10.12.2011 | 8:22 am
A Note from Fatty: Before I get to Dustin’s race report (I guarantee it’s a must-read, and you may want to have some tissues handy), I want to remind you: today is the last day you can donate in the Tour de Pink contest, where you can win a $10,000 Giant TCR road bike, complete with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2. Or a fantastic set of top-of-the-line wheels. Or a GoPro HD camera. Or a lot more. So go donate now, already.
A Note About Who’s Riding for Team Fatty in the Tour de Pink: I’ve asked Heather S to represent Team Fatty at the Tour de Pink. Here’s a little about who she is, in her own words:
In the beginning of 2010 my husband Erik and I were learning how to be parents of 2 after Genevieve’s arrival in August 2009. In May 2010 we celebrated my 31st birthday. In July 2010, I participated in the San Luis Obispo Triathlon for the 2nd time and beat my goal time. In July 2010 we celebrated Annabelle’s 3rd birthday. In August 2010 we celebrated Genevieve’s 1st birthday. In September 2010, I was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.
While there is a lot of cancer in my family history, I certainly did not expect to get breast cancer at 31 years old. Breast cancer is for women older than me – women who have already had a chance to watch their kids grow up, celebrated their 40th and probably 50th birthdays, and maybe even be grandmothers! Right? Apparently not.
After my diagnosis I got right to the research – in true Heather fashion. What is this cancer? What is the absolute best way to kill this beast? Just as importantly: were there other young people out there like me who had to face this challenge?
That’s when I found the Young Survivors Coalition (YSC). This organization has a website where an amazing community of young women (diagnosed at <40 years old) gather to support each other. We laugh, cry, celebrate, mourn, question, teach and learn from each other. Aside from the priceless support, this is the place I got the best information; the most up to date information out there. Hundreds of women with similar breast cancers researching and sharing information from their doctors, etc. Can you imagine the wealth of knowledge?
YSC holds a special place in my heart because I can’t imagine going through all of the ups and downs of diagnosis, treatment, surgeries and now the struggle and blessing that is survivorship without this community. Cancer diagnosis and treatment can be lonely, alienating and depressing – but I knew I could (and still can) always turn to my YSC sisters for someone who totally “gets it.” I hope YSC can provide this opportunity to young women for years and years to come.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine a better representative for Team Fatty at the Tour de Pink. Heather (and her husband Erik, who’s going to ride with her) has promised to take a lot of pictures and will send us a ride report when she gets back.
And I’m thinking maybe Team Fatty needs to have a larger presence at the Tour de Pink next year.
Good luck, Heather!
Kona Ironman: Dustin’s Race Report
I first want to start with a thanks and an apology. I want to thank you all for your support and fundraising support. Michelle dreamed big and all of you helped me and her friends and co-workers deliver in a huge way. I want to thank you for the support.
What I want to apologize for is taking so damn long to finish. I read that a few of you stayed up until I finished … I’m kind of speechless on what to say about that. All I can say is thank you for caring that much. I’m humbled. For those who posted to the comments, thanks for making me laugh and smile.
Getting Ready
Okay … Race Day! I got to bed later than I wanted. Like 11pm. I woke up at 4:30am, ate a PB&J sandwich, tested my blood sugar, and sat on the balcony looking down at the Swim start. As I sat there I was surprisingly calm. Just very focused on what I needed to do.
Jump to 5:30am. I ate a banana, tested my blood sugar again, and went down to do the thing I hate most for a triathlon: Take off my shirt and get numbered up on my arm.
So this is the World Championships and the majority of people got to come here through being incredibly fit and qualifying because they are incredibly fast. So why do I hate getting numbered? Well I’m overweight and just about 98% of everyone else needs to eat more. I feel intimidated. Not that I’m trying to win, but when my time is that of people over twice my age and they have six packs, well … I’m a little insecure.
After getting numbered I went up to my room to test my blood sugar again; my sugars were stable.
