12.13.2010 | 11:11 am
A Note from Fatty: Due to me wanting to get this contest off the ground, this week’s weigh-in will be postponed ’til tomorrow. K? Thanks!
I’d like you to adopt a contemplative mood for a moment.
You there? No? OK, I’ll give you another second.
Ready now? Good.
And what I’d like you to contemplate is the following: If you could choose a country to ride your bike in for a week, and then choose one person to guide you on that tour, where would you ride? And who would be your guide?
I humbly submit to you that your first choice should be Benjamin Franklin, on a tour of France (as opposed to the Tour de France, for which he would be totally unqualified).
I understand that Ben really knew Paris in particular, and could tell you stories — both about France and the US founding fathers — that would make your jaw drop.
Plus, it’d be awesome to get photos of Ben Franklin and you riding bikes together, and then try to convince your friends that it wasn’t a Photoshop.
However, if I were to ask you to restrict your choice of person to someone who is living, you could not do much better than having Andy Hampsten — yeah, the winner of the 1988 Giro d’Italia and founder of Cinghiale Cycling Tours — take you on a tour across Italy.
And guess what? By helping Andreas Knickman in his fight against cancer, you may get exactly such a tour (the one with Andy, not with Ben).
Andreas’ Story
Here’s a little bit about Andreas. which I am stealing from his CaringBridge site:
At the end of April, 2009, Andreas began complaining of pain in his left leg above the knee. He had been skiing and cycling alot, and we thought this was an orthopedic issue. After participating in a local bike tour, we took Andreas to the orthopedic surgeon for x-rays. Nothing was found, so 4 weeks of physical therapy, ice, and ibuprofin were prescribed; then an MRI if pain hadn’t dissipated.
Andreas participated in a backpacking trip, and pain had decreased, so we thought p.t. was helping… in fact, a tumor had broken out of the bone, which can relieve pain. Three weeks after seeing the orthopedist, at a routine visit to the pediatrician, Andreas was advised to get the MRI as soon as possible. The MRI was scheduled, and in the meantime Andreas went on another backpacking trip, and participated in a computer tech camp, walking miles every day at UCLA.
On July 6th, the day the MRI was approved, the scan revealed a mass in his left distal femur; within 2 hours he was admitted to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. At the age of thirteen, on July 8, 2009, Andreas was diagnosed with metastatic osteosarcoma (bone cancer).
A single, marble-sized tumor was also found, and removed, from his left lung. Andreas completed 18 chemotherapy treatments, and surgery to remove the tumor on his leg on October 2, 2009. The femur was replaced with a Compress prosthesis and artifical knee. Pathology on the tumor returned at 75% necrosis; clear margins. MAP chemo treatment was completed Feb. 28, 2010, with no evidence of disease.
Andreas is obviously engaged in a tough battle, and Andy Hampsten wants to help. I think his reason why is very inspiring. Here’s what Andy told me:
I meet Roy Knickman when he was a junior racer, he joined my Levi’s/Raleigh team when we were amateurs through our pro debuts on the Levi’s team and then with the La Vie Claire team in 1986. Later we raced together for the 7-Eleven team.
A better friend or teammate does not exist.
Roy is married to Deb and they have two sons, Andreas and Bo. They live in Thousand Oaks, California, where Roy works for the Paso Robles fire department as a fireman.
Recently Roy had exhausted his allotment of days off from his work to be with Andreas during his second round of chemo. Roy went to the firehouse to tell his boss he would need to leave work to continue caring for his son, and regretted leaving such a great workplace behind. His boss told him to sit tight for a while and came back 45 minutes later to tell him his coworkers had pooled their vacation and sick days to Roy’s credit, and he now had 265 consecutive days off to take care of his son.
Since my own coworkers did something very similar for me when I was taking care of Susan, you can imagine that this really resonates with me — I love the way people get creative and find ways of helping each other during what would otherwise be impossibly difficult times.
And now Andy wants to help his friend and his friend’s son out by lending some much-needed financial support.
What You Can Win
Honestly, this story is compelling enough on its own merits. I mean, think about it: A former pro cyclist now puts his life at risk regularly in order to help other people. And now his son has cancer, and they need help. Then a legendary Grand Tour winner asks you to help him help his friend, for a cause you already care deeply about.
