Gold Nugget Triathlon

On Sunday, team Shebeast powered through another Gold Nugget Triathlon. I was siked to see some marked improvement in the swim, even if my time was still double that of the winner. I had to hold back my speed demon Orbea a bit to stay with the team, that dang bike just wants to go, go, go. With some encourgement from Scout and Ally I managed to complete the run without taking any breaks. I remember thinking that an oxygen tank version of a camelback would have come in very handy. Scout chatted away in attempt to keep me motivated, and I responded in mostly nods and grunts. Sadly, I was not able to participate in her cheerful rendition of "I saw a bear... in tennis shoes..." Maybe next year. The ER tri is only a few weeks away. It should be a hilly bike ride, but a shorter run. The 60K Tour de Cure ride next week, and the Ride for Life on July 19. Looks to be an active, pedal happy summer. That works for me.

Sunshine and Clean Air

Well our Alaska Clean Air Challenge ride couldn't have been any better. Team Aurora Bikealis raised $2,495.00 for the Lung Association. We just happened to meet the former ride coordinator while we were in Talkeetna and learned that last year only 8% of the money raised went to overhead to put on the race. That's amazing. I hope any of our sponsors reading this rest well tonight knowing that their generous donation is being well spent.

Jeff, Ally, Scout and I stuck together for the first 60 mile day. Piper arrived early and rode on her own. Our awesome road support crew Terri, Rocky, and Ed were always at the ready with beer and ibuprofin. We love them. On Sunday Jeff and Piper tackled the return 60 mile trip, while the rest of us gorged ourselves on a Talkeetna style breakfast.














Hey wonderful sponsors - we proudly wore our team shirts with each one of your names printed on the back! We also dedicated our ride to Les Burfford (sponsor Sylvia Taylor's uncle) and Lou Jones (Piper's relative). We rode our hearts (and seats) out for them. Below is a picture of the front and back of our shirts.

























We've been back for a few days now, and our bums have healed. Jeff quickly took advantage of our post ride bliss and began organizing our next long ride. Several Aurora Bikealis members, including myself, have already signed up for the Ride for Life charity ride for cancer. The RFL ride is a 2 day trip covering the 135 miles between Anchorage and Seward. Lots of hills, lots of wind, and not much of a shoulder to ride on. Sounds fun, right?