JOIN US FOR THE SEATTLE CENTURY IN 2012!

Join us for the SEATTLE CENTURY on July 28, 2012!

Great news!

The folks organizing the Seattle Century are once again supporting our grassroots LIVESTRONG cyclists during this fantastic bike ride.  Please join our group, ride this ride, and save some money!

Join our LIVESTRONG group (it's easy and free!):

1. Sign up on the LIVESTRONG website as a group rider or supporter:  www.tinyurl.com/ride4lsseattle - which also sets up a "fundraising HQ" to help