Well of course we’re going to help.
But then Andy sweetens the deal, by offering up an unimaginably cool prize: some lucky donor will get to join him on one of his Cinghiale bike tours of Italy (or France, depending on the tour the winner chooses).
Andy Hampsten started Cinghiale Cycling Tours 1998 two years after he retired from professional bike racing. Andy lived in a small country house in the Tuscan hills, fell in love with the local culture of making food and wine and enjoying it with family and like-minded friends.
Andy and his wife Elaine welcome cyclists and food/fun/wine-driven guests for 5 trips a year to their favorite corners of Europe. Oddly enough bikes, wine and great food seem to come from the same places.
The winner will get to select any of the following three trips:
All the trips are are 8 nights and 9 days long, and include all costs other than your airfare, personal bar bill, a rental bike if you decide to rent one, and 1 dinner and one or two lunch meals during the week. Cinghiale includes wine with meals, as well as food and drinks during the rides. There really aren’t any other costs once they pick you up from the airport and drop you off 9 days later.
By the way, if you win but none of the 2011 dates work for you, Andy will let you choose a trip in 2012 instead. That should give you plenty of time to plan ahead, I think.
And I should point out that while The Runner and I are not eligible to win, we are going to make a serious effort at joining you on your tour anyway, as regular ol’ paying customers. Because this seems like too amazing of a trip to miss. I’m not sure whether that counts as an incentive or disincentive, but there you have it.
How To Enter
Helping Andreas and getting a chance at an incredible riding and eating tour with a cycling legend is easy. Just click on this PayPal button and donate any multiple of $5.00.
Note that the “purpose” on the PayPal donation page will say “Mike Nosco Memorial Bicycle Ride.” That’s OK; that’s the foundation we’re piggybacking on for this fundraiser. Be sure, when you donate, to indicate it’s for Andreas Knickman in the comments section.
[Update: You don't need to indicate it's for Andreas Knickman; all donations during the contest period will be going to Andreas. -- Fatty]
For every $5.00 you donate, you get a chance at winning. Then, on December 23, I’ll run a report of all donations, do my Excel spreadsheet magic to extrapolate how many chances your donation gets you, and then use random.org to select a winner.
It’s as easy as that. So please donate now.
When to Enter
This contest starts right now, and ends December 23. That’s only ten days, so don’t put it off.
This is an incredible trip, in an incredible place, with an incredible guide, for an incredible cause. Heck, I’m going to pitch in $25, and I can’t even win.
Questions, Thank You, and Good Luck
If you have questions, please post them in the comments field below. I’ll either answer them inline in the comments field, or if it seems like a question a lot of people might have, I’ll update this post to include an answer.
I’ll also ask Andy to check out this post and try to find time to answer questions directed to him.
Thank you for helping a family in their fight against cancer, and good luck in winning this total dream vacation.
Comments (62)
11.29.2010 | 12:48 pm
This is a bad time of year for those of us who gain weight easily. So many things working against us. The big events we’ve been working toward the whole season are over. It’s dark ’til later, then gets dark again earlier. It’s colder outside, making comfort food more…comforting.
And then there are the holidays. Halloween comes right before Thanksgiving, which comes right before Christmas, which is practically on the same day as New Year’s.
Hey, with all these things working against us, why even try to keep our weight down, right?
This Autumn has been especially bad for me, weight-gain-wise. I’m up to 173.2 pounds, as of this morning, which is 6.8 pounds away from my official “shame weight” — the weight at which I officially have to get out my fat pants and start wearing bulky sweatshirts.
I don’t want to have to do this. But I know that — unless I do something bold — I’m going to have to.
And so, starting today, I am going to spite the Winter Weight Gain god (his friends call him “Melvin”). I am going to use the (nearly) four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas to lose ten pounds, instead of putting on another five.
And I’d like you to join me. The solidarity will help.
And as extra incentive, if you’ll commit, I’ll give you something cool for free (which will serve the dual purpose of helping me clean up my office).
What You Can Win
I just went through the pile of stuff laying around in my office — stuff given to me with the express purpose of me giving it away — and frankly I’m a little bit startled. Although I suppose I shouldn’t be, seeing as how I have to step over a big pile anytime I want to get to the computer. And then I have to sweep aside another pile in order to see the monitor.
