Join Team Fatty TODAY (With Some Unbelievably Good Reasons Why)
A Personal Note from Fatty: Before I launch into the (very cool news) about Team Fatty, why you should join and what you can win, I wanted to give you an update on how Susan’s doing, and you’ll be glad to hear it’s mainly good news, in the form of a machine. About a week ago, we got a home Oxygen concentrator, which Susan uses pretty much full time. The difference to her quality of life has been huge. She doesn’t need to sleep as much, she’s more alert when she’s awake, and she sleeps better when she’s asleep (i.e., doesn’t wake up gasping for breath every few minutes). I keep looking for an opportunity to borrow the machine from her for an hour so I can see how I’d feel on the bike afterward. So far, no luck, and for some reason I don’t feel right taking it from her by force.
Team Fatty Starts Today
Today we kick off Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan (“Team Fatty” for short) for the 2009 LiveStrong Challenge. In case you’re new to the idea or need a reminder, you can read where I announce the team here, but the basic idea is this. If Fat Cyclist readers like you (especially you, in fact) will join my team and work to raise money to fight cancer, we will
- Be the largest LiveStrong Challenge team there has ever been.
- Raise more money to fight cancer than any team ever has.
- Make a legacy for Susan that she will be able to be truly proud of.
Oh, and one more thing. You will have opportunities to win some jaw-dropping prizes, whether you join Team Fatty or help out as a contributor.
Starting today.
Let’s Talk Incentives For A Moment, Shall We?
Whether you want to officially join Team Fatty or just want to contribute, I want to add an element of fun and awesomeness to your efforts, in the form of unbelievably cool prizes.
Here are the three you can work on winning today:
First Prize: A Masi Soulville 10
I have pestered and pestered (and pestered) Tim Jackson — the Masi Guy — forever to give me a Soulville, because . . . well, just look at the damn thing. Holy smokes. It’s gorgeous. No matter how many bikes you have, no matter what kind of riding you do, you can’t help but want a Soulville.
Well, Tim has never caved in and given me one of these bikes, but Masi — and Tim — jumped right on board when I asked them to donate one on behalf of Team Fatty for the LiveStrong Challenge.
And you can win this beauty . . . by helping Team Fatty fight cancer. I’ll explain how in just a minute, but first I need to make you drool some more.
First Prize: Any Shimano Dura-Ace Wheelset
Here are three great truths of road cycling:
- Light wheels are good
- Strong wheels are good
- Light, strong wheels are best of all
It’s with this third great truth in mind that I’m one giggly mess about announcing that Shimano is donating any Dura-Ace Wheelset you want as a prize. For myself, I think I’d go with the Hi-Profile Carbon Composites:
You know why? Because while the three great truths of road cycling mentioned above are all well and good, there’s another great truth of cycling I think is worth mentioning: Sexy, light, strong wheels are even better than best of all.
And make no mistake: these wheels are — in addition to light and strong — sexy. Quite possibly too sexy for you. But you should still try to win them, and then perhaps you will become sexy enough to have these wheels.
Hey, it’s possible.
Big kudos, props, and high-fives, by the way, to Shimano. This is the third cancer-related fundraiser they’ve been involved with on my blog, and they’ve let me know they’re in for more.
And — you guessed it — in a few minutes I’ll explain how you can win these. But first I need to show you one more cool prize.
First Prize: Lance Armstrong-Autographed Sports Illustrated
Hey, look what an anonymous benefactor sent me.
Yep, it’s a June 11, 2005 issue of Sports Illustrated – the one right before Lance won his seventh Tour — autographed by Lance Armstrong. The magazine’s in excellent condition.
Obviously, you can’t buy this anywhere. But you can win it, by helping Team Fatty fight cancer.
How Can You Win?
I’m giving these prizes away in different ways. Here’s how.
