The CAR8
Challenge
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| Updates from Lorri
Lee Lown -- Rider #2441 |
| California AIDS Ride 8 |
| ��Volume 1, Issue 3 |
April 1st, 2001�� |
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Thank you, thank you, thank you!��I've come to realize that everything about the AIDS Ride
comes in threes.��Fundraising?��Ask, ask, ask.��Training?��
Ride, ride, ride.��Hills?��Argh, argh, argh!��Seriously though,
three times isn't enough to thank everyone who's been so supportive during the past few months.
So, thank you, again! |
| Training News |
What a great month! I'm so happy to be back on the bike.
One of the best things about the AIDS Ride is all the great people you meet & new friends you
make. This is the first month I did any of the organized training rides, and I had a blast on
every single one.
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| The first weekend of March, I
travelled to San Luis Obispo with 12 of my Schwab teammates for a weekend
of riding & camping. We all got together for a Saturday morning breakfast at IHOP then started
off for the day's adventure. The ride was great -- 70 miles and one of the fastest rides I've
ever had -- and I was really jamming on the hills. It was so cool to ride parts of last year's
AIDS Ride route, including two trips through the intersection where I had my little "accident"
last year (email me if you want details). The weekend was really well organized with awesome
food stops and fun crew. I was actually the first rider into camp, so it was great to cheer in
the other riders as they arrived (something I was never early enough to do on the AIDS Ride last
year). |
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Unfortunately, the rain and wind began shortly after I arrived at camp (one
advantage to being a fast rider) and lasted through the night and into the morning. My tentmate,
Imelda & I thought the tent was going to blow away in the night! We both decided to forgo riding
on Sunday (wimps!) so we started the long journey back to San Francsico, only to end the trip
by wedging the car (with the bikes on top) into the ceiling of my parking garage. Luckily,
there wasn't any damage, and I think we'll both laugh about the experience for a long time.
One of my challenges this month has been to get some miles in during the week. It's really tough
to go out and do back-to-back 60 or 70 mile rides on the weekend without any rides to stay in
shape during the week. My solution is to commute by bike. Last year, I rode to and from work
for about 3 months (22 miles each way). This year, I decided the morning ride & shower once I
got to work took too much time, so I've been taking CalTrain into San Francisco and riding home.
Well, that's the best case scenario. Unfortunately, most mornings I just can't get myself out
of the house early enough to do it. I'll be so happy when the clock changes and I can actually
go out for a training ride in the evenings (instead of being limited to a commute ride).
I find a certain peace and a strange sense of empowerment in commuting. I could tell tales
that you would never believe (maybe a book of short stories is in the making). It's funny, but
in my head, I think of myself of an urban road warrior, dodging MUNI buses, cars, pedestrians,
and even other bicycles. So different than the scared, timid rider I was when I began riding
less than two years ago. Yes, I've gotten into the bad habit of yelling at drivers when they
try to kill me, but it's simply in self defense. No matter how much neon, reflective stuff I
dress in and put on my bike, I still feel invisible to lots of drivers. Maybe they just don't
realize how fast a bicycle can go. Or maybe they don't realize that as a cyclist, I have the
same rights to the road as they do. Or maybe they just think its fun to scare the daylights out
of me by turning in front of me when I'm flying at 25 mph. Whatever the reason, I know that
I've become a much safer, more considerate driver since I started riding on city streets (my
father would have been so happy since he thought I was a crazy driver).
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| Fundraising News |
Well, it's been a slow month for fundraising, but I'm still
working it. Lots of promises from friends, family & co-workers. Now I just have to work on
collecting the pledges. To date, I've raised $11,500 to benefit the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
My Schwab teammates Caitlin Darke, Imelda McGovern and I are hosting a
fundraising party on April 26th. Although the focus of the party is
raising pledges, I'd like to invite all my current donors to attend as well. It should be a
really fun night since all three of us have very diverse circles of friends. I'm also raffling
my cool pink bike! Check it out & take a chance. For only $10, you could own the
coolest bike in San Francisco!
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| Team Schwab |
What an awesome month! I had the opportunity to meet &
ride with dozens of new Team Schwab members on every training ride I did. It's so cool now
that we have our new uniforms, so now we can actually tell who we are!
|
|
In team fundraising news, we're still plugging along toward our $1 million goal. Life at
Schwab has been a little strange this past month, especially with market conditions as they
are. Given the market uncertainty and the expense management initiatives at the company, I
think we're all feeling a little awkward about really pushing the fundraising right now. |
| But we're still doing well,
with more than $230,000 collected to date and another $120,000 in pledges. Will we make it to
$1 million? This may not be the year, but I think we'll raise at least $600,000 this year. |
| The Road Ahead |
By the time you read this, I'll be flying across the Pacific
for my first real vacation in four years. I'm going on a two-week
cycling
tour of the South Island of New Zealand, followed by four days in Sydney, Australia. I can
hardly wait! See, I really am riding to the ends of the earth this year!