And in general, I have a lot of stuff I’d feel guilty keeping for myself.
Plus — and this is the really awesome part — The Runner has promised me that she’d take care of the shipping of all these prizes, which has been the stumbling block that’s kept me from giving all this away already.
So, here are the things you might win if you join me in my quest to lose ten pounds before Christmas.
A Timex Ironman Race Trainer Kit
Don’t have a good heart rate monitor? Or a stopwatch? This’ll take care of you. And since it’s a Timex, you know it’s pretty much bombproof. I will be giving away 1 of these.
An Amgen Tour of California jersey, signed by Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, and Bob Roll
Three legends, one jersey. Pretty darned awesome, I’d say. I’ll be giving away 1 of these.
A 2009 Fat Cyclist jersey, signed by Levi Leipheimer and Bob Roll
I’m going to be honest with you: this jersey is slightly used. But the guy who used it is Chuck Ibis, and if you ask me, that makes this jersey even more collectible. I have 1 of these to give away.
A Garmin-Transitions Jersey
A very nice, lightweight, top-of-the-line full-zip jersey, made by Pearl Izumi, back when Garmin-Transitions and Pearl Izumi were friends. I have 4 of these to give away, in different sizes.
An Amgen Tour of California “Staff” Shirt
You think this would get you past the VIP bouncers? Might be worth a shot. I will be giving away 2 long-sleeved button-ups, and one tech polo.
A 100 Miles of Nowhere T-Shirt
I will be giving away my remaining “leftover” stock of these t-shirts — all 23 of them. If you win one, though, I want you to promise to make it honest by doing a 100 Miles of Nowhere ride of your own.
Pro Bars and Fruition Bars
I love Pro Bars and Fruition bars. They’re pricey, but taste a lot more like real food than your ordinary energy bars. I’ll be giving away 1 box of the Pro Bars and one box of the Fruition bars.
A Twin Six “Ride” t-shirt, featuring Santa Claus
Twin Six designs are the most awesome thing ever. I’ll be giving away 1 of these shirts.
Cycling Hall of Shame Autographed Pedals: Michael Rasmussen, Bernard Kohl
How many people do you know who have a pedal signed by even one disgraced cycling pro? Well, now you can have a mismatched set. This will be your most awesome conversation piece ever. One person gets both of these.
Bare Knuckle Brigade Socks
They’re tall. They’re wool. They’re large. They’re an unholy marriage of the Bare Knuckle Brigade and Twin Six. I will be giving away 1 pair of these socks.
A Wool Fat Cyclist Cycling Cap
To be honest, I think I might’ve worn this a couple times. But my head is kept very clean and is certifiably lice-free.
A Gary Fisher Stocking Cap
You will look so festive in this. I have 1 to give away.
A Bright Pink (Magenta, Even?) LiveStrong T-Shirt
“Bright” doesn’t do this pink justice. Let’s call it “shocking” pink instead.
Miscellaneous Water Bottle Sets
I’m giving these — guaranteed to never have been used before — water bottles away in sets of two, so you’ll have a nice matching set. A Levi’s GranFondo set. A Fat Cyclist set. Two sets of Garmin bottles. A Team LiveStrong set. And even my Leadville Trail 100 set.
A Fat Cyclist Jersey
I have a few Fat Cyclist jerseys from years gone by — one from 2009, two from 2008. Part of me thinks I ought to hang on to them, but I’m giving them away, because I already have enough Fat Cyclist jerseys that I can go a month without wearing the same one twice.
How to Enter
Which of these many, many prizes might you win? That’s the beauty of it — you don’t know. I’ll choose randomly (though if possible, I’ll be happy to send you the correct size of shirt).
And even better, it costs nothing for you to enter this contest, or to win something. All you have to do is leave a comment either today (Monday) or tomorrow (Tuesday) in today’s post , indicating that you’re in. If you’re brave, you should also post your current weight.
When you leave a comment, be sure to include your email address in the email field (don’t worry, that address isn’t public, it’s just so I can contact you and get your address if you win something).
