe of Jeff’s courage and ability to commit to and tackle what looks like it’s going to be a beast of a ride.” 

Rice continues, “I’m downright scared at how hard it might be. I’ve never even done a century, and have not trained as much as I would have liked but I know that whatever happens on race day, Jeff will be with us and we’ll do what it takes to make it to the finish line together.”

Rice will also have a favorite phrase of Bart’s that has become something of a mantra. The words ‘Wake up, there’s a whole world out there to enjoy’ can also be found engraved on an honorary bench in Central Park.

Joe Sheppard

Winning

A little over a year ago Joe Sheppard could hardly make it up two flights of stairs without getting winded. This Sunday he will take part in his first 100-mile ride.

Joe Sheppard, 37 and father of 2 was at his heaviest a little over a year ago when the scale tipped 297 pounds. Every time he lost weight it would come back with interest. Finally at a tipping point, Sheppard spoke with his doctor about numerous diets, prescription medications and discovered that he had a metabolic condition that meant rather than his body allowing weight loss to stay off it was fighting to keep the weight on.

New research had proven that weight loss surgery would act as a reset for Sheppard’s body and prevent the weight from returning. This fact coupled with a family history of obesity and heart disease, Sheppard decided on Bariatric Surgery (gastric Sleeve).

“On August 2, 2016 I decided to use the surgery for exactly what it is, a tool and not a magic wand. I am now the healthiest I have ever been in my life, ” tells Sheppard.

Post surgery as the weight loss continued, Sheppard started to get to the point where it didn’t hurt to train and exercise.

“While exercising I decided that since I have been given the opportunity to have access to this tool I would put it to good use and chose to rejoin Team In Training and raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).”  

Today, 140 pounds lighter, Sheppard is finding out nothing is impossible anymore.

“There are a lot of things I can do now that I couldn’t contemplate before. Good stuff, like playing with my kids, going for runs and of course riding my bike. I have way more energy and a new found confidence that I didn’t have before.”

The change came with many lessons. Having to drop 40 pounds prior to surgery, Sheppard had to be extremely disciplined about what he put into his body. The discipline has since become a lifestyle change that he has effected onto his kids and family.

“My family. They were my biggest motivator. I want to fight against any weight related disease in the future and be around for my kids.”

Cycling has always played a role in Sheppard’s life. He found out about Campagnolo GFNY through Team in Training and is looking forward to this Sunday where all the hard work will hopefully pay off.

“I had wanted to do a century ride for some time and living in NY State with family in the city, GFNY was the perfect fit.”

“I am looking forward to meeting the rest of my Team, crossing the finish line and the sense of accomplishment that will come with it. Knowing that slightly more than a year ago I could barely make it up two flights of stairs without getting winded and now I’ll be riding 100 miles.”

So does Joe Sheppard have any concerns for race day?

“I admit, I’m a little worried about Bear Mountain but I’m going to do my best and get up it, although I can guarantee it’s not going to be pretty or fast.”

If you want to support Joe and Team in Training you can find out more HERE.

Michael Halderman

Bib #343
On Sunday, Michael Halderman will wear number 343 with extra special pride. 

There are many reasons why people request a certain bib. A lucky number, the year they were born, their age, the year they got married! Michael Halderman, 60 has been requesting the same number for the past three years and his persistence has finally paid off.

“I was a Captain on 9/11 and assigned to the FDNY. As a lieutenant I worked with and trained many of the 343 members that perished on that day,” tells Halderman.

Now retired and logging 10,000 miles a year on two wheels he admits to having attended too many funerals during his years of service.

“Through the 80’s and 90’s we lost a lot of members. Then in 2001 we had a Fathers Day fire in Queens and two more men were lost from my dad’s old firehouse in Woodside, Queens.”

Two months later Halderman’s father passed away. One month later 9/11 happened. If the culmination of events wasn’t already enough to process, Halderman lost his brother David that day. The question ‘why couldn’t it have been 342 souls’ is one Michael has asked himself over and over.

“For sometime that morning my mother didn’t know the status of the two of us. She knew he was working but didn’t know where I was. She wasn’t sure if she had lost one or two of her sons,” he recalls.

On reaching the scene, Halderman had to call his mother to say that they, Squad 18, were all gone. 

To say 9/11 changed how Halderman lived seems like an obvious statement to make. It changed lives around the world. For Halderman who is still haunted by the towers, it naturally prompted a change. 

Halderman took his last drink on September 13, 2003.

“I wasn’t a hard core alcoholic, but I knew it was doing me no good. David fought the devil to drink but was well on his way to sobriety upon his passing. In some way I felt doing this act was in honor of him,” he reveals.

Halderman however was unprepared for the side effect of his new sobriety. 

“I seemed to dwell upon more on what’s been wrong in my life rather than what’s going right.”

Refocusing on the positive Halderman ramped up his love for cycling and was quickly able to lose twenty pounds and then another ten. In 2004 he took part in a cross-country bicycle tour with other Fire Department members raising money for the Widows and Children’s Fund for non-line of duty deaths. 

“That ride was such a humbling experience, so many people came and welcomed us into their small towns.”

Cycling has helped Michael finally find peace with himself and since finding out about Campagnolo GFNY through a bicycling magazine he now has a yearly goal to work towards. 

“I admit a friend talked me into the first one in 2015 as I wasn’t sure how it would go.”

It went pretty ‘okay’ and Halderman made it his mission last year to make the top 10% and (this year) hopefully take a podium spot in his age group. It may also come as no surprise that for someone who logs an annual 10,000 miles he looks forward to the burning climb and challenge of Bear!