I grabbed the most important thing of the day: an urn of Michelle’s ashes and placed it under the swim skin at the small of my back.
I went down to my bike and pumped my tires up to 110. The heat of the day would bring them up to around 120 when I was on the bike.
From there I walked over to the swim start and got ready. I saw my friend Holly and she helped apply the Tri Slide to help me avoid rashes. Right before stepping down in the water, I applied even more … I did not want a rash in my pits!
It’s about 6:50 now. I saw the woman is responsible for letting me in the race to fulfill my promise and much much more. I went up to say thank you and then started out to where everyone was wading in the water to start the day.
The Swim
BOOM!!!! The canon hits you like shockwave and we are off. I opted to start at the back to avoid from what I heard was the roughest Ironman start around. Well, either I wasn’t far enough back or it is that rough, because people are climbing over me, I got kicked in the face, elbowed in the face and then I said ok, I’m going to be a bit more aggressive and use my size to my advantage. I started swimming elbows wide and thrashing around like a hooked Marlin. It worked; people were staying away from me now.
I have this problem: I don’t swim in a straight line. But the benefit of that is about a little over halfway, a giant school of spinner dolphins swam right underneath me. I thought of Michelle and how she loved dolphins.
Then that awesome thought was soon replaced with a burning in my left arm pit. I think the tri slide wore off because it was Michelle telling me to get my ass focused again. Then I thought of AK chick and how funny it was she called me David and thought I worked for SRAM.
So I finish the swim, washed off and changed, and made sure I had the urn. I checked my blood sugars and I’m at 58–a little low. So I eat a banana and grab some Perform before getting onto the bike.
Well, finding my bike wasn’t difficult at all. There weren’t many bikes left.
The bike started great for the first 50 miles, I felt good, I saw on their way back that Craig Alexander was right with Lieto on the bike and at that point on the bike course I knew Crowie would win!
I started the climb up to Hawi. It was ok at first but then with about 5+ miles to go the winds picked up and picked up a ton. At this point I noticed a major problem. The only bolts I did not check to see to make sure they were tight, came loose.
My friggin right cleat!
This is bad because this is the side I have issues with my knee. I didn’t want to clip out because I was afraid of breaking bolts or losing them so I let it slide around the rest of the ride.
Anyways, I get to Hawi. Winds are blowing and I get my special needs bag. I stop to pick what I want and check my blood sugar. This was the fourth time I stopped to check my blood sugar; it was spot on at 100.
Once I started pedaling again, I thought of Zac_in_ak. Michelle had this saying she wanted people to know … it was “If you want to do something, do it before it’s too late”. I had this painted on my top tube to remember.
And I wanted you Zac to know to do what you want and don’t let Diabetes prevent you from doing a tri.
I’m now about 20 miles to go, headwinds are fierce and surface temperature was reportedly around 135 degrees. all I know is it was hot, headwinds suck and pedaling with a loose cleat is not great for pedaling efficiencies.
I caught a second wind (maybe it was a third or fourth wind) with 5 miles to go and was feeling good. I went into transition about 4:10 in the afternoon. I opted to use the PT in transition to help me release the tension/pain in my right knee. Transition time is not great but I need to do what I need to do. I test my blood sugar again and it’s spot on (I was absolutely amazed I was on track with my blood sugars.)
I make sure I move the urn of Michelle’s ashes into my running short pocket.
Marathon
So this is the part of the race I feared most. I am not a runner! Luckily you are moving slower and around a lot more enthusiastic people cheering you on. This takes away from the pain.
That is, it takes away from the pain until mile ten when you get onto the Queen K and for me its nighttime and no one is around. I know I have to push it because the later and later it gets, I know my math has been wrong.
I was expecting to finish around 11pm. So I’m at about mile eleven and I’m in pain … bad pain. The entire ball of my feet on both sides are blistered. Someone had suggested I take an orange peel and stick it under the sock over the blisters to soften the pain. It seemed to work a little.