Then, on each weigh-in day, in the comments section, tell me how much you’ve lost so far. Weigh-in days are:
- November 29/30: Initial weigh-in
- December 6: First week weigh-in
- December 13: Second week weigh-in
- December 20: Third week weigh-in
- December 23: Final weigh-in
Note that there are only 3 days between the third week weigh-in and the final weigh in, so don’t plan on losing a ton of weight then.
Out of everyone who successfully loses at least 10 pounds by December 23, I’ll choose random winners for each of the prizes listed above.
To me, it seems pretty likely that if you lose the 10 pounds, you’ll get some prize or other. Considering the entry fee (none), that’s not bad at all.
My Eating Plan
I am not a dietician. I am not a nutritionist. But I know quite about about what works, at least for myself (and I’ve got a pretty ordinary body). If you don’t already have a diet worked out, why don’t you follow my plan? It’s simple, it is usable for busy people in the real world, and if you stay on the wagon, I am almost certain that you will lose more than the ten pounds I’m setting as our communal by-Christmas goal.
Breakfast: I like eggs for breakfast. Here are the two ways I like to prepare them.
- Fried: either 4 egg whites — fried — with a quarter avocado sliced on top, or a 3 egg whites and 1 yolk. Either way, it goes on a slice of wheat toast.
- Scrambled: Saute a quarter onion, a handful of mushrooms, a handful of spinach leaves, and a couple spoonsful of salsa, then scramble in 3 whites and a yolk.
Snack: A grapefruit, or a tomato. Or an apple. Or a banana. Or if I craving something sweet, pears. Basically, any raw fruit or vegetable
Lunch: Tuna, egg whites, or chopped chicken, with fat free mayo, dill relish, celery, tomato, and mustard chopped in. On a slice of wheat bread or a couple of rice cakes.
Snack: Same as previous snack, but only one grapefruit per day. Not because they’re heavy or anything like that. I’ve just noticed my stomach starts to feel too acidic when I go too heavy on the grapefruit (wonderful though it is)
Dinner: Same thing everyone else in the family is having, but with portion control. No more carbs than two slices of bread would be, no more meat than the size of my fist. Keep fats to about a tablespoon.
Notes:
- Throughout the day: Drink half gallon of water.
- When to stop eating: After dinner, I’m done eating for the night. This makes for very difficult sleeping the first couple nights, after which things are fine. And I’m done drinking, too. Because I hate having to get up to pee four times per night.
- How I Hope to Not Hate My New Eating Habits: Once per week, usually on a Friday or Saturday, I get a non-diet meal. So it’s still possible to go out to eat and indulge in the things I like most. It’s just that doing so will be more of a special occasion, instead of the default.
- My non-dairy-ness isn’t about diet. You’ll notice there’s hardly any dairy in my diet. That’s not because I don’t think dairy can work in a diet. It’s because dairy makes me fart. And I don’t like soy milk, for those of you who were about to suggest it.
My Exercise Plan
This is actually the hardest part of the plan for me, because it’s winter, and I just don’t love riding my bike in the cold (I know, some people thrive on it; I don’t).
So, I plan to ride the rollers for an hour every day. That’s as much as I can stand. I will then supplement that with a rotating schedule of a short run or swim and an upper body day. Upper body days consist of doing the Hundred Pushups plan and pull-ups.
The Runner, by the way, will be doing essentially the same thing as me, but will be doing P90X for her upper-body stuff.
How Fast I’ll Lose Weight
I expect to lose four pounds this first week, then three pounds in the second week, then two pounds in the third week. In the final three days, I’ll lose one more pound. Ten pounds by Christmas. Easy.
Now, I gotta figure out what I’m going to give myself for a prize when I succeed.
Let’s Get Started
OK, we’ve got a timeframe, we’ve got prizes, we’ve got solidarity. Let’s see how much, collectively, we can lose by Christmas. Go weigh yourself, and then leave a comment saying that you are committed.
Comments (1,302)
10.5.2010 | 11:05 am
A Note for Impatient People from Fatty: If you’d like to skip my sales pitch (or have already read it) and want to get straight to the page where you donate for a chance to win the bike / helmet / schwag, click here.
As anyone who has ever met me knows, truth and integrity in journalism are two of the values to which I affix great…um…value. I believe that is why, over the years, this blog has gained an audience, both from cycling fans and professional athletes.
