We are back

We haven't had a lot of posts lately because we've been out of the country. We took a family vacation to Europe. Don't worry, I'm not going to link anyone to the 700 photos we took. I just included one of Mary and I in Sienna, Italy. We rented bikes at our hotel one morning and went riding around that very old city. Sienna is between 2500 and 3500 years old. It was very cool. The whole trip was cool, but that's information for a different blog. This blog is about preparing for the Death Valley Ride. So even though we only rode once in the last two weeks, we walked a LOT! Our legs are in great shape. We are really looking forward to putting in some serious miles now that summer is here.




Tom and Mary on Piazza Il Campo in Sienna, Italy.

Busy time is finishing

It has been tough to get out and ride this spring. With school getting done, our daughter graduating from high school, graduation parties and getting ready for vacation bike riding hasn't been a high priority. We are getting out some, and today was beautiful. We did a team ride on the Musketawa Trail, a rails-to-trail conversion that runs from Marne to Muskegon. Logged 31 miles with a big group. We had 16 people along for the ride, which is the biggest group for a team ride this year. And it's actually more people than rode for our team in Death Valley last year. We are really looking forward to some serious training once we get back from vacation. And boy will we have some photos to share from that. More in a couple of weeks.

This weeks totals:
06/06/06 - 10.8 miles, WPT north
6/11/06 - 31.2 miles, Musketawa Trail
Total: 42 miles

It's Sunday night, time for the update

We didn't get a lot of riding in this week, but what we did do was good. Today was a team ride. 10 folks from the West Michigan Ride Team took off from Ada Park and touring the "rolling" hills of the Saranac/Lowell/Ada area. We rode just a shade under 28 miles. Coach Mike was there along with one of our new assistant coaches, Patrick. And we took some photos. It was a lovely day and we're going to share photos of a couple of lovely ladies.

This week's ride totals:
6/4 - 28 miles; Ada to Lowell loop

Mary Scheidel, south of Lowell.















JDRF Executive Director Stacey Chase crossing the Grand River.

A good week

Got out three times this week. Wednesday was just a quick ride around the neighborhood of about 7 miles. This weekend we went down to our friends cottage on Lake Paw Paw and took two trips around the lake. 12.8 miles on Saturday and 12.2 miles on Sunday. It's nice to have nice weather.
This week's totals:
5/24 - 7.7 miles; the neighborhood
5/27 - 12.8 miles; around Lake Paw Paw
5/28 - 12.2 miles; around Lake Paw Paw again
Weekly total: 32.7 miles

Who's swinging down the streets of the city...

...everyone knows it's Windy.
To steal a line from an old 60's song. It has been very windy this week, so not a lot of miles, but they were hard miles baby. Against the wind. Uphill. Both ways. I'm tellin' you.
But seriously folks, Wednesday was a quick 11 mile jaunt between rain storms and today was 21 miles on the White Pine Trail. All the way to where the pavement ends and then back home again.
And we are holding Jake's Music Festival again this August. Check out the website www.jakesmusicfestival.blogspot.com for all the details.
This week's totals:
5/17 - 11.2 miles; WPT north
5/21 - 21 miles; WPT farther north
Total: 32.2 miles

I can't stand the rain

What a crummy week for bike riding. All that nice weather we had earlier in the spring has deserted us. For the most part this week has been cold and rainy. Thursday it was raining sideways! So we only got out twice this week. A short ride around the neighborhood on Wednesday and a longer ride between rainstorms today. Today's right was south on the White Pine Trail, past the ballpark and through Riverside Park, all the way to Ann Street in Grand Rapids. A 19 mile round trip. More rain in the forecast for this week. Yuck.

