THE FIRST DAY OF THE RIDE. 9/29/2005

IT WAS THE FIRST DAY OF THE TOUR. WE WERRE PUMPED THE RIDERS WERE PUMPED. EVERYONE WAS UP EARLY AND STAGING THEMSELVES AT SCRIPPS CLINIC FOR THE CLINIC. LANCE WAS THERE TO GIVE HIS MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH TO KEEP US LOOKING FORWARD TO CANCER RESEARCH AND THE NEED TO DO CLINICAL TRIALS.
IT WAS A TOUGH HILLY DAY AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS OVER 104 DEGREES. OUR GROUP OF RIDERS DID VERY WELL FOR THE CONDITIONS. 76 MILES OF HILLS AND HEAT.


PICTURES TO COME.

SUNDAY TRAVEL DAY TO SAN DIEGO

WE TRAVELED FROM ONTARIO TO LA JOLLA. LOTS OF VEHICLES AND LOTS OF TRAFFIC. WE ARE STAYING AT THE LAJOLLA HILTON. ON TOREY PINES GOLF COURSE. VERY BEAUTIFUL. WE ARE HERE TO REST AND ALSO WE ARE IN AREA WHERE LOTS OF CANCER RESEARCH OCCURS. WE ARE NEXT TO THE SCRIPPS AND JOHN HOPKINS INSTITUTES. OUR KICKOFF TAKES PLACE AT THE SCRIPPS.

THE WEEK COMES TO AN END

KEVIN AND JERRY JUMP INTO HELP WITH THE BIKES. CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN













CHRIS HAS THE SERIOUS LOOK FOR THE SERIOUS BUSINESS AHEAD IN THE TOUR OF HOPE.










A NICELY DECKED OUT VAN. DENNIS, ANDREA, CHRIS, BERKAS,AND KEVIN















ANDREA AND CHRISTIAN BRING THE KNOME AND MOUNTY TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. CHRISTIAN IS FROM WINNEPEG.











WE HAD SATURDAY OFF SO WE CLIMBED MOUNT BALDY. JIM, JERRY, MARKUM, BERKAS ARE ON THE PATH.













MOUNT BALDY IS 10,064 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL. COLD AND WINDY. I SHOULD HAVE HAD A HAT.












SNOW IN SEPTEMBER IS CRAZY, BUT LOOK AT THE CROWD. BERKAS, JIM, JERRY,AND MARKUM












MARKUM AND BERKAS FOR A BIG THUMBS UP.















BRUNO A VERY COOL MECHANIC, HE IS FROM FRANCE.

TIME AT THE WAREHOUSE IN ONTARIO

OUR GOAL IS GET 15 VEHICLES READY TO GO FOR THE TRIP. LOGISTICS ARE CRUCIAL. 4 GROUPS OF PEOPLE RIDING THEIR BIKES FOR 5 HOURS AND THEN MOVING 300 MILES DOWN THE ROAD AND THEN RIDING YOUR BIKE FOR ANOTHER 5 HOURS. 9 DAYS OF REPEATING THE CYCLE.




SUBARU'S FOR EVERYONE AND ROOF RACKS FOR EVERYONE.
IS THAT A MOOSE IN FRONT OF MY VAN?
THE TOUR OF HOPE BIKES ARE RACKED WHEN THEY ARE COMPLETE.
EACH MECHANIC HAS 6 OR 7 BIKES THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR. THE BIKES ARE ALL TREK MADONE 5.2'S.
OUR WORK AREA IS IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE WAREHOUSE.
A FINISHED VAN WITH THE DECALS.
WE HAVE 5 SUBARU CARS THAT ARE USED FOR THE TOUR. THE COACH, MECHANIC, LEAD CAR USE THESE VEHICLES TO BE AT THE FRONT OF THE TOUR.
WE SPEND MOST OF THE DAY AT THE WAREHOUSE. TREK HAS 45,000 BIKES HERE. NOT MUCH ROOM FOR US TO WORK INSIDE. SO WE WORK OUTSIDE.

TOUR OF HOPE, WORKING AT THE TREK WAREHOUSE

OUR GROUP LEADER IS GINA AND HER ASSISTANT IS DAN. THEY ARE GIVING BERKAS A PEP TALK ABOUT FIXING THE BIKES.
CHRISTIAN WITH THE FOUR PALLETS OF FOOD. NINE DAYS AND 100 PEOPLE TAKES A LOT OF SNACKS.
WHEN THE BIKES ARE DONE THEY GET RACKED AND READY TO GO TO SAN DIEGO.


HERE IS OUR MAKE SHIFT WORK AREA. 25 BIKES TO GET READY FOR THE 3200 MILE TRIP. BERKAS AND KRIS ARE MY WORK MATES IN FIXING THE BIKES.

Getting started with the set up.

Our first day was getting started with the set up for the tour. 5 rental vans from the rental place. pallets and pallets and pallets of supplies to go into each van. Because there are 4 teams, each team has to have its own set. Roof racks, innertubes, floor pumps, spare wheels, etc. Lists are checked and rechecked. Once on the road,parts are hard to find.

Spare bikes are set up in case we lose a bike to a mechanical failure. The team member bikes are assembled and readied for the trip. All the bikes are set up the same with tires and components. It is just easier to keep everyone rolling that way. New blue tires, new handlebar wrap, new computers, new cables as needed.

There are 4 mechanics and we each have our own members bikes to set up. Our day was spent in the parking lot under the pop up tents. Music and comraderie. The temperature hit 97, not the Iowa heat we are used to, but a dry heat.

TRAVEL TO ONTARIO, CA

FLIGHT DEPARTED MPLS AT 7:40 AND A SMOOTH FLIGHT TO PHOENIX, SHORT LAYOVER AND THEN TO LAX. SHUTTLE OUT TO ONTARIO. AMERISUITES. 909-980-2200 ROOM 219.

GROUP MEETING AT 7:00 P.M.. THE ADVENTURE BEGINS.