Tomorrow 28 riders roll out for their 7th consecutive GFNY NYC

Growing from one race in 2011 with 2000 riders to a global cycling marathon series with over twenty races scheduled for 2018, Campagnolo GFNY World Championship remains the ‘young’ granddaddy that draws cycling enthusiasts from around the world every May.

There are twenty-eight riders who have been rolling out for 100 miles every year since 2011. Through rain and shine, they have experienced first hand some of the best and some of the worst weather NYC can offer. So what brings these loyal riders back year after year?

38-year-old Ben Voss loves everything ‘GFNY’ He has ridden every event and has also taken part in GFNY Deutschland. Upon seeing an advertisement for the inaugural GFNY NYC, Ben immediately made it his goal to do the 100miles. The sea of green jerseys on GWB now brings him back each year. 

“I got into road biking in 2009 at that point I had no idea what I had set in motion. My most notable memory to date has got to be the “rain”. It is still today my number one wartime cycling story when I come across a fellow GFNY cyclist,” he recalls.

Alex Ostroy started riding when he was just 12. Ostroy, now 51, took part in the inaugural event after an invite from Lidia and Uli. 

“I’d say they forced me into it,” Ostroy kids “But seriously, you ​just can’t help but be impressed with GFNY’s scale of​ ambition and organization. My most memorable year was 2013. I felt like the event itself really found its footing.” ​

Ostroy has also participated in GFNY Ventoux, which perfectly doubled up as a holiday in Provence. He found there was a big difference to the finish line on top of Mount Ventoux compared to Fort Lee.

“The usual merriment was absent as finishers were just staggering around in a ​hollow-eyed daze. I swore to myself I’d never do it again while I was ticking off the final endless k’s up the mountain but one month later I signed up again for the next year!” 

Lifelong athlete Hajo Thiele is a runner turned cyclist. “I started riding seriously in 1993 and haven’t stopped since,” he says.

A resident of Westchester, Thiele, 66, was curious about riding on the other side of the Hudson and was so impressed that GFNY were able to have the George Washington Bridge closed for cyclists he wanted to acknowledge this achievement and support them from day one.

“The peace of mind that we ride on closed roads is extremely appealing and I shall keep returning as long as I continue to achieve good results.”

Eric 48, Rene 47 and Jaime 52 are the Villeriaz brothers and have taken to riding the event annually together. 

“Rene was the one who found out about the first GFNY and we all signed up. It was tough but fun. Since then we always manage to end up urging each other to sign up after each race – no matter how tough the ride that day was,” says Eric.

Most riders have a favorite part of the course but for Eric it is simply being on a course with so many other riders who just want to have fun.

“GFNY is the one and only ride that we all train for each year. My basement is a reflection of that work, posters; medals from all the rides are on display!”

Whether it is your first or seventh GFNY NYC, seasoned rider Ostroy has these words of wisdom.

“I’d say just try the event once and I’m confident you will find the experience both totally novel and worth every penny. I’ve ridden to Bear Mountain countless times (on weekend rides) and they blend together in my mind, but I distinctly remember each GFNY event vividly,” 

He continues, “it’s also the only time you will be able to race through NYC blowing through every light and round ever corner and meet people to ride with at every level from all over the world.”

Alfredo Ruiz, 45yrs

Superman Rides

Learning to ride, as an adult can prove quite challenging. Learning to ride as an adult with Parkinson’s disease, now that is the stuff of superheroes.

Alfred Ruiz, has three children. Like many fathers, in his children’s’ eyes he is Superman. The difference between Ruiz and most dads is he has Parkinson’s disease. His disease does not define him; instead he thanks it for making him a better person. 

It has not been an easy journey of acceptance. Being diagnosed at 32 (Ruiz is now 45), the Puerto Rican was embarrassed of the lack of control he was loosing over his body.

“Imagine yourself just trying to get a glass of water that’s right in front you and your brain is commanding your body to grab that glass because you are thirsty, plain and simple, but you just can’t move because of the disease.” 

But it is not always about the physical challenge of buttoning a shirt or putting on socks. Over the past 13 years Ruiz has watched his daughter being born. Knowing he would be unable to pick up his newborn out of fear he may drop her was a huge emotional strain.  

“I never expected to face a challenge like this disease at such a young age. In the beginning I didn’t even go out because of my tremors and the involuntary movements caused by the Parkinson’s.”

Ruiz lived life in those days in anger, blaming the world and falling into a horrible depression until one day he decided enough was enough. 

“I never knew how strong I was until I was faced with no other choice and decided I had to make a difference. I can’t give up because my family needs me. I asked myself how can I tell my children not to give up if I am the first one to give up. We lead by example and from that day my life changed for the better.” Recalls Ruiz.

Discovering cycling two years ago from a friend in a more advanced stage of Parkinsons opened up a whole new world to Ruiz. Having never ridden a bike before people told him he was crazy to start but has now been riding for two years with 100% support from his current neurologist.

“Thankfully I never listened. Yes, it has been tough but I would do it all again in a heartbeat.”

He found an outlet in the form of his ‘Zen place’ called Cardiotek Cycling and Monday thru Thursday can be found cycling away any pain, anger and frustration. It is Ruiz’s way to prove, not to just himself and his family but to others with and without medical conditions around the world that there are no limitations to what you can do with a lot of faith, determination, love and courage.

Weekends are when Ruiz takes to the road for training. Starting at 4:30am the side effect of insomnia and 3-4 hours of sleep per night ironically works to Ruiz’s early morning routine.