This week's ride totals:
5/9 - 6.5 miles; the neighborhood
5/14 - 19 miles; WPT south to Riverside Park
Total: 25.5 miles

Busy week, some biking

It was very nice outside, this first week of May. However, work was very busy, so we didn't get a lot of riding in. However the little we did was relatively long for this time of year. On Wednesday we rode a little hill route that Mary found and then went north on the White Pine Trail for a little over 17 miles. On Sunday we took a trip from our house out to, and around, Meyers Lake. Round trip total of 21 and a half miles. Hopefully we'll be able to grab a few more rides this week.
Weekly Ride Totals:
5/3 - 17.25 miles; hills and the WPT
5/7 - 21.5 miles; Meyers Lake
Total: 38.75 miles

Three dog night

Actually, that should say "three ride week". We got out three times in a week for the first time this season. Thursday was a 12 mile ride from our house out around the Lake Bella Vista area. Then on Friday (back to back days) we took the White Pine Trail south and rode 13 miles. Finally we got in our first team ride of the season. Nine folks from the West Michigan Ride Team braved the rain and rode the WPT from the ball park north to Russell Road where the paved trail ends. That was a 26 mile jaunt. So we hit our mileage goal for this week. Of course next week that goal increases.

This week's ride totals:
4/27 - Lake Bella Vista: 12 miles
4/28 - WPT south: 13 miles
4/30 - WPT north: 26 miles
Total - 51 miles

Another Sunday night review

It was beautiful all week and then today, when we were supposed to have our first West Michigan team ride. It rained, and it was only 50 degrees. Not the best cycling weather. So instead of getting out three times this week we only rode twice. Friday was a good ride. Out and back on the White Pine Trail for one hour exactly and rode 15.2 miles. That would make our average speed 15.2 miles per hour. That's about 4 MPH better than at this time last year. Better bikes and better clothes probably have something to do with it.

4/18 - 8 miles; hills and interval training
4/21 - 15.2 miles; WPT north
Total: 23.2 miles

What a difference a year makes

Here are a couple of photos that are humorous because of the change they show. The first one shows Tom, Mary and Jacob from the donation letter we are sending out this year.

The second picture is the photo we sent out last year when we were "trying" to look like cyclists. Amazing what a year's worth of training can do. Not to mention the spandex.

Also, did some interval training today. Eight miles of sprints and hills in 30 minutes. Boy was that fun.

Happy Easter

We hope the Bunny brought you everything you desired today. It was a good week of riding. Not a lot of miles, but good, sunny miles. We took the White Pine Trail north on Friday for 15 and 1/2 miles. Thought about riding to my mother-in-law's house for Easter dinner, but it's a little too far for this early in the season. Maybe in a couple of weeks.

This week's ride totals:

4/13 - 12.7 miles; WPT south
4/14 - 15.5 miles; WPT north
Total: 28.2 miles

We love SPRING!

A little 60+ degree weather, a little rain, and "bang" things start turning green. The lawn, the trees, the bruise from where you fell last week. Today was one of those good early spring days to ride, sorta sunny, a light breeze and lots of pent up energy. We did 12.7 miles on the White Pine Trail Training Course. Took the southern route down to Whitecaps ball park. There is a carnival going on right now. Whoopee!
In other news, make sure to check out Coach Mike Clark's Club-Velo web site. There is a link to it over in the link list on the left. Mike says it's even better than the regular bike shop site.

A double header

Well, not a true double header in the baseball sense of the word. We mean getting out on the bike twice in the same week. It was pretty decent for those of us spending Spring Break in Michigan. We did have a couple of nice days to ride. Thursday was 10 miles up to Rockford along the White Pine Trail and the return route took us up Childsdale hill. The first true hill work of the season.
Sunday was a serpentine route to a friend's house on 5 Mile Road near Thousand Oaks Golf Club. It's about 2 1/2 miles if you go straight, or over 11 if you take my way. Lots of hills. Tom also achieved his personal best speed, clocking in at 40 MPH coming down East Beltline.
This week also saw the arrival of our training schedules from coach Mike Clark. The training officially starts this week with a mileage goal of 60 miles. We'll see if the weather cooperates.

This week's totals:
4/6 - 10.3 miles; WPT north
4/9 - 11.3 miles; Plainfield area
Total: 21.6 miles

Spring Riding

It's hard to get outside and ride consistently this time of year. However this week we did have one warm (60's) and sunny day, so we hit the trail and did 12.3 miles. It really feels good to be out and you can tell that the weather is changing and soon we'll be out several times a week. Then the Sunday Night Update won't have just one entry.