- The Masi Soulville 10 : The way you can win this bike is by joining Team Fatty and raising money on your own page. You can register in Austin, San Jose, Seattle, or Philadelphia — as a rider, a runner, or a virtual team member (meaning you aren’t planning to make it to the event). Then, for every $5.00 you raise in your personal fundraising page by Friday, December 12-- whether it’s money you donate or you get someone else to donate — you get a virtual raffle ticket toward the Soulville. Once again, in order to win this bike, you’ve got to be a member of Team Fatty.
- The Shimano Dura-Ace Wheelset : You can win your dream Shimano road wheelset in either of two ways:
- Contribute Without Joining Team Fatty: I know that not everyone has the time to join Team Fatty and actively fundraise, but that you still want to help — and you wouldn’t mind winning some cool stuff. Well, every $5.00 you contribute on my LiveStrong Challenge page earns you a raffle ticket toward the drawing for the wheels. Oh, and don’t worry about that donation by Dr. Michael Lammler. I’ve disqualified him. Click here to donate now so you can win some ridiculously cool wheels.
- Join Team Fatty and raise money on your personal fundraising page. That’s right: every $5.00 raffle ticket you earn toward the Soulville raffle also earns you a ticket toward the Dura-Ace Wheelset raffle. Can you see how it’s a good idea for you to join Team Fatty and start getting your friends and family to start donating onto your fundraising page? Yes, I thought you could.
- The Armstrong-Autographed Sports Illustrated: You can only win this autographed Sports Illustrated by joining Team Fatty. Every $5.00 you have raised by December 12 gets you a raffle ticket toward this prize.
I’ll do drawings on all three of these prizes the evening of Friday, December 12, and will notify the winners by email right away. Then, once I’ve heard back from them, I’ll announce the winners on Monday, December 15.
How Do You Join Team Fatty?
Oh, it’s really, really easy to join Team Fatty. First, you’ve got to decide which event you want to be part of: Austin, San Jose, Seattle, or Philadelphia. If you’re just planning on fundraising — not attending an event — then pick whichever city you most closely identify with. Then, just follow these steps:
- Click one of the below links to go to the Team Fatty page for that city:
- Click the “Join Our Team” link.
- Fill out the form. Note that the $50 registration fee is the same, whether you do one of the rides, the run/walk, or join the virtual challenge. Note: TODAY ONLY, you can enter a discount code of LSCREG09 for a $15 discount on the registration. So do it today!
- Start fundraising. You’ve got to raise a minimum of $250 to attend the event of your choice.
What Does Team Fatty Expect of You?
How hardcore am I expecting members of Team Fatty to be about fundraising? Well, what I’d ideally like to see is 1,000 of us, each raising $1,000. That would make a million dollars, and that would be unheard of. But, honestly, all I ask is that you make an effort. Tell your friends why this matters to you, and ask them to donate $25.00. Tell your family about how every family is eventually touched by cancer, and ask them each to donate $25.00.
Without really trying very hard, anyone can raise $500. And if you try hard, you can raise $1,000. And if you try really, really hard and raise $2,000, there’ll be something very good in it for you. I’ll explain more very soon. But it will be worth it.
Plus, remember: every time you get someone to donate, your chances go up in the next raffle. And there are going to be a lot of raffles like this.
Being a hard-working member of Team Fatty will definitely have benefits, even if you don’t ever win a raffle. And that’s not even talking about the whole “noble cause” part.
Why Should You Do This TODAY?
If you join the LiveStrong Challenge today (December 1) and enter the discount code LSCREG09, you get $15.00 off the registration fee. So save fifteen bucks and join Team Fatty right this very second.
We Are Just Getting Started
Team Fatty is just kicking off, and frankly I don’t have any idea what I’m doing, yet. But I can tell you this: I have a pretty good-sized spreadsheet now with prizes to raffle off. There’s not a stinker in the bunch, and some of them are going to spin your head and make you sit down for a minute while you collect yourself.
Also, there will be a Team Fatty jersey. And it will be awesome. Twin Six and I are working on it right now.
This whole cancer thing is deadly serious business…but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun — and win stuff — while we fight it.
Susan and I are looking forward to having you on the team.