“I ride my bike because it gives me life. I choose to ride Campagnolo GFNY 2016 because it’s a huge challenge. I may be the last rider to finish but I do know one thing I WILL NOT QUIT AND I WILL FINISH no matter what it takes.”

Learn more about Ruiz and his cycling in a video that will be shown this September at the 4th World Parkinson Congress to be held in Portland this year.

David Harrell, 43yrs
617.800.9072

Against All Odds

Learning to walk again is like training for a Gran Fondo. If you don’t put the work in you are not going to do it. That’s what Dr David Harrell believes and who am I to disagree.

In 1996 whilst working on his first PhD at the University of Georgia, Dr David Harrell (43) was struck by lightening.

Harrell recalls nothing of the one in a million occurrence. He is left with a reminder in the form of an entrance and exit wound on his back. Suffering severe nerve damage and left with near paralysis of the right leg and severe weakness of the right arm, Harrell was left wheelchair bound and told for the second time in his life he would never walk again.

The first instance was age four, when as a toddler he underwent major hip surgery. He defied odds then not willing to accept the hand that doctors had prescribed him.

Against all odds he is walking again. Against everything every doctor he saw told him. The scientist in Harrell and a stubborn Scottish streak would not give up without a fight. 

“I saw numerous physicians over the years and they all said the same thing, that I need to embrace this,” recalls Harrell. “Well, my mum had polio during WWII and I watched her battle and not give up, she was a great source of inspiration.”

Harrell relates learning to walk again much like training for Gran Fondo. If you put in the hard work you can complete it. Perseverance is a word he repeatedly goes back to. Without it he would still be in a wheelchair.

Cycling is a recent discovery that opened up a whole new world to Harrell. 

“I went into the chair weighing 165 pounds and nine years later when I finally got out of it I was 285 pounds and a further 12months away from walking on my own power.” 

Out of shape but grateful for every step he could take, to combat the weight gain he last year purchased a commuter bike and started commuting to work by bike a few days a week. 

“I fell in love with cycling and having a means of exercise that allowed me to also transport myself to and from work in a shorter time frame than driving or taking the subway.”

A move from Boston to New York at the end of last November provoked Harrell to finally purchase his first ‘real’ bike and it was a generic search on the Internet for ‘cycling New York’, where he first learnt about Gran Fondo. 

“I had never done any organized ride and my first group ride was the first time I’d cycled with others. Until that ride, the farthest I had gone was 37 miles. That day we did about 62 miles. I couldn’t believe it. It felt amazing and wonderful. To be able to do that was incredible.”

It was also painful, but for Harrell the pain is always there and he deals with it on a daily basis. 

“You know, it sucks to do a 96-mile road ride on one-hour sleep but there are other people that didn’t sleep and are still out here. Everyone has challenges and life is about taking on one challenge at a time until you get to the top.”

At the end of the day to be able to get on his bike and ride with his cycling ‘family’ Harrell feels like he is winning every time especially when ascending Bear Mountain on a group training ride feeling unbelievably strong.

“That ride was a very special moment for me. I was feeling great and looked out at the view and thought oh my God I climbed that on a bike. If I think back (over the past few years) that was never supposed to happen.” 

Katie Sullivan, 26yrs old

French and economic major Katie Sullivan was young and independent with a bright future ahead when in a split second everything changed.

Sullivan’s life was put on hold and the 23 year olds newly found independence stripped away when a cab hit her at 30mph. The last memory she has is leaving Gramercy theater in New York, crossing 23rd and Lexington. 

“I woke up in ER at the Presbyterian Cornell. I had broken my leg in two places, shattered my humeral head and broken almost all the bones in the left side of my face including my eye socket, nose and lost six teeth.” Tells Sullivan.

Her first memory post accident was her front teeth being pulled forward. 

“I was in hospital for two and half weeks, I couldn’t talk as my jaw was wired shut and couldn’t walk. Those first few weeks involved A LOT of morphine!” Sullivan now jokes.

Less than 72 hours later surgery began on reconstructing her shattered face. Taking seven hours and using three separate bone grafts from her skull, a new nose, mouth, and cheek were created. Were it not for two small incisions behind her ear, today you would not have known the trauma Sullivan went through. 

There have been numerous follow up surgeries and other minor surgeries on her knee and shoulder and finally, in February of this year Sullivan had her last surgery.

“I am not uncomfortable in hospitals, but I am so done with them.” Sullivan says of the whole experience. “The chapter is closed, I can now move on.” She says. 

And move on she has. 

Active in sports, (playing DI lacrosse at Colgate university), she was told numerous times that being healthy and active was crucial to a rapid recovery.

“I was not used to being dependant on others and suddenly being back with mum was a very strange. If I was hungry I had to ask her to get me some soup, if I needed the toilet she had to assist me. I had to accept being dependant again and that was hard.”

Having spent two months ‘healing’ in the wheelchair, one day the doctor asked her to get up and walk, and she did.

“I was terrified. I had been sitting down for two months and to suddenly get out of that chair was very disorientating. 

Once Sullivan was able to walk she decided she should try running and then if she could run she should choose a goal. She completed her first ever half marathon in April 2014.

From running to cycling and Sullivan discovered the world of cycling and triathlon when she started working as a brand and marketing manager at Swerve Cycling Studio. 

“One of the instructors convinced me to do a sprint triathlon last summer, I have since done two and finally committed after renting a bike all last summer and brought my own bike.”

The next challenge is 100 miles this weekend.

“My brother (I have three) found the race. We are so close. He is my best friend and I said if he was going to do it I would do it.”

