Update as of Sept. 25, 2005:
First lets get some of the bad stuff out of the way.
If you sent in a donation to support me and you have not received a thank-you from me it's due to me not knowing that you sent in a check. I know that some of you mailed the Lance Foundation a check on my behalf as early as July 8th and 10 weeks have gone by and they still have not posted it to my account. Some of you notified me that you sent in a check so I was able to give them your name to lookup. I have called them 4 times and also sent e-mails with little to no luck. I did find out that I was not the only one with this problem - there were many others with the same problem. I was able to prove to them that I had reached to $500 mark so they did give me the "Exclusive messenger bag." On the hard to understand side is that when I gave them the name(s) of some that I know for sure donated on my behalf they still could not find them.
I left home by bike early this morning (6:55 AM) and arrived at Nike at 7:20 AM I was warmed up and ready to ride. I found my assigned starting lane (#8). There were 13 lanes of about 270 riders per lane. At 7:30 AM I heard Lance's voice welcoming us - just where he was is a mystery. Soon after his speech they began releasing the lanes - starting with lane #1.
Now you might wonder who was in lane #1 - well it was Lance and his racing pals (from the picture I just saw on TV it looked like there were about 20 riders who got to ride with him - they were off and never to be seem again. I don't know what distance he rode (10-40-70 or 100 miles). It was reported he was only going to ride the 10 miler, but I heard a report out on the course that he at least rode the 70 miler (which was really 74 miles). There are pictures of Lance and his group crossing the finish line at 10:34AM.
It would have been nice if Lance and his pals started last and rode passed the rest of us. He did have a police escort front and back.
It took until 8:23 AM for my lane to get released and by them we were all cold and very eager to start riding in order to get warm. My cold, while much better, was still hanging on and I could tell from doing my first ride since Cycle Oregon on Friday it would be a tiring day - breathing was hard. So I decided to ride the 74 miler.
The first 15 miles were very crowded, and one had to be on ones toes. I almost rode over a digital camera that someone had dropped. There were just to many riders all around to stop and pick it up. At about the 15 mile point the 100 mile riders split off and soon after that the 70 milers split off so the riding was much easier. Just how many did each ride I don't know. There was a fair amount doing the 100 miles as well as the 70 miles.
On the strange side is that I wore one jersey, the LiveStrong jersey, and brought along a second jersey, my Route 66 jersey. At the first rest/water/food stop I stopped to took off all my warm cloths and change my jersey. Why, when you ride alone you need something to start other rides talking to you. Almost everyone was wearing a LiveStrong jersey of one kind or another. NO one had a Route 66 jersey. It did the trick - as many riders said something to me as the passed - and several even started singing "Get You Kicks On Route 66." I also rode my Bike Friday, and it was the only one that I saw. When I crossed the finish line the announcer said "great job and he's riding a Bike Friday an awesome bike" kind of neat.
By now it was getting warm with lots of sun - it was a great day for a riding. The ride around "Henry Hagg Lake" was outstanding with wonderful views of the blue water. Up to this point the pace of the riders were on the fast side - probably to get and stay warm. But once I finished the loop around the lake I just slowed down and started to really enjoy the ride. When even there were spectators along side the road, on either side, I would slow down, stick out me hand, and yell "give me 5." The kids really like doing that. A word of caution if you every try to do this - do only “low 5s” and not “high 5s”, you can get knocked off your bike with a strong “high 5.”
All to soon we were riding through the town of "North Plaines" which meant we had only about 15 miles to go. You could tell that some of the riders were beginning to hurt as their pace was slowing down and they were shifting down on the remaining hills.
Entering the Nike campus they directed us into one of two lanes, one lane was for cancer survivors who received a red rose and the other lane was for the rest of us. At the finish line was a box lunch from Subway waiting for us. After eating a lot of junk food on the route it was nice to have some real food.
What to do now? I looked around for Lance, of course he was not to be found so I headed home. I was in by 2:40 PM and I do think at about 5:00 PM he made another speech, but I just did not want sit around that long. I made one stop at Starbucks for a iced coffee drink.
I rode a total of 84 miles and while tired I do feel pretty good - especially after a hot shower. It was a high energy ride with lots of people on the roadside cheering you on. Have I said "life is good."
I do appreciate all your support, many thanks.
PS They had hope to raise $500,000 but they raised $1,300,000 from this ride. Also it was mentioned that 55 million of the yellow bands have been sold.
Up date as of Sept. 4, 2005:
I know that many of you have mailed in a donation on my behalf, some as long ago as July 8th. I am sad to say that your donation still has not been posted to my account. I have e-mail LAF twice and all they said is that "it’s a problem." A mailed in donation was supposed to be posted in 4 to 6 weeks. As of now I am saying there is no need to make a donation in support of me since I will probably not get credit for it. If you wish to donation in general go ahead. No matter what - the ride should still be fun and thanks to you all for your support (since I don’t know who made a donation in my behalf I don’t who to thank.)
E-mail sent on July 8, 2005:
Lance is on target to win the Tour again this year (update - Lance has won his 7th Tour). Whether he dose or dose not, he is still a winner. On Sept. 25. 2005 he will be in Portland, Oregon. to lead a ride from the Nike headquarters. We have the choice of the following distances: 10, 40, 70 or 100 miles. I will be one of the 3500 riders and will either ride the 70 or 100 miles. I have paid the entry fee myself, but since this also a fund raiser so you can contribute if you wish - to the “Lance Armstrong Foundation” (LAF). I an sure you have seen the yellow “LiveStrong” wrist bands, did you know he has sold over 50 million if them?
One hundred percent of your contribution will go to the LAF, since I have paid my own way. If you are interested in contributing there are two ways - via the Internet or by sending a check to LAF. Here is how:
Via the Internet:
1) goto www.livestrong.org/livestrongride
2) on the left side click on “Support A Rider”
3) Enter this data:
Last = O’Brien
First = Tom
City = Portland
State = OR
Country = US-United States
4) click on “Search”
5) click on “View” on the bottom left of the screen (my name should be on the right)
6) click on “Donate”
7) fill out the require info
8) click on “Submit” on the bottom
Via a check in the US Mail:
1) send a check made out to: “Livestrong Ride”
2) sent it to:
Livestrong Ride
P.O. Box 131768
Houston, TX 77219-1768
3) include the following info on the check in the “memo portion”
Fund raiser name - Tom O’Brien
Fund raiser number - 87479845
If you want a tax receipt include a letter with your name and address with the check
How will your contribution help me? The more I raise the closer I get to ride along side Lance. Whether I am riding next to Lance or at the back of the pack I will still have a great ride. Note of interest - 3 years ago I got to ride with Greg Lemond. The story is on my web site.
Thanks for your help.