Take Levi Leipheimer, for example. Back in 2006 when I photoshopped a toupe onto him, he was totally OK with that. Because he knew that hard-hitting journalists (like myself) sometimes have to photoshop toupes onto people.
Or later that same year, when I wrote a “fake” news piece about how excited Levi was with Ivan Basso being brought into Team Discovery. Levi was fine with that, I’m sure.
Oh, and then there was the time I wrote the piece about Contador hypnotizing Levi to cluck like a chicken. And the piece where he caused problems for Astana because he didn’t (couldn’t) provide a hair sample upon demand.
And there’s the one where I gave him some very helpful advice on how to handle himself during a mountain bike race.
What I Know About Levi
So here’s the thing: I poke fun at a lot of cyclists. But no pro cyclist has ever actually written back — until Levi did. And furthermore, Levi invited me to his King Ridge GranFondo this weekend.
And since then, Levi’s taken the time to email me, personally offering to help out with any fundraising I would do to help out the causes he supports. Not just a single email, either. Levi’s replied — promptly — every time I’ve emailed him. In fact, he’s a lot more prompt with his email than I am.
In short, Levi is a grounded guy with a sense of humor, and he loves using his success to do good things.
So yeah, I’m a fan. And so I’m excited to join him at the GranFondo this weekend, and to give you a chance to win some extremely cool stuff.
So let’s talk about the cool stuff and how you can win it.
Grand Prize: Win Levi’s Trek Top Fuel — Autographed!
Here’s Levi, catching some air on his 15.5″ Trek Top Fuel — tricked out with SRAM XX components, RockShox XX Fork, and Bontrager Race X Lite wheels.
It would be wacky understatement to say that this is not a shabby bike. It is, in fact, the same kind of bike Levi used to win the Leadville 100 — in record time — a few weeks ago.
If new, this bike would retail for more than $5000. Since, however, it is Levi’s bike — which he will autograph for you — it’s a totally unique collector’s item.
Which means that the winner’s gonna have to decide whether to ride it or frame it. It’s your call.
First Prize: Win a Custom-Painted Giro Ionos Helmet
In addition to the bike, you could also win this:
No, not the guy making the scary face. You could win the GranFondo custom-painted Giro Ionos road helmet. It’s got (count ‘em) 21 vents and an in-mold composite sub-frame. It’s super light. It’s super cool. This is the same kind of helmet worn by Levi. And with graphics you won’t see anywhere else. A straight-up-plain version of the Ionos retails for more than $200. With the custom graphics, it is — once again — a collector’s item. Wear it, or put it under glass. Your call.
Sexy.
Second Prizes: Win Cool Schwag
In addition to the grand prize and the helmet, some lucky people will win one of the following:
GranFondo musette bag, cotton, roughly 10×10, gray, printed with two colors, sponsor logo soup on the back, OSFA (one size fits all)- GranFondo socks from Capo, mesh upper, elastic arch band, reinforced heel and toe, Meryl SkinlifE® fabric, 6cm and 12cm cuff length, no logos, S-XL
- GranFondo t-shirt, Tultex cotton, S-XL, printed for us by hand locally
- GranFondo trainer jacket from Capo, brush finish polyester, 12cm ribbed collar to keep the chill out, welt zipper pockets, embroidered logos, S-XL
- GranFondo cycling cap from Capo, 3-panel, 1000% cotton, OSFA
- GranFondo jersey from Capo, super corsa cut, micro quattro polyester, full length hidden zipper, 3 back pockets, silicone gel waist gripper, 2XS – 6XL
And while I don’t have a guarantee that I can get all of this stuff autographed, I’m pretty persuasive in person.
Plus, I weigh about 80 pounds more than Levi and have a pretty good “crazed fan” stare I can use when necessary.
In other words, I believe I can get him to sign stuff.
[UPDATE: Levi has confirmed that he will sign all items, just so long as I promise to never photoshop him again. A fair trade.]
How You Can Win
You want to win the bike? You want to win the helmet? You want the schwag? Darn straight you do. And it’s easy to enter. Just go to my GranFondo fundraising page and donate there. For every $5 you donate, you get a row on my spreadsheet. That DOES NOT mean that if you want to donate $50, you’ve got to do ten $5.00 donations. I’m awesome at Excel and will be able to give you the correct number of chances automatically, based on how much you donate. So click here to donate now.