Sullivan knows she has a different look today but her positive spirit remains intact. Her attitude before the accident was always positive and outgoing. But, if anything has changed she try’s to make every day count.

“It is cliché but it is so true. My go to motto in my head is you should do this because you can.  I really have no other limitations than mentally, and those are limits I can control.”

Bill & William Tymms
With a little help from my Son

Bill Tymms, 52 is riding 60km further than he routinely trains in Melbourne, Australia where it is flat with no Bear Mountain to climb. There are two reasons for this. The first is simple, Tymms simply doesn’t want to part ways with his bike at half way and put it in a truck.

The second is not so simple. Tymms might not be here today if his father had decided to ‘select’ a child who would be free from Charcot Marie Tooth Disease (CMT), a mutation in the gene, passed on from a parent carrier. It is a controversial topic and a conversation Tymms has had with his father who carries the disease and is now confined to a wheelchair.

“If my father had been able to ‘choose’ a life free of CMT then I would not be here today.”

Tymm’s sits in the corner of better not to know. He has four children (3 boys and 1 girl) and they are all now of an age where they can get tested to see if they are also a carrier. Some want to know. Others prefer not to know. CMT is a disease that has a 50% chance of affecting your offspring. So statistically two of Tymm’s kids could have the disease. One of those is Tymm’s son William, 23, who will be riding with and assisting his father on Sunday.

“15 years ago I became conscious of the disease. I literally had to stop playing tennis, as my legs just would not work correctly. But if I dig back further there were indicators that you tend to ignore.” A cyclist of 25 years, cycling suddenly became an outlet that allowed Tymms to have some sense of normality, it helped to keep him sane and just like everyone else when out on the bike.

“I strongly believe riding helps defer the eventuality of this disease. I do not want it to define my life. It will not kill me. There always is someone else worse off and I am blessed in so many other ways.” It was a bike mechanic who referred Tymms to a podiatrist five years ago who in turn recommended an Ankle Foot Orthosis. Tymms began to wear the AFO and his riding dramatically improved.

However, as Tymm’s got stronger the off-the-shelf orthosis would break. An answer came in the form of an Intrepid Dynamic Exoskeletal Orthosis (IDEO), a device designed by the US Army for returning soldiers with leg injuries. “An IDEO is similar to an amputee running on blades, it gives the wearer an energy return. On the bike it allows me to keep my feet in the correct position and get out of the saddle and ride (try) to keep up.”

The difference the IDEO AFO makes to Tymms life is night and day. With far less impact on his legs and back walking becomes brisk. The downside is the braces are extremely uncomfortable when sitting down for extended periods and limits the time to which Tymms can wear the IDEO AFO. “Without the IDEO AFO I walk slowly with a stick and have a very stilted gait and often stumble. Balance is extremely difficult as is standing, as I generally need something to hold onto. It is truly amazing how much difference the IDEO AFO makes.”

Campagnolo GFNY is 60km longer than any rides Tymms has been doing but there is a secret helper in his back pocket in the name of son William, an undergrad doing his Masters in architectural design in New York.

“He is on the University cycling team and we have always talked about doing something together.

There was always a reason I couldn’t and then William said just come to New York and let’s do it. I will do it with you. And so here we are. My biggest trepidation is can I actually do it? I won’t find out if I don’t try and I do know this could be my last chance physically to do something like this with my son.”

Follow Bill, Bib# 2957 & William, Bib# 2958 on race day via our athlete tracker.

Borgmann Family

Keeping it in the family
By Emma Bishop

Alena Borgmann (21) was the youngest rider in GFNY 2012. She is back for her forth outing along with her mom and dad. The event has become an annual tradition for the cycling obsessed Montclair, NJ family.

“It’s important to me to do the race every year because now that I’m in college, I don’t get much bonding time with my parents anymore and GFNY is the ultimate bonding experience.”

After the initial GFNY induction in 2012 the competitive spirit started to come out in the Lovi-Borgamnn household. In 2013, Mom, Catlin (49) took the honors ‘kicking everyone’s ass (according to Alena) and in 2014 they finished together.

“Mom and I stayed together mostly out of coincidence last year.  We happened to be at similar fitness levels and after the first 80 miles figured it would be mean for one of us to drop the other.  This year my mom will probably win.  She’s a beast.”

Dad, John Lovi (54) was the pioneer, getting first into triathlons in 2006. Catlin soon followed and then Alena and cycling soon became the favorite thing to do with Mom and daughter routinely mashing the pedals leaving dad in the dust. But wife, Catlin has nothing but admiration for her husband who has little time to train due to work commitments.

“He never fails to come through and join us. John is just an incredible trooper to even be doing this tomorrow — I’m so amazed and gratified that he keeps on doing it every year. We are very big on traditions in this family!”

So who is going to take the honors on Sunday? Dad gives his 0.02…

“Although I started the cycling tradition, the girls totally rule the road. It’s a toss up between my wife and daughter for Queen of the Cycling. This year I would say my wife will be the fastest because Alena is getting over a serious bike accident last year. It’s just amazing and inspiring that she has bounced back so well. It makes me cry with pride just thinking about my brave daughter. SHE ROCKS!!”

The bike accident John speaks of happened one week after last years GFNY when Catlin was on a routine training ride for Ironman Coeur d’Alene when she was hit by a car and subsequently had to pull out. She sustained serious injuries and facial lacerations that required over 40 stitches.

“Lorraine (my road bike) was destroyed but my love for the sport wasn’t. Part of my rehab included cycling to strengthen my knee (my MCL was torn).  Physically, getting back into triathlon has been difficult as I still have knee and shoulder pain.  If I didn’t enjoy cycling so much, I don’t know that I would have continued doing it.”