I’ve now made it through the energy lab and I was running a little and walking a lot. I have about 6 miles to go and I know I have to run a lot now because my math sucks or my blisters are slowing me down too much.
I ran a lot. More than I ever have. Okay, maybe it was more of a shuffle but I’ll call it a run. It’s 1.2 miles to go, It’s 11:25p.m. and I know I’m going to make it. I pulled the urn out of my shorts and ran with it in my hand the last 1.2 miles.
Coming into the final .2 miles is an experience I’ll never forget. Friends and people I don’t know there for me and everybody cheering you on like crazy. The final 100 meters or so were a blur … but spectacular. As I ran up the ramp I tripped but caught myself and held Michelle’s ashes up in triumph. It was her, my friends and you guys that gave me all the motivation I needed.
After I was greeted by friends and Crowie. Then these older ladies walked me to the after race area. But I made them take me to the water where the morning started with the swim. I took off my shoes and socks and walked down the steps to the water. They were asking me to come back but they didn’t understand I had important business to attend to. I went into the water, opened the urn and sent Michelle’s ashes into the water.
At this point, the weight and pressure of the promise were lifted and I was now done with the race.
After
So it’s three days later. I have some serious issues with my feet. They are bruised and blistered and I can’t really walk.
But although I finished with people over twice my age, I’m proud of what I’ve done. I had never before this day swam over 1.4 miles, rode over a 100 miles or run/walk over 13.1 miles.
Thank you all for your support and love! Thank you for sharing in my experience and thank you for being an excellent group of individuals. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. People like me can arrange products to give away, Elden has the soap box, but without all of you we have nothing!
Mahalo!
~Dustin
Comments (97)
10.7.2011 | 7:00 am
Update: Dustin finished it! I think we’ll all be very interested to hear his story (and believe me, I will do my utmost to make him write up his story for this blog), but for now, check out his stats:
Obviously, this was an incredibly hard effort for Dustin. I can’t even describe how proud I am of him.
But you know, maybe making a donation in the contest might be a pretty good way of showing. Right now, he’s only around $3K from his goal of $20K. It’d be awesome if he woke up to having completed not just one goal — finishing the Ironman — but to having completed two.
Click here to donate. Thank you!
A Note About Dustin, and A Note From Dustin
A few days ago, I posted about how Dustin Brady’s doing this weekend’s Kona Ironman to honor a promise he made to his fiance, Michelle, shortly before she died of breast cancer.
You can read the whole piece here (and if you haven’t, you should), but the short version is that he told her he would do this race. And since the Young Survival Coalition’s Tour de Pink was important to Michelle, he wants to raise $20,000 for them.
And considering how much Dustin has gone through — not to mention how much he has helped Team Fatty raise money for other fundraising projects — I really want to help him get to that $20,000 goal.
Right now, we’re at about $13,000. That’s not bad at all. About 2/3 of the way there.
Of course, the prizes you could win are pretty incredible. For example, you could win a Shimano Dura-Ace clincher wheelset, either 24mm, 35mm, or 50mm profile. Top of the line wheels.
Or you could win a GoPro HD Camera — an awesome way to get video footage of any ride, whether you’re on mountain or road (my friend Grizzly Adam, who is a total camera nut, owns and uses one of these for his on-bike footage).
Or you could win some very nice Shimano Dura-Ace carbon pedals. Or an autographed HTC jersey. Or one of everything from the FCancerUp store.
Or maybe — just maybe — you’ll be the grand prize winner and get a $10,000 dream bike: a 2012 Giant TCR Advanced SL With Shimano Dura-Ace Di2. Check out the white frame option:
Read here for all the details on this bike, but for right now let’s just say: this frame + build is amazing.
So, if you’d like a shot at these prizes and would like to help Dustin get to his goal of $20,000, click here to donate. For every $5.00 you donate at my Tour de Pink fundraising page, you get a chance at winning each of these prizes.