The contest ends Saturday, October 9, whenever Levi crosses the finish line at the GranFondo At that point I will choose winners at random from my spreadsheet, using random.org to pick the lucky winners.
I’ll notify winners by email, so make sure that when you donate you use an email address you actually check!
Why You Should Donate
I know you’ve probably donated a thousand times this year. I know I keep asking for money. I am going to leave you and your wallet in peace, soon. Seriously. But these are great prizes, and the causes Levi supports are fantastic, including:
- LiveStrong: You already know why I support LiveStrong, and I’m glad Levi is too.
- Keep the Tour encourages Santa Rosa’s identity as a burgeoning cycling destination and promotes one of the US’s biggest cycling events while providing a vital bump to the local economy.
- Forget Me Not helps at-risk kids and shelters abandoned animals, all at once.
- The VeloStreet Community Initiatives are new this year and represent a concrete investment in local (and beyond) bike improvements to make Sonoma County a cycling destination and a great place to live and ride.
Thanks again for donating; whether you win or not, you’re doing a lot of good.
Comments (37)
10.4.2010 | 10:02 am
A Note from Fatty: The Twin Six guys wanted me to let you know that due to a production delay, the 2011 Fat Cyclist gear will begin shipping October 11. You (and I) should be seeing it soon after that!
Everyone, meet Sandra of New York:
Also, meet Sandra’s bike, affectionately known to Sandra as “Billie.”
I’m afraid that Billie is about to become a little bit jealous, because Sandra — a Team Fatty member who has raised $2105 this year — is the winner of the latest Shimano / Orbea giveaway, and will shortly be riding this:
Yeah, Sandra’s had a pretty good day. And after reading a little bit about who she is and why she’s involved with the fight against cancer, I think you’ll be as glad as I am that she won this bike.
A Little More About Sandra
Sandra was good enough to send me a little bit of information about who she is and why she’s joined the fight against cancer. In her words:
I started the LIVESTRONG challenge fundraising because in 2009 one of my closest friends, Drew Olanoff, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Immediately he, instead of adopting a ‘woe is me’ attitude, found a way to put his misfortune to good use.
After getting diagnosed he started a twitter trend called #blamedrewscancer and a website that is partnered with LIVESTRONG where you can “blame cancer” for anything you want, whether its your bad hair day or your own cancer.
He also put his twitter name @drew on auction to the highest bidder and all $$ goes to LIVESTRONG. Who bought it? DREW CAREY!
So Drew Olanoff has been a HUGE source of inspiration to me long before this, but this made me redirect all my efforts for fundraising and charity into LIVESTRONG. We’re such good friends that he, our friend Rachel and I all got matching tattoos!
I did the 45 mile LIVESTRONG ride in 2009. It was hard because at the second rest stop about 21 miles in I got stung in the eye by a bee and the medic tent gave me Benadryl that made me nauseous the rest of the way.
There were so many times I wanted to flag down one of the vans to have me brought back to the finish line but every hard hill I climbed I said to myself “people with cancer don’t give up, neither should you,” and that powered me through. So even though it took something like a total of 6 hours to complete I still completed it because I felt it was important to throw my body in the ring for the cause.
A Note from Fatty: Drew was the MC at the awards dinner in Philly in 2009, so I got a chance to meet him. I — like a lot of people — was impressed with his creative energy and desire to find new ways to do good things.
Meet Jerry Pickering — The Winner of the Trip to Ride for the Roses
Sandra wasn’t the only winner in this contest, though. Remember, while the guys from Twin Six raised enough money for LiveStrong to get to the coveted “Yellow Jersey” level ($30,000!), they wanted to share the experience, and so they gave me the perks of their fundraising — a trip to Austin to join Team Fatty at the Ride for the Roses — to me to include as part of this latest fundraiser.
And I’m happy to announce that Jerry Pickering is the winner of that trip!
Here’s Jerry at the finish line at this year’s San Jose LiveStrong Challenge:
Here’s what Jerry has to say about why he’s involved in the fight against cancer:
I’m a software engineer (casualty of company lay off last week, ironically enough), and a Special Forces vet.