Undeterred by events of one year ago, Alena has reset her sights on a do-over this year with mum also signed up for her first Ironman. Sunday may be a training ride but dad still thinks there will be a little competition going on between mother and daughter. 

Catlin admits to targeting 6:20-6:45 and Alena would like to finish in 6:30 but admits it could be closer to 7 after coming back from the accident. 

 Dad is happy to let his girls go ahead and has no shame in bringing up the rear. 

“I will be happy to beat the SAG wagon this year. But having my wife and daughter waiting at the finish line will push me though it. My main goal is survival!”

With three GFNY outings already in their pocket the family know the course well and are all in agreement over the best (which also happens to be the worst) part of the course.

“Bear Mountain, hands down. Uphill is tough but never too steep and the downhill is a ton of fun.” Says Alena. 

“I agree,” says Caitlin. “Bear Mountain! I love how it’s really long but not too steep, and it’s so gorgeous, absolutely amazing views.  And then you are rewarded with that spectacular downhill. I’m getting excited just thinking about it!”

Follow the Lovi – Borgmann family tomorrow via our athlete tracker. Alena #1434, Catlin #376, John #3092

Erik Simonsen 

Once an athlete, always an athlete
By Emma Bishop

For School Principal, Erik Simonsen, 46, two artificial hips and rheumatoid arthritis is no excuse to stop being an athlete. 

The physical setbacks to Simonsen’s life have never stopped him in his pursuit of a healthy lifestyle, rather they challenged him to come to terms and understand what he could do to continue being an active.

The New Jersey native blames years of running, football and wrestling for beating up his body to the point he required his first hip replacement in 1997. 

“I was a wrestler my whole life and coached high school wrestling. The body takes a real beating, not just in the act of wrestling but the constant need to always be a certain weight. We know so much more today (on healthy training), the information just wasn’t there in my day.” 

Just what happens when your hip ceases to function?

“It’s very hard to explain. I was in chronic pain before the operation and afterwards it was like it had never happened. Despite the first hip replacement taking place 18 years ago it is still working like new.”

Time eventually caught up with Simonsen’s other hip and eighteen months ago he underwent a second replacement. 

“It was amazing how much progress has been made, after the operation they have you up the same day and within 48 hours I was (happily) back on my bike.”

Simonsen got into riding when he was in college and turned back to the sport five years ago when he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. A regular visit to the doctor for his joints the doctor saw Simonsen’s swollen hands and the pain he was in and asked if he had ever been tested for arthritis.

“They diagnosed it straight away. Medication definitely helps alleviate it but exercise I firmly believe is the greatest way to prolong my movement. Without daily exercise of some level be it riding or swimming the arthritis becomes more severe.”

Luckily for Simonsen he loves the buzz of exercising and the endorphins the body is left with post exercise. For someone not quite as excited about exercise but stricken with arthritis, explaining that simple movement can actually alleviate the symptoms could be a hard sell. But it still is a message that should be encouraged and Simonsen is evidence of just how much you can do.

 “Cycling is a non-impact sport, so I am able to compete and be competitive while putting a lot less strain on my body. It’s fun to compete against yourself and gives me a reason to keep training. I actually started with triathlons. Cycling was the biggest discipline but it was the area I was weakest in so I made it a mission to improve.”

Improve he did. Training with a group of hardcore ironman triathlete friends also helps keeps Simonsen motivated. 

“I can stay with them on the bike, but that’s probably because they just did a 20mile run!”

Sunday will be Simonsen’s second Campagnolo GFNY. The attraction? Always to try and better his timing but as a solo rider the event offers much more than just a long day in the saddle.

“I do all the Fondo’s alone, it’s just my thing. Along the way I get in packs and chat. You find someone in your pace and help him or her out. You meet new people, get talking and enjoy the scenery and camaraderie that the event offers.”

Weather dependent and despite recent injections for some back problems Simonsen is looking to duck inside last years timing of 7:42:21hours. 

Follow Erik’s progress on race day via our athlete tracker. Race number #2395.

James Osborne

Challenge, it is just a state of mind
By Emma Bishop

Tragedy strikes when you least expect it. It is not something you can prepare for nor predict. With it comes challenges that at first are seemingly insurmountable but as time passes, nothing is impossible. 

In February 2008, Osborne and his partner were on an ill-planned winter hike in the mountains of New Hampshire. Stranded due to a fierce winter storm, his partner tragically passed away. Osborne survived but lost his right leg below the knee and his left toes and right pinky.

The previous summer Osborne and his partner had started to get into serious cycling and overnight the life he knew and loved was taken away. 

“I miss walking on the grass; I miss feeling the sand between my toes. There is a lot to miss but they are just normal things. When something like this happens you need to give yourself time and you need time to heal both physically and mentally and figure out what life is like as an amputee. When I think about my accident, it was all my own doing. We had no business being out (hiking) but by some grace of ‘angels’ I am here to talk about these things today.”

A little over a year later after the accident Osborne got back on his bike and through trial and error learnt what worked and what couldn’t work with his prosthetic.

“Some amputees who have a dedicated prosthetic they can ‘mash’ a bike with. I use a walking prosthetic to ride. It works, but I lose geometry in getting out the saddle and am slow getting up hills. It doesn’t matter. What matters to me is that it is very important to have these sports I choose to do. I am not going to win anything, but I am in better shape now than before losing my leg. I have more stamina and my mind is so much stronger.”