When I return, the real riding begins. Every weekend from April 21st until Memorial Day weekend,
I'm doing back-to-back centuries all over Northern California. I love organized rides, and it
will be so much fun to do these centuries with all my AIDS Ride friends. |
And most importantly
........thank you again to everyone who's supporting me for the AIDS
Ride this year. And a special thanks those of you who sponsored me last year too (denoted with
an *). You should each be proud knowing that your donation is making a significant difference
in providing vital services to those living with HIV and AIDS.
Although I'm fortunate enough to have good health, I know so many people who haven't been
that fortunate. Just the other morning, a very dear friend (who's also an AIDS Rider from
Schwab) told me he had just tested positive for HIV four weeks earlier. The AIDS crisis
is not over! It's here, in our lives, everyday. The services provided by the San
Francisco AIDS Foundation, the services that your donations fund, are so important in the
fight against this deadly disease. Thank you again, from me, from my friend, and from the
hundreds of thousands of faceless others who benefit from your decision to support the
AIDS Ride. |
| Aida Araya, Schwab |
Ann Arhontes*, Schwab |
Bruce Bailey, Schwab |
| Aimee Barreto, Baltimore, MD |
Caedmon Bear, Schwab |
Lita Benton, Schwab |
| Lynda Bessette, Chicago, IL |
Frank Bold*, Schwab |
Nick Brogolias, Schwab |
| Bob & Peg Brussel, Syracuse, NY |
Carlos Cabezas, Schwab |
Stacy Chretien, Schwab |
| Laurette Cisneros*, Schwab |
Jim & Geri Clark*, Syracuse, NY |
Katharine Clark, NYC |
| Ginny Cohen, Schwab |
Marianne Cook, Schwab |
Rob Cotterman, Schwab |
| Emilie de la Motte, Schwab |
Heidi Francis, Schwab |
Ednil Galera, Schwab |
| Bob Gelott, Schwab |
Marcie Goldstein, Syracuse, NY |
Denise Green, Schwab |
| Astrid Javier, Schwab |
Jonathan Johnson, San Mateo, CA |
Rashonda Johnson, Schwab |
| Ellie Kalenda*, Schwab |
Pearl Kato, Schwab |
Lou Kempton, Syracuse, NY |
| Tootsie Lansang, Schwab |
Mario Leon*, Schwab |
Fredrick Mackay, Schwab |
| Sherri Mackay, Schwab |
Jeff Mazik, Schwab |
Cindy McLaughlin, Schwab |
| Rachel Morton, Schwab |
Bob Moss*, Syracuse, NY |
Ken Mullen, Schwab |
| Ana Nabong*, Schwab |
Isis Nyong'o, Schwab |
Sal Ortiz, Schwab |
| Laura Pan*, Schwab |
Kay Pappas, Schwab |
Rodney Paul*, Schwab |
| Martha Perry, Schwab |
Yana Posovsky*, Schwab |
Norma Quispe, Schwab |
| Elinore Robey, Schwab |
Lillian Rosales, Schwab |
Rick Rosenberg, Schwab |
| Bernie & Audrey Ruelas, Hayward, CA |
Susan Ruelas, San Jose, CA |
Lynn Running, Schwab |
| Beth Sawi, Schwab |
Jennifer Shiao, Boston, MA |
Allie Shipps, San Francisco, CA |
| Vickie Stallings, Schwab |
Adam Staperfene, Schwab |
Suzanne Statler, Schwab |
| Paco Summers, San Francisco, CA |
Dick Szymanski, Syracuse, NY |
Karen Szymanski, Washington, DC |
| Elisa Takao, Schwab |
Minga Torres, Schwab |
Pam Tweedy, Schwab |
| Alexandra Urbanowski, San Jose, CA |
Eileen Utter, Schwab |
Ann Vandehey, Schwab |
| Lynda Wheat, Syracuse, NY |
Jenni Yoshida, Schwab |
Robbin Zarbo, Schwab |
| � | � |
|
The Charles Schwab Corporate Foundation |
The Liberty Mutual Employee Fund |
| � |
� |
|
March Updates: |
| Total
miles this year (2001):���859.02 |
| Total
miles I rode in March:���428.03 |
| Total number of training
rides this month:���8 |
| Average mileage per
ride:���53.5 |
| Longest training
ride to date:���77.76 miles |
| ���� |
| Total Donations
received to date:���$11,500 |
| Total Donations
received in March:���$740 |
| Total Schwab
Donations:���$3,450 |
| Total Schwab Matching
Gifts:���$6,900 |
| Total non-Schwab
Donations:���$1,150 |
| � |
|
Again, I can't thank you all enough for your awesome support for me and the
California AIDS Ride. Please, share this site with anyone you know who might be interested in
joining the challenge. Just think, if each of you had one friend willing to match your donation,
I'd almost reach my goal of $25,000!
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