Making Progress

I want to sincerely thank everyone who has donated to my ride! I am only $45 away from my goal with more than two months to go! So, thank you.

For the last few months I've been training hard. My ideal regimen is to do my 30-mile loop every other weekday, on days in-between do a 12 mile recovery ride, and do a longer ride on the weekends. I have not kept that schedule at all; the main reason is weather. It has been HOT the last few weeks. As such, EARLY morning is the ONLY time to ride and while I often do get up at 5AM I have a difficult time doing that every day. Starting a bike ride at 7 is way too late as it heats up quickly. Nonetheless, progress is being made.

I have a bike computer, basically a very souped up speedometer. This computer keeps track of a ton of data; speed, distance, cadence, heart rate, etc. Additionally, since the computer is made by Garmin it records my GPS coordinates. When I ride I always record all this information and then download the information to my computer. This allows me to track my progress. As an example let's look at the ride I did this morning:



As you can see, I did ~50 miles in 2 hours and 55 minutes with an average speed of 17.2 mph. This is the third time that I have done this course this season. I'll let the numbers do the talking.

Bradley's Papa Bear 2 course 2012
Date	Time	Average Speed
June 10	3:09:07	16.3
June 24	3:03:53	16.4
July 8	2:55:07	17.2

Believe me when I say that a jump of 0.8 in average mph is huge!

You might recognize the guy in this article :). Click here.

There is still plenty of time to support my ride, so tell everyone you know to come to my blog and click:

Ride Without Limits

23 miles in Bryce Canyon...What's your limitation?

Donate here!

As you all know, I love to ride my bicycle (I can hear Freddie Mercury right about now). I also love helping others any way I can. One of my favorite things to do is talk to groups about my story thereby allowing them to question their perceived limitation. I have been extremely blessed in my life to question my own perceived limitations, break them down, and accomplish things that I never dared dream.

Ten years ago I was working construction with my father with no real plans for the future. College was out of the question; how was a person going to get though college if they can't even write? Plus, college took brains, of which I was lacking of course. Now, I am at one the top Universities in the world pursuing a PhD in biochemistry. What changed? With help from others, I was given the opportunity to take a sledge hammer to the perceptions that were entrenched in my mind. Given my life experiences, I have a deep passion to assist, in any way I can, to bring those same life-altering opportunities to people with disabilities.

Ride Without Limits is a beautiful marriage between my two loves, cycling and helping others. This is a charity ride that raises money for United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), an organization whose sole purpose is to provide opportunities to children and adults with disabilities. Each individual they assist has a very different set of challenges that need to be addressed; UCP can provide the specialized service required by each child and adult. These services can be life-altering for these very courageous people.

Exactly what I look like on the bike!

As a rider I need to raise money to ride in this event. How much, you may ask. Last year I raised just over $2,000, which was totally awesome! This year I am setting the bar high; my goal in $3,000. I believe I can do this! I will be riding the 100 mile ride in September, giving me a total of four months to reach my goal. What I am asking is a donation of whatever you can spare! Whether you can donate or not I ask that spread the word. Please send the link to this post to all your family and friends. Use Facebook, Twitter, Google+, your personal blog, church bulletin, company news letter, etc. Most importantly bring it up in conversation and show your own passion for such an awesome cause!


Watch this COOL video about the ride:

To donate, please click this button:

Thank you so much!

Bradley

Thank You!

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the many donors who have supported my ride to raise much-needed funds for the Easter Seals UCP of North Carolina and Virginia. Your generosity will help many children and adults with disabilities live a full and happy life. The ride was originally supposed to happen tomorrow and Sunday; however, hurricane Irene could not time her arrival at a worse possible time. It has started raining here in central NC this evening and will only get worse tomorrow. Thus the ride for tomorrow has been canceled; riding will happen only on Sunday. 

I don’t ride on Sunday and this Sunday is no exception. However, I will ride the 64 miles for the Easter Seals UCP! I plan on doing it next Saturday, weather permitting. There are a few details that I need to work out. An important detail is how I can pull off 64 miles without the support I was looking forward to. After the ride I will post the details on how it went.

Again, I thank you for the support. I never imagined that I’d be able to raise nearly $2000 in ten days. Your generosity is much appreciated. As a person with a disability I know how hard it can be to ask for help but at the same time that help is greatly needed. It makes it easier when people offer the help. You have assisted a great organization that specializes in offering needed help to those who may need it the most.

Thank you,

Bradley