A Note from Dustin
If I were Dustin, right now I wouldn’t be able to think or eat or sleep or do anything. I’d be too freaked out about the fact that I was about to do the Kona Ironman, for crying out loud.
But Dustin — a much calmer, saner individual than I am — wanted to send an email thanking everyone for what you’ve done so far:
I just really want to thank all of Team Fatty! For helping with fundraising and leaving comments that I love reading. The notes of encouragement and those who share stories of meeting Michelle make me smile.
I may be a little overweight (I have lost 20lbs in this effort … and that is what Michelle wanted most … me healthier), I may be a type 1 diabetic, and I for sure am undertrained for this event.
But what I do have — more than anything — is all the motivation I will need. From thinking of that picture of Michelle at the finish line and thinking of your comments and stories … I will get to the finish line even though just about all of you will have gone to bed by then.
Thank you for the support, and most importantly, thanks for being awesome!
~Dustin
Pretty cool of him, if you ask me.
Follow Dustin at the Ironman
The race starts Saturday, October 8, at 7:00am (HAST) / 10:00am (PT) / 1:00pm (ET). Dustin’s race number at the Ironman is #1556.
You can track Dustin by clicking here.
I think Dustin’s going to suffer. But I also think he’s going to be proud of what he’s accomplished.
As he should be.
Comments (49)
10.4.2011 | 7:15 am
Dustin Brady and I are good friends. We’ve got a lot in common. In fact, a little too much in common.
There’s the good stuff: We both love bikes — I write about them all the time, and he works for Shimano.
There’s the all-too-common stuff: we both are engaged in a pretty much permanent battle to lose weight and keep it off.
And there’s the awful stuff: I lost my wife to breast cancer. Not much later, Dustin lost his fiance, Michelle, to breast cancer.
And now he and I work together, whenever we can, to fight cancer. Most often, this has been by his arranging for incredible bike-related prizes for LiveStrong Challenge contests, in honor of Susan’s memory.
This time, though, I’d like you to get behind me and put the full force of Team Fatty into helping Dustin honor Michelle.
And, by the way, by doing so you’ll possibly win one of a number of prizes that are just head-spinningly incredible.
Background
Right now, Dustin is in Hawaii. This Saturday, he’s going to be doing the Kona Ironman — his first Ironman attempt — in tribute to Michelle. Here’s why, in his own words:
My fiancé Michelle was sweet and sassy.
I knew she had weeks to live about a month before she did (Doctor told me to let her ask and go at her own pace). Well, during that month I kept asking myself, what am I going to do with myself?
Well, I had taken Michelle to Kona in 2008 & 2009. In 2009 about 11pm at night as we watched the inspirational finishers she turned to me and said, “You should do this someday” … I replied … “Yeah I would like to try, I’ll put it on the bucket list.”
I remember right where I was when I made the decision I was going to try and get into Kona (This is where we grew our appreciation and respect for the sport) and do the race in her memory. I was driving home to take a shower before going back to the hospital … it was right where the 73 merges into the 405 heading south through Mission Viejo. I was never going to tell her … I was simply going to do it and get healthy again like Michelle wanted.
So jump forward two weeks … Michelle finally asked the doctor the tough questions. She went through the initial emotional BS but then instantly started worrying about her loved ones. What was Tiffany going to do, she wanted to give her our scooter. What about her Mom?
And then in typical Michelle fashion as I was stepping out of the room to get something to eat … she point-blank asks me, “What are you going to do when I’m gone … you need life skills!!”
I replied, “Life Skills?!?” with a smile on my face (always try to show your loved one things are going to be ok).
Then I continued … I’ll tell you what I’m going to do … I’m going to do an Ironman for you … and for me.”
She looks at me, and starts to tear up. This is the last thing I wanted! I went to her to hug her and tell her I love her.
But as I approached the bed and leaned in for a hug, she stuck her hand out to stop me, then rotated her hand to shake my hand, and says “YOU PROMSE!?!?”