In the last year, I’ve had four very close friends and former Special Forces heroes diagnosed with Cancer.
Two have already passed away.
It is monumentally unfair after all they have done to secure our freedom and the freedom of others. It is very hard to watch my teammates suffer quietly, never surrendering. So I picked up the LiveSTRONG challenge in San Jose riding with Matthew Chapek and Team Fatty.
A Note from Fatty: I want to point out that I’m constantly amazed and impressed with the stories and reasons to fight cancer Team Fatty members have. Big thanks go out to Jerry for his service to his country, as well as his reasons for taking up the fight against cancer.
More Winners Coming Soon!
As you may know, I’m going to Santa Rosa this week to ride in Levi’s Gran Fondo. Tomorrow, I’m going to tell you a little bit about what I’ve learned about Levi Leipheimer — the kind of person I’m learning he is, and the kinds of causes he supports.
And I’m also going to be firing up a contest where you can win some pretty awesome things. I won’t reveal what they are, but here are a few clues:
That video isn’t perhaps very informative, so here are some pictures.
PS: Apart from that first video, I’m not very good at giving difficult-to-decipher clues, am I?
Comments (21)
09.24.2010 | 9:40 am
About a year ago, Dustin at Shimano helped me give away a mind-boggling road bike to help Team Fatty raise money for our fight against cancer.
An Orbea Orca, equipped with the new outrageous technological marvel from Shimano: Dura-Ace Di2: the electronic shifting group. Not to mention Dura-Ace carbon tubeless wheels and PRO components.
A dream bike’s dream bike. Easily worth around $10,000.
And then, after the contest, Dustin did me another huge favor: he helped me get the exact same bike for myself.
And now, after having ridden this bike for a year, I have no problem whatsoever saying that I am totally, hopelessly elatedly in love with both the Orbea Orca and the incredible — yes, I mean incredible — Di2 shifting group.
And I’m giddy that I get to announce that — in the name of our fight against cancer — we are going to once again have a contest to win this bike.
But this time, it’s the new 2011 version:
That’ right. You can win the beautiful, strong, light (I’ll talk about each of these adjectives in a minute) 2011 Orbea Orca, outfitted with the most incredible set of components imaginable, all by joining Team Fatty in our fight against cancer. Read on to find out how, or just head on over to my LiveStrong Challenge Page to enter now.
And that’s not the only reason you should enter. Because — get this — thanks to my good friends at Twin Six, I’m also giving away a trip for two to Austin to join me and the rest of Team Fatty for the Ride for the Roses.
But first, I’m going to tell you about why I love my own Orbea Orca with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2.
What I Love About the Orca
I don’t even know how many times people have stopped me to just ogle my Orbea Orca (check out some photos here).
It’s just a gorgeous bike. Sculpted without getting wacky. Functional and elegant.
It’s a joy to look at, frankly.
But it’s not simply a looker. The front end is unlike anything i have ever experienced on a bike. never realized how stiff a bike’s front end could be until I rode the Orca for the first time.
And I have never been so fast on the road as I am on this bike. I am a faster climber. Part of that’s because this bike is easy to build at under 16 pounds. More importantly, though, power transfer with the Orca is amazing.
And on the descents, I am faster than ever before. This bike makes me feel stable and confident.
Of course, these things are all true for the 2010 edition of the bike, which is what I own. For 2011 — the bike we’ll be giving away with this contest — the Orca keeps the stiffness I love, but gains smoothness. It’s more aerodynamic, and the winner will get a special version of the frame with internal routing.
Oh, and did I mention it’s going to be beautiful? Cuz it is.
What I Love About Shimano Di2
Electronic shifting. People who haven’t tried it are often quick to dismiss it. After all, non-electrong shifting works just fine, right? So why would you need or want the Shimano Di2 group?
People who have actually ridden and lived with the Di2 group, on the other hand, don’t ask that question. Here are some of my takeaways from my experience with riding with Dura-Ace Di2:
- Shifting is practically effortless. A quick tap of the right buttons — which are placed so as to feel perfectly natural to those of us who are used to traditional shifting — makes the gear change. Perfectly. Every time. Ever since messing up my left wrist a few years ago, going to the big ring with old shifters hurts. And for anyone, if you don’t make the shift throw correctly, you’re likely to drop your chain. I have never ever dropped the chain with Di2. Perfect shifts every time.
