One final group ride.....

Well as we all met on one final Sunday for a very easy and relaxing 38 miles from Solana Beach to Oceanside Harbor, we all gathered around and got a few group pictures taken and a few final words of praise from Coach Pat Jak and we were off.
The ride up was very easy and a bit slow as we gathered in the Harbor and chatted with G2 as they were set to depart. As we made our final trip down the 101 to Solana Beach we all chatted about what to bring to SF so we all had a good idea what we needed to bring. As we approached Encinitas BLVD we stopped at the light at the bottom of the hill and as usual about 4 of us decided to race up the 150 yard hill to the top at the light. I am a perfect 5 for 5 for this contest of speed and I should of just let someone else take a turn at winning. But instead I decided to make it a clean sweep for the year and boy do I regret that.
Half way up I waited for someone to pass me to give me an idea who was the strongest of the bunch, as Mike passed me I pulled up hard with my left leg and out came my cleat. I made a god catch before going over the bars and quickly slammed it back into the pedal and gave it another hard pull upward to catch up with Mike who was just 3-4 feet away from me and I am guessing the chain had slipped off and when I pushed down on the pedal and pulled up on the bars to get some leverage, over the handlebars I went and all over the road I lay.
It all happened so fast I barely remember anything and just I hit the edge of the sidewalk with my left ass cheek and the very back portion of my helmet hit the ground as did the back of my right shoulder blade. Talk about embarrassing doing it in front of all my G# friends and the cars that were coming up the hill. I quickly got up and accessed the damage to myself and except for a few minor scrapes and a broken 4 month old helmet I was going to be ok. The guys checked out my bike and it seemed nothing much happened to it so it was back to finishing off the ride as planned.
Well 3 days later my left ass cheek has a bit of road rash and is completely black and blue from the impact it took hitting the curbs edge. The minor scrapes are really nothing and I have a really slight neck muscle strain but it is really slight. I guess I was really lucky as it could have been much worse and something that could have kept me from doing this ride. Coach Pat told me it was a text book "tuck & roll" and that I did very good considering what happened. Trust me there was no thought about how to fall, I was in autopilot and free falling to the ground and got lucky to end up how I did.
Now the ride will be even sweeter as I have a sense of how truly lucky I am in ALL aspects of life. Just a few hours after the crash Sayaji and I along with 45 family members and friends got together for our 10 year wedding anniversary and to renew our wedding vows. It was really a great time and my lovely wife never looked so beautiful, I really am a lucky man.

And the Winner is.............

Well the XX1090 Scott & BR Cycling Team contest finally came to an end this past Thursday around 6:40am and there were smiles all over the place. I brought Napua and Kiana down along with me as I have done previously as they have been my inspiration for getting back into shape and on the bike after my 2nd back surgery. They got to see me hours after a major 6 hour back surgery and how bad I looked days after the surgery and the look on their face pretty much said it all as they looked scared to see their dad look the way he did. So I wanted them to see 1st hand what a little hard work and determination can do for someone and to never give up.

Even for me not knowing days after the surgery just what was lying ahead but I knew if I worked hard and smart something good would come from it. So about 9 months after the surgery I was back to work doing my old job and also back on the bike with my sights set on doing the Challenged Athletes Foundation Million Dollar Challenge this year. So I jumped in feet first right into the deep end and had no idea what I was getting into when it comes to trying to fund raise $10K in 5 months for the very first time. For someone who has never fund raised before trying to raise just #1K is a tough thing to do, so imagine what I had to do when it came to trying for $10K.

So when the big day came in August and I hit the end of my fundraising there was a sense of satisfaction that there was a job well done and I had helped a few people along the way. Once that day came it was radio contest mode and I tried to focus on trying to get into the final 5 riders and with a little luck into the top 3. As it turned out getting a few immunities and raising a good chunk of funds helped get me into the final 5 and eventually the final 2 riders.

So here we were last Thursday on the air with Scott and BR as they made us squirm a bit going back and forth asking some questions wanting to know how we did it and what winning meant to us. Then the moment came and even then I was still unsure who was going to be the winner and then Scott read the name....the winner is........Chris Glossner!!!!! What a journey this radio contest has been and honestly I can say it was all worth while not so much for being chosen the winner but from all the really nice people I have met this summer. For someone who does not get out too much I really looked forward to each and every Sunday because I knew I was going to meet someone new or get to know someone a bit better.

When I first started this my intentions were to raise the money, do the ride and then retire from cycling to spend more time with the family. It will be tough to just walk away from all these new friends I have met.So I will have to figure out what I am going to do since the winner of the radio contest is supposed to come back and run the team next year, something I am not sure I can do for many reasons.

Well I wanted to take this time to try and thank everyone who had a little hand in making all this possible. But as anyone who tries to do something of this magnitude knows it is impossible to do it alone and the list of people from Facebook friends to the folks at Pepsi to friends to all the bowlers in San Diego to Bill who donated 2 bowling balls to Jim and Robert who got me ball #3 to my lovely wife who put up with all my sleepless nights and countless hours away from the family while training and fundraising, thanks Sweetie!!!

I am not sure if the winner of this contest has any special perks once we hit San Francisco but either way I am looking forward to a ride of a lifetime and it is now less then 2 weeks away.