I shook it right then and there! The rest is history. Now I’m trying to live each day like she did … with a smile on my face and trying my best to seize each and every day to the fullest.
So when I do Kona, I will be doing three things.
- I want to raise $20K for the Young Survivors Coalition in her name
- I will carry her ashes with me in a small sealed container the entire distance
- I will wear a special kit promoting something she started. At the end of the landing page it sums up why … I want people battling cancer to know they are not alone. My website is www.fcancerup.com (a little aggressive but it’s what most people think!)
Fight Cancer, Help a Friend Keep a Promise, Win a Dream Bike
Of course, Dustin’s on his own as far as finishing the Kona IronMan goes, though I cannot imagine more amazingly powerful motivation than he has. (And I will post his number and info on following his progress on the race as soon as it’s available.)
But I think we can help Dustin with that first objective.
And since Dustin’s made some out-of-this-world prizes available, I believe we might just be able to eclipse that goal by a good little margin.
I’ve signed Team Fatty up as a member of Weiser’s Army in a cause that Michelle deeply believed in: The Young Survival Coalition, which offers resources, connections and outreach to young women diagnosed with breast cancer.
And here are the things we’re going to give away.
The Grand Prize: Your Choice of a 2012 Giant TCR Advanced SL With Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
This is a pro-level road bike — in fact, the bike and components Team Rabobank rides:
You get to pick the frame, either with the integrated seat mast, in black or white, or with an adjustable seat post. For myself, I think it’d be pretty darned hard to beat having the integrated seatmast in white:
That is going to be the foundation of a seriously clean-looking, amazingly advanced bike, especially once you put on a full Dura-Ace Di2 group on it. You know the one — incredibly fast, accurate, electronic shifting.
On a personal note, I’ve been loving Di2 on my own bike for more than two years. During which time I’ve had to get it fixed or taken in for maintenance exactly zero times. And I charge the battery about once every two or three months.
It’s seriously more reliable than manual shifting. Not to mention faster. And you can do shifts you could not normally do (like a quick shift on the front derailleur during a very steep climb).
You also get your choice of a Dura-Ace clincher wheelset, either 24mm, 35mm, or 50mm profile.
And hey, how about some carbon Dura-Ace pedals:
And you’ll cap it all off with a PRO Vibe Carbon Bar and Stem.
How much would this bike cost if you were to go out and buy it yourself? Oh, I dunno — how about around $10,000.00.
If you are not already a serious road cyclist, this bike is going to turn you into one. You just won’t be able to help yourself.
More Awesome Prizes
Of course, only one person can win this dream road bike. But there are going to be some pretty excellent other prizes given away too:
- A Dura-Ace clincher wheelset, either 24mm, 35mm, or 50mm profile. Whichever you like. And since we looked at the 24mm wheels last time, let’s take a quick look at the 50mm wheels here:
- A GoPro HD Camera, with a bike mount, so you can get glorious high def video of your riding adventures.
- A set of Shimano Dura-Ace Carbon Pedals
- An HTC jersey, autographed (but you’ll have to wait and see by whom!)
- One of everything FCancerUp store.
That is a big ol’ serious batch of prizes. For a good cause, and for a good friend. So please, donate.
How It Works
Entering the contest is really easy. For every $5.00 you donate at my Tour de Pink fundraising page, you get a chance at winning each of these prizes. So, here’s how it works, in nice easy steps:
- Go to Team Fatty’s Tour de Pink fundraising page.
- Donate any amount, in $5.00 increments.
- For every $5.00 you donate, you get a row on my magical spreadsheet of prizes.
- I choose winning rows at random, using random.org to choose winners.
- You must donate by Wednesday, October 12, to win.
- I will contact winners by phone and / or email.
Pretty simple. And the fact is, Young Survival Coalition is about as straight-line to the type of cancer that both Susan and Michelle fought. Charity Navigator gives them four stars.