- Shifting is so fast and perfect. I can go up and down the cassette at crazy speeds with Di2, and I can move from the small to big ring (and back again) in no time at all. And I can do it no matter what the gradient is or how much stress I’m putting on the pedals. Shifting is in service to me, instead of the other way around.
- Shifting is maintenance-free. You’d think that electronic shifting would require more hassle on my part, but the reverse has been true. I have had to do no maintenance of the Di2 system. Cable stretch is not a problem. The derailleurs never get out of alignment — they shift as crisply and perfectly now as on day 1. It’s just amazing.
- Auto-trim is awesome. When you shift — front or rear — the front derailleur makes instant, tiny adjustments to keep the chain perfectly aligned. It’s brilliant.
- The battery lasts for months. I was initially worried that I’d have to charge the battery every couple of rides. Or at least once a week. But even with several rides per week, I only have to charge the battery every few months. I wish my phone would go that long between charges.
- I love the R2D2 sound. When you shift, you get a cool “bwwwrp-zzp” sound as the motors move the derailleurs. I love this sound so much I sometimes shift just to hear it. Really.
I should also mention that I also love the Shimano Dura-Ace Carbon Tubeless wheels. So light. So fast. And since I only have to inflate them to 80psi, the comfort on the road — not to mention handling — is just off the charts.
Honestly, this bike is just perfect. It’s like nothing I’ve ever owned.
And now, if you help out Team Fatty as we raise money for the fight against cancer, you have a chance at winning one for yourself.
Specifically — and I’m going to go with bold for the rest of this paragraph — you will get a 2011 Orbea Orca, outfitted with the Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 group, Dura-Ace Wheels, and an a full complement of PRO components. A bike which would retail for between $10,000 and $12,000.
Wow.
How You Can Win
Oh, you think you’d like to have this bike? Well, of course you would. Well, to win it, you’re going to need to do a little cancer fighting with me. Here are the ways you can donate.
- By Donating at my Austin LiveStrong Challenge Page: For every $5 you donate at my LiveStrong Challenge page, you get another row on my spreadsheet. That DOES NOT mean that if you want to donate $50, you’ve got to do ten $5.00 donations. I’m awesome at Excel and will be able to give you the correct number of chances automatically, based on how much you donate. Click here to donate now .
- By Raising Money at Your OWN Team Fatty LiveStrong Challenge Page: If you’re a member of Team Fatty, now’s a great time to donate money to your own LiveStrong Challenge, as well as to get others to donate to it. For every $5 you raise between the beginning of the year to the end of the contest, you get another chance at this bike.
The contest ends Friday, October 1, at Midnight, MDT. At that point I will choose a winner at random from my spreadsheet, using random.org to pick the lucky person. I will then fire off an email to the winner. Once I get acknowledgement, I’ll announce it on my blog, and you can begin collecting envious looks.
You Can Also Win a Trip to Austin to Join Team Fatty for the Ride for the Roses
As if winning a $10,000 bike isn’t enough, I now have another grand prize with this contest. Some lucky person who donates at my LiveStrong Challenge page will win a trip for two to the Ride for the Roses. You will be treated at the “yellow jersey” level, getting:
- Airfare (within the US) for the two of you
- 3-night hotel stay
- Sunday ride front starting line position
- Ride for the roses jacket and jersey
- Access to the Sunday hospitality tent
And you’ll — most importantly — get to hang out with the rest of Team Fatty at this event.
How am I able to give away this prize? Simple: my good friends at Twin Six are giving up their hard-earned spots. They say that they got to go last year and now they want to give that opportunity to someone else.
Honestly, these are the nicest guys in the world.
Donate Now
With an amazing bike and an amazing trip as grand prizes, this is a huge contest. And a couple of lucky people are going to get these incredible prizes.
But, chances are, you won’t win. And that’s totally fine. Because — whether you win or not — you will have contributed money to LiveStrong, and you’ll have helped in the fight against cancer. And that matters.
So, head to my LiveStrong Challenge page and donate. Or join Team Fatty and start raising money on your own LiveStrong Challenge page. Either way is a great way to win, and a meaningful way to help in the fight against cancer.
Good luck!
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