This week's ride totals:

3/30 - 12.3 miles: White Pine Trail south

Donating just got easier

Great news! As you probably know, the Ride to Cure Diabetes is a fundraiser. As much "fun" as it is to pedal 105 miles through the desert, the real reason we go out there is to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. There is now an on-line link to allow you to easily donate to the cause. Just click on http://www.ride.jdrf.org/donate to go to the donation page. Once there enter the rider name, either Thomas Scheidel or Mary Scheidel and follow the prompts. It's quick and easy and will go a long way toward helping us eradicate this disease.
Thanks!

The return of the Sunday night update

It was a beautiful weekend here in West Michigan, sunny and in the 60's, so we got out and rode. I was able to get on my Cannondale and not have to use my mountain bike like I did earlier in the year. It was so nice to be on a smooth riding bicycle once again. I did the northern training ride; from our house north on the White Pine Trail (WPT) past Rockford and then back home. A round trip of 14.5 miles. Not a lot of miles but a good first time out.
As those of you who read this blog last year may remember on Sunday night we would post our mileage totals for the week. So here we go for the first time in the 2006 season.

This week's mileage totals:
3/12/06 - 14.5 miles, north on WPT

We're doing it again

Our rear ends have finally healed so we've decided to do the Death Valley Ride again. We are officially signed up (and some may say officially crazy) to take our bikes and bodies back to the desert. Last year there were 14 riders from West Michigan and this year we have 53 registered. The ride is capped at 300 riders, so West Michigan is going to have great representation.
Please remember that this is a fund raiser and we are always looking for support. Soon we'll be adding a link so you can easily donate over the web. In the meantime you can use the address under our picture. A big thanks to everyone who donated last year, and an advance thanks to those who will donate this year.
Ride on!

Final recap for 2005

Thank you very much to everyone who supported the Ride to Cure Diabetes. The donations have all been collected. Personally we raised $7,000. Our West Michigan Ride Team raised over $115,000, and overall the Death Valley Ride raised more than one million dollars for diabetes research. The ride itself was a very intense experience. We rode 105 miles through Death Valley in 95 degree heat. The toughest part was a six mile climb at a six percent grade at the half way point of the ride. It took us over an hour to get up the hill to Jubilee Pass, and 10 minutes to get down. The entire route took us about nine hours to complete.

We'd like to send special thanks to our coach Mike Clark and the rest of the West Michigan Ride Team. It was definitely a team effort that helped us complete the route. As wiped out as we felt at the end, we also know that we have accomplished something great that will help our son Jake and all the other kids with Type 1 diabetes. We've also decided to do it again in 2006. So watch this space in the coming months as we send training updates for the Death Valley Ride to Cure Diabetes 2006.

Sunday night thoughts

No weekly mileage update this Sunday. We just got our bikes back on Thursday and since it was such a nice day I did go out for a quick 10 mile ride. It is interesting that a year ago 10 miles would have been a serious excursion and now it's just a warm up. I have three picture links I want to share so you can see more photos of Death Valley.

The first is from Bright Room Photography http://www.brightroom.com/go.asp?7288814
Follow the link and you'll see pictures of Tom. These are for sale, however as far as I know none of the proceeds go to JDRF. If you click on the "event home" link on the top of the page you can then enter a bib number or a person's last name. For example, enter Bib # 536 to see photos of Mary.

Second is The Adventure Corp web site http://www.adventurecorps.com/jdrf/2005dv/index.html
Lots of great photos catergorized by which part of the ride we were on. There are shots of the West Michigan ride team scattered through out.

Finally is The Heeren Brothers web site http://www.heerenbros.com/pages/8/index.htm
Fellow riders Mark and Terri put up a bunch of photos that they took.

We also have had over 700 hits on this web site. Next week we should also have the final totals of how much money we raised for the cure.

New photos available

I added a link to Flickr which has more photos of our ride. Look for the badge on the left side of the page, click on one of the tiny photos and it will take you to the Flickr web site where you can see our other Death Valley photos.