So your money will be well-spent, on an incredibly relevant cancer.
Speaking for both Dustin and myself, thank you very much for taking the time to make a donation.
PS: I need someone to be the official Team Fatty rider for the Tour de Pink. It’s a three-day ride, and it looks incredible, and I wish I could go. But I can’t. So I need someone to go and do the ride, being the official Team Fatty rider.
And what I’d really like would be if it’s someone who has lived with breast cancer, either as a survivor or as a caretaker.
If you’d like to be the person who rides for Team Fatty — and you’re willing to come back and tell the story, with words and photos, either leave a comment or send me an email with a little bit about your story.
Thanks!
Comments (46)
09.22.2011 | 5:00 am
A “Last Chance to Win” Note from Fatty: You’re almost out of time to donate to win a trip, a signed yellow jersey, or a full kit in Levi’s GranFondo. In fact, you have to donate by Sunday.
So, let me give you some reasons why you should donate.
- The Causes are Awesome. Forget Me Not Farm. LiveStrong.VeloStreet’s Cycling Initiatives Program. And more.
- Levi’s GranFondo is Awesome. Someone’s going to win a VIP trip for two to Levi’s GranFondo: airfare, lodging, the Festa del Fondo, the group ride with Levi, and the GranFondo itself. The Hammer and I got to do all this last year, and it was awesome. I guarantee that whoever wins this is going to come back saying, “This was the best event I have ever been to.” Because that’s what I said. And I’m never wrong.
- The Other Prizes are Awesome. You could win a full GranFondo kit. Or a yellow jersey from the Tour de Suisse, worn by and signed by Levi Leipheimer.
- Levi Himself is Awesome. Consider all the photographs I’ve recently posted of Levi, either in headlocks or giving headlocks. Watering plants or taking a nap in his yellow jersey. How do you think I got those? Yep, by asking for them. I’ve said things like, “Hey Levi, while you’re at the Tour, could you get a photo of you putting some top pro in a headlock?” And he’s responded by saying, “How about Jens Voigt?” He’s played along, without worrying about public image or directing me to his agent or anything like that. Levi is just a good guy with a great sense of humor. Who also happens to be freakishly fast on a bicycle.
You might win something. Something awesome. Probably not, but you might. Hey, someone’s going to. Regardless, please donate. Thanks!
Fatty Goes to France, Part V
Sometimes, plans change. For example, The Hammer and I had planned to go on a run during our trip’s “rest day.” I mean, it seemed silly to us to have a rest day after just four days of riding.
As I mentioned, plans change.
After our monster ride from Aix-les-Bains to La Grave the day before, a rest day — no ride, no run, lotsa sleep — sounded great.
A (Rambling) Conversation With Andy Hampsten
The highlight of the day was when I got to sit down and have a conversation with Andy Freaking Hampsten, winner of the Giro d’Italia and owner of Cinghiale Cycling Tours.
It’s a free-flowing conversation, which is why I call it a “conversation” instead of an “interview.” Except I guess I call it an “interview” in the video intro, but that was stupid of me.
Anyway, it’s a longish chat (34 minutes), but I enjoyed it. And I hope you will too.
Cleverly, I’m posting this video on a Thursday, so you have today along with several non-posting days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) to watch every glorious moment of it.
Other Stuff We Did
After four days of riding, it was nice to lounge about for a day, as if we were on an actual vacation.
Here are some of the things we did.
We ate.
We at most of our meals on the hotel’s deck. You can kinda see why.
We stared at the incredible scenery.
No matter where you went, the stark, glacier-capped mountain dominated the view.
We toured the town (accidentally, because we got lost, because neither of us has anything that remotely resembles a sense of direction).
This is, pretty much, the whole town.
The archway to the old church. A beautiful place with an extraordinary mountain backdrop.
OK, for reals this is the whole town.
We even rode a tram to the glacier and took a tour of an ice cave.