The winter following the accident James, an avid skier learned to ski as an amputee with the New England Handicap Sports Association. Learning to trust that his new ‘leg’ would hold up on the slopes was a defining moment and from then on there was no stopping the Elementary teacher. 

“By 2010, I completed my first century, the 3-Notch Century here in NH. In 2012, I made my first trip to ride in California with the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) riding in a back-to-back century. In 2013, the highlight so far was CAF’s premier cycling event, a fully supported ride from San Francisco to San Diego. The ride is 620 miles covering seven days.”

Sunday will be Osborne’s first Gran Fondo and first competitive ride. Without the spectra of sport Osborne admits his life and recovery would have been very different. 

“It is human nature to move, to exercise and find new limits to push toward. I feel indebted to those that helped me recover through sport and I am thoroughly looking forward to the Campagnolo GFNY.” 

“The Fact that organisations are open to have challenged athletes ride with them and accommodate them is a wonderful thing. Generally speaking the people who are also riding are very accommodating. And as inspiring as I may be to others, it is equally inspiring to me to see a couple thousand people gather on a given day and just ride bikes.”

Follow James Bib# 1948 on race day via our athlete tracker.

Shannon Fogarty

Just Keep on Riding
By Emma Bishop

In 2010 forty three year old Shannon Fogarty was sitting in a consultation room with Alicia, his wife of 12 years. A bout of illnesses that just would not go away had hung around for ‘quite long enough’.

The diagnosis was shocking and nothing a routine dose of antibiotics would fix. Grade III anaplastic astrocytoma, (stage 3 cancer) of an inoperable tumor on the brain. According to the doctors Fogarty had six months to live.

Five years have passed since the death sentence was delivered and Fogarty is still cheating the odds. How is he doing this? It could in part be due to a stubborn Irish streak running through the Westchester resident. But according to his doctor it is his love for cycling.

Fogarty’s path to the Grand Fondo start line this Sunday has been far from easy. The first year of his diagnosis was spent fighting an internal battle of denial, refusing to admit that he had this ‘thing’ that would eventually inexplicably change his life and that of his wife and then three year old daughter Alexa.

“I felt no different, it was very hard to accept, and I refused to accept it and didn’t want to give up my current life.”

The acceptance came at a weekend retreat called Inheritance of Hope. A place for families facing life-changing situations, the organization offers a support system and the message that no one is alone. Arranged by Alicia, Fogarty felt far from ready to ‘share’ but agreed go.

“We needed a break from the cancer as a family. I didn’t want to go but looking back it was the best thing that could have happened. By the time the weekend was over we had some of the best friends and support you could imagine.”

It was a complete about turn for Fogarty and today he maintains strong ties to the retreat deciding to ride GFNY in support of IOH and to help change the life of families like his own.

Accepting the cancer was a monumental breakthrough but it was not the last hurdle Fogarty would have to tackle. An insatiable appetite brought on by cancer medication spiraled Shannon’s weight to 298 pounds. Feeling out of control, a family trip to Disney World was the final turning point. 

“I decided I cannot continue to have this weight on me if I wanted to give my life a chance.”

Turning an old mountain bike into a road bike Fogarty began to ride 40-60miles each weekend. It became his savior, a pathway to forgetting about the cancer. Alicia naturally thought he was doing too much ‘in his condition’ and made a call to the Chemo Oncologist with the understanding he would tell her husband to slow down. 

“I walked into the consultation room and on seeing my weight loss the doctor told me straight out – ‘it’s this bloody biking that is keeping you alive. So just keep doing it.’ I guess Alicia’s plan didn’t quite work out the way she wanted!”

Fogarty may now have a free pass to ride but the battle continues and he recently had to stop driving due to seizures brought on from the tumor. He now commutes and sometimes rides his bike to the train station.

“Giving up my Jeep Wrangler was a bitter pill to swallow but I am not going to let the disease live me and I am not going to let it determine what my life is.”

And so here Fogarty is gearing up to take on his first Gran Fondo. Rather than be intimidated he is excited about Sunday.

“I have trained over much of the course. I feel as strong as an ox, and just want to finish. Under 10 hours, within 7 would be great.”

Follow Shannon Bib# 1404 on race day via our athlete tracker.

Robert ‘Bob’ Stasey

Defying age on two wheels
By Emma Bishop

Robert ‘Bob’ Stasey refuses to get old. Each year he challenges himself to do things that he has always wanted to do and he isn’t thinking of slowing down anytime soon just because he turned 70 back in February. 

“I have done the B2VT ride 5 times. It’s a 150-mile ride and a beauty and a beast all at once. I have always been the second eldest so decided I would keep on doing something until I am officially the eldest. So it is a nice surprise to know I have reached that goal this weekend! I have good genes and would love to still be doing this when I am 90.”

Life wasn’t always so non-stop for Stasey who spends time between New Hampshire and Florida. He had a couple of wake up calls before deciding to change his habits and lifestyle.

“My mother came to visit and asked me to go for a ‘power walk’ with her. We walked for 5 miles and I couldn’t keep up. That was quite embarrassing.” 

Some verbal goading when Stasey’s young nephew asked him to join him in the Chicago marathon drove the second wake up call.

“He wanted me to actually do it with him and all I wanted was to get out of it. He called me a wuss. And that didn’t sit well with me.”

Stasey didn’t run Chicago with his nephew but a seed had been laid or perhaps he didn’t like being called a wuss. Everyone needs a wake up call and some sort of motivation and Stasey’s appeared to come in the form of a simple insult. 