I did not like looking down when riding this thing. Both ways — riding up and riding down — I sat so I could be looking up.
I’m going to be honest with you here: Glaciers look better from far away.
Sure it’s a tourist trap. We’re tourists. We’ve been trapped. May as well take photos.
When this penguin thaws out, it’s going to be even more awesome.
It’s a good thing we rested up, because the next day (which I’ll be talking about in Monday’s post), we’d be riding the Alpe d’Huez.
And I made no secret about the fact that I was wanted to hit that sucker hard.
PS: Here’s The Hammer’s Letter for this day.
Our good luck with weather couldn’t last forever could it?
Last night as we were preparing for bed the thunder and lightning commenced and the rain began to pour from the sky. It pretty much rained all night. It’s now 0930. We were supposed to start riding 30 minutes ago, but we decided to hold off until 1000 to see if the weather would clear up.
As I’m typing the rain has stopped and the sun is trying to poke its head out from behind the clouds! So I have approximately 30 min to tell you about our fabulous rest day.
Wednesday was the rest day, and that is exactly what we did. We lounged around in the morning and took a look around this cute little ski village. We actually got lost wandering around, which is hilarious because it’s not a very big place.
Elden and I were looking the wrong way when we walked right by the hotel. We then wandered blindly up the street and through the crazy maze-like streets of La Grave. We eventually came out at the high end of the village at an old church. There was an old cemetery surrounding the church–pretty cool!
We found our way back to the hotel in time for lunch. This French cuisine is wreaking havoc on Elden’s and my intestines! I’m looking forward to returning to my egg white and avacado diet!
After lunch, Elden interviewed Andy Hampsten. Andy is our tour guide. He is a retired pro cyclist who has won the Giro d’Italia and a stage on the Alpe d’Huez in the tour of France. He is a really cool guy. I was the videographer. The interview took place on the patio of our hotel with a great view of the Alpes behind them! Elden intends to use it on the blog, so stay tuned.
After the interview, Elden and I took off to catch the last tram of the day. La Grave is a ski destination with a tram that takes skiers up to the top of a glacier!
Talk about EXTREME skiing! it makes our ski resorts look like little mole hills! It took 45 minutes and 53 Euros ($70) to get to the top AND back down. (You have to pay for the trip back down too!)
The tram ride was incredible, the views spectacular as you left the trees and ascended above the treeline onto the glacier! We also bought entrance into a snow cave in the glacier. It was pretty unique. We got some pretty cool pix of ice sculptures inside the cave.
When we got back to the hotel, we joined the group as they listened to Andy tell stories from his biking days. The stories were amazing. It was fun to hear about racing from a biker’s perspective!
At 7:30 we met for our 3 hour dinner. No joke–it takes forever to eat here! We had soup, followed by chicken with boiled potatoes, followed by a course of cheese and finally dessert–a pink mousse dipped in dark chocolate.
Then it was off to bed….and the start of the rain!
Believe it or not….. The rain has stopped and the sun is shining! I’ve got to run–I have an Alpe named Huez to climb!!
Comments (27)
09.18.2011 | 10:31 pm
An (Astounded) Note from Fatty: I really thought that all the Levi Leipheimer drama was behind us. You know, the drama that started with a letter I wrote to Levi, then continued with Levi’s attorney’s response, and — I had hoped — concluded with the GranFondo folks acting as the voice of reason.
The upshot of all this was fairly awesome. In exchange for supporting the charities associated with Levi’s GranFondo, a Friend of Fatty and a guest will get to come to — and get the full VIP treatment at — Levi’s GranFondo. Further, a couple people will win totally deluxe GranFondo kits: helmets, jerseys, shorts, armwarmers, hats, socks. The works.
That contest is still open, so click here to donate, or click here for more details.
Anyway, yesterday, I was astonished to get the following letter from Odessa Gunn, Levi Leipheimer’s wife, asking me to please post it on my blog.
Of course, I was more than happy to oblige.
A Letter from Odessa Gunn
Dear Fatty,
It has come to my attention that you and the rest of Team Fatty are working together to raise money for the charities associated with Levi’s GranFondo. I think that’s wonderful, and I would like to provide an additional prize for your contest.
But first, a little background.
Here’s Levi’s Tour de Suisse yellow jersey.
As you can see, he’s signed it and everything, which is a little weird, because he’s totally planning on keeping it for himself.
Levi’s pretty proud of earning this jersey, and rightly so. I mean, it’s kind of a big deal to win the Tour de Suisse.
The thing is, though, that jersey is starting to get on my nerves.
Why? Because — and I swear I am not exaggerating at all here — he wears it all the time. And I’m not even talking about wearing on his bike, either.
Let me show you what I mean.
In the past few days alone, I have seen him wearing this jersey while:
1. Watering the plants, dusting, vacuuming, doing other chores.
I know, I shouldn’t complain about what Levi wears when he helps around the house. But wearing that jersey while cleaning the toilet? Really?
2. Working on bikes.
Not a lot of people know this, but Levi is a pretty good mechanic. Neighbors are always coming to him with their bike questions, and he hopes that someday, when he retires as a pro cyclist, he’ll be able to get a job at one of the local bike shops.
But why, I have to ask, does he have to wear that jersey while working on bikes? Grease is so obvious when it gets smeared on that yellow.
3. Taking a nap
I know, I know. It looks like Levi’s fallen asleep here after getting back from a ride. But he hasn’t. He’s just fallen asleep while watching TV. He hasn’t been on his bike all day. Honestly, he hasn’t ridden in weeks.
Yesterday, I snapped.
“For crying out loud, Levi,” I said. “Could you please wear something else?”
“I really like this jersey,” Levi mumbled back, not looking me in the eye.
So I decided to take matters into my own hands. Which is where you and your readers come in.
Today, Levi and I had a conversation. “Why don’t you give that Tour de Suisse yellow jersey away as a prize in that Team Fatty contest? You don’t really need that jersey, and the Forget Me Not Farm and other causes in the Fondo could use the money it’ll help raise.”
“No,” said Levi, petulantly.
“Oh, come on. You’ve got plenty of other jerseys. You’ve got a closet full of jerseys. It wouldn’t be a big deal for you to give this one away.”
“But this jersey is my favorite,” Levi complained.
I could see this line of reasoning was going nowhere, so I switched to a different tactic.
Before long, he saw reason.
So, Fatty, you can see that making this jersey part of the prize list for your contest is really doing me a big favor.
Someday, Levi will thank me. Maybe.
And I promise, I’ll have that jersey washed and pressed before sending it to the winner. Trust me, it needs it.
Your friend,
Odessa Gunn
A “How to Win” Note From Fatty
OK, folks, you heard the lady and saw the jersey. Now in addition to the other prizes — such as a trip for two to Levi’s GranFondo, or a full GranFondo kit — you can also win Levi’s very own, signed, favorite-thing-to-wear-all-the-time yellow jersey from this year’s Tour de Suisse.
How do you get a chance at winning it — along with the other prizes? By going to the Team Fatty Donation page over at the GranFondo site, and donating any multiple of $5.00.
For every $5.00 you donate, you get a chance at each of the prizes, which now include:
- Levi’s Yellow Jersey from the Tour de Suisse. I believe you have all the information you need about this jersey at this point.
- A VIP Trip to Levi’s GranFondo for two, which includes airfare, lodging, dinner at the Festa del Fondo, the invite-only group ride with Levi and a small group of people, and tickets to ride at the GranFondo itself. This is, in fact, a seriously impressive prize.
- One of two GranFondo kits, including a Capo jersey, shorts, armwarmers, a hat, and socks, and a Giro Aeon helmet.
So. Donate now. Or Odessa will pin Levi’s arm behind him again.
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