Stasey was 52 when he decided it was finally time to step up but not without first asking a friend ‘if an old man like me’ can run a marathon. It works out he could, and could run pretty well to the tune of 7 Boston outings with a personal best at the age of 63 in 3:29.

“I was hooked but with each marathon I would run 1000 miles and I didn’t want to end up with hip and knee replacements because I did too much. That was not going to be me.”

After 20 marathons and with 25,000 miles of running in his legs Stasey decided switched from running to triathlon to cycling in 2008. The transition went well and Stasey continues to enjoy life eating and drinking what he likes and seeing the country on two wheels.

“I am 5 pounds under my high school weight. Can you believe that! My doctor singles me out as an example, it’s all rather embarrassing but it is proof of what you can do. Cycling is now my real joy. I am not going to get problems, as it is a non-impact and it comes with an amazing lifestyle. I get to see many different parts of the country and thrive in nature.”

This Sunday Stasey is signed up for the 50-mile distance although he knows he will be tempted to see if he can push further.

“I have only just got back on the bike after being out of the saddle for a year due to a platelet illness that caused internal bleeding. So really I am just thrilled to get out there, this is my first Gran Fondo and this is all about having fun.” 

Follow Bob’s progress on race day via our athlete tracker. Race number #4101.

What should an athlete drink during exercise?

Timothy David Noakes

Discovery Health Professor of Exercise and Sports Science at the University of Cape Town
and Director of the UCT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine

INTRODUCTION

The idea that athletes should drink anything at all during exercise, especially marathon running, is of quite recent origin. In the early 1900s marathon runners were advised: “Don’t get into the habit of drinking and eating in a marathon race; some prominent runners do, but it is not beneficial”.

As recently as 1957, Englishman Jim Peters, who set the world marathon record on four occasions, expressed a similar belief: “[In the marathon race] there is no need to take any solid food at all and every effort should also be made to do without liquid, as the moment food or drink is taken, the body has to start dealing with its digestion, and in so doing some discomfort will almost invariably be felt”. But modern athletes are bombarded daily with a quite different message. They are advised that only if they stay “ahead of thirst” by drinking por pa to prevent “deadly dehydration” before, during and after competition, will they perform optimally in any competitive sport. Ominously we are also warned that if we do not follow this advice we risk our health, perhaps our lives. But which message is correct? Should athletes drink to “stay ahead of thirst”? Or should they perhaps drink according to internal biological signals, in particular in response to the dictates of thirst as do all the rest of earth’s creatures?

FACTORS PROMOTING THE IDEA THAT ATHLETES NEED TO DRINK
“TO STAY AHEAD OF THIRST” DURING EXERCISE.

Dr Robert Cade a renal physician at the University of Florida developed the world’s first commercially successful sports drink in 1965. Annual turnover of his product grew rapidly to $217 million
in 1985 and to $2.69 billion in 2003. The success of the product was dependant at least in part on skilled messaging promoting the importance of drinking to stay “ahead of thirst” during exercise.
This spectacular growth was assisted by a novel theory developed by staff of the United States Army Research Institute for Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), that US Military forces would gain a tactical advantage if they increased their hourly fluid intakes to up to 1.8L/hr when exercising in hot environments. This unproven doctrine spread rapidly as USARIEM-trained scientists became the principal advisors to influential bodies like the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Their natural bias was to promote high rates of fluid ingestion during exercise. The result was that athletes were advised to change their drinking behaviors from avoiding drinking (up to 1969) to drinking “as much as tolerable” during exercise (from 1987 to 2007).

COMMON FEATURES OF THE DRINKING GUIDELINES
DEVELOPED BETWEEN 1987 AND 2007.

The key drinking guidelines developed by the ACSM between 1987 and 2007 promoted 4 core doctrines:

First, the 1996 ACSM Position Stand proposed that all the weight lost during exercise must be replaced if health is to be protected and performance is to be optimized. I have termed this the
“zero % dehydration rule”. The commercial value of this ruling is obvious since it requires that all exercisers start drinking “as much as tolerable” the instant they begin any exercise. The “scientific” justification is the presumption that the sensations of thirst underestimate real fluid requirements before, during and after exercise. As a result, unless properly informed, human athletes will always drink too little, before, during and after exercise.

Second, that fluid ingestion alone can minimize the risk of serious exercise-related heat illness regardless of the circumstances in which the exercise is undertaken.

Third that the fluid requirements of all athletes, big and small, fast and slow, are sufficiently similar that a single universal guideline is possible for all exercisers during all forms of exercise in all
environmental conditions.

And fourth, according to the 1996 Position Stand, athletes can safely ingest any volume of fluid at any rate both at rest and during exercise without any harmful consequences.

But none of these ideas is evidence-base; that is, none is based on properly conducted, peer-reviewed, scientific evidence that unequivocally proves these conclusions and excludes all other possible interpretations. In particular, it has never been shown that athletes who drink ad libitum and who therefore develop some degree of dehydration during competitive sport, are at an increased risk of avoidable health consequences. Nor is it certain that all the weight lost during exercise must be replaced immediately. Rather it appears that there may be a 1-2L fluid reserve within the body that can be safely replaced after, not during exercise.

Nor is there any evidence that athletes perform better during out-of-doors competition if they drink at these very high rates. Nor does it seem likely that fluid ingestion alone will prevent serious heat illness in those conditions in which heatstroke is most likely to occur, specifically competitive exercise of short duration but high intensity in severe environmental conditions and in which significant levels of dehydration do not occur. Furthermore, sustained high rates (1200 –1800 ml/hr) of fluid ingestion either at rest or during exercise are neither sustainable by elite athletes nor safe for recreational athletes since they produce symptoms of intestinal distress including nausea, vomiting and on occasion, diarrhea, all due to progressive fluid overload leading, on occasion, to death. In contrast I have been unable to track a single published report in the past 40 years of exercise-related death or serious illness due solely to “dehydration”.

The immediate consequence of advice to drink ahead of thirst was the development of a global epidemic of more than 2000 cases of exercise-associated hyponatraemia (EAH) including at least
12 deaths. In this condition the blood sodium concentration falls causing brain swelling leading to an altered level of consciousness, grand mal epileptic seizures, loss of consciousness and ultimately death from respiratory arrest. Already by 1991 we had published irrefutable evidence that EAH is the result of abnormal fluid retention in athletes who drunk “ahead of thirst” usually during exercise lasting more than 4 hours. In time the acceptance of our findings led to the revised 2007 ACSM Position Stand which now advises exercisers to drink to thirst but sufficient to prevent a > 2% loss of their starting body weight.

EVIDENCE THAT DRINKING TO THIRST IS THE OPTIMUM METHOD OF
FLUID REPLACEMENT DURING EXERCISE.

The proper experiments to justify the radical change in drinking advice after 1996 should have compared the effects of this new advice to what was then the accepted practice – drinking either nothing or ad libitum. Since this essential scientific step was shirked, a critical gap developed in the scientific literature. Thus there are very few published scientific studies which properly compare the novel drinking approach – “drinking to stay ahead of thirst” – to drinking according to the normal human biological controls, that is according to the dictates of thirst (ad libitum). However there are now enough to draw some conclusions.

The most complete study yet published was performed by Dr Jonathan Dugas and colleagues in our laboratories. They compared the effects of six different fluid replacement regimes on performance during an 80km (non weight bearing) cycling time trial: (i) no fluid; (ii) mouth washing without fluid ingestion; (iii) replacing 33% of fluid losses; (iv) ad libitum drinking replacing ~ 55% of fluid losses; (v) replacing 66% of fluid losses; and (vi) replacing 100% of fluid losses. There was no significant advantage of drinking more than ad libitum. However drinking less than ad libitum was associated with a 2% impairment of performance compared to drinking ad libitum or more. A more complete analysis all studies of ad libitum drinking during exercise has now shown that this method of drinking optimizes performance compared to drinking either more or less.

The finding that “ad libitum” drinking during exercise is better than “drinking as much as tolerable” has one important intellectual consequence. It suggests that it is not the level of dehydration that determines the extent to which exercise performance is influenced by fluid ingestion during exercise. Rather it may be that performance will be optimized regardless of the degree of dehydration that develops, provided the athlete avoids becoming thirsty. In other words, it is the development of thirst that impairs the exercise performance, not the extent of the weight loss. This explanation fits with our idea that the brain regulates the exercise performance to insure that exercise always terminates before there is a catastrophic biological failure. And that the brain uses unpleasant symptoms like fatigue (and thirst) to regulate the exercise performance. So the presence of thirst may be the way in which our brain tells us we need to modify our behavior by drinking more if we wish to produce a peak performance.

If correct, this would explain why it is possible for elite athletes to perform well whilst drinking sparingly during exercise, for the fastest marathon and ultra-marathon runners to be amongst the most dehydrated runners in those races, and for athletes who have lost in excess of 10% of body weight to be amongst the top finishers in 226km Ironman triathlons.

DRINKING BEHAVIOURS OF REAL ATHLETES IN REAL COMPETITIONS.

If we wish to force all athletes to drink according to a singular doctrine, then perhaps we need first to determine what they actually do in real competitions. In a study published more than 2 decades ago we found that the majority of athletes drink about 500ml/hr and all lose some weight during exercise since they drink less than they sweat. This information influenced the evolution of the drinking guidelines that I developed for the International Marathon Medical Directors Association in 2003 and which promoted drinking according to the dictates of thirst and not in excess of about 800ml/hr. The advice contained in the most recent 2007 ACSM guidelines now echoes those guidelines.

Recently we analyzed the range of BW changes that occur in athletes completing a 224km Ironman triathlon. All entrants in this race received the same drinking advice – drink according to the dictates of thirst and not in excess of 800ml/hr. Despite all receiving the same advice, body weight changes in athletes in that race ranged from a gain of 3% to a loss of -13% with the commonest weigh loss being -3%. Even in a much shorter 42km marathon, body weight changes ranged from a gain of 5% to a loss of -9%.

It is clear that the factors determining drinking behavior during competitive exercise are poorly understood. Perhaps we should study this phenomenon more carefully before we produce dogmatic
guidelines that conflict with common sense, the scientific evidence and even what athletes actually do during exercise and competition.

CONCLUSION.

There is no published scientific evidence to show that drinking beyond the dictates of thirst during exercise – that is drinking “to stay ahead of thirst” – produces a more beneficial outcome than does drinking according to the dictates of thirst. Since the very best athletes often develop the largest body weight losses during competitive exercise, it is entirely possible that drinking sparingly during exercise is ergogenic whereas drinking more is likely to impair performance. However it is clear that ad libitum drinking cannot produce EAH or EAHE in predisposed individuals.
Whilst we await more studies which compare the relative biological effects of drinking either ad libitum or to “stay ahead of thirst”, those advising athletes can safely be assured that the balance of the current evidence supports the conclusion that drinking to thirst is the optimum drinking behaviour during exercise.

REFERENCE. Noakes TD. Waterlogged. The Serious Problem of Overhydration in Endurance Sports. Human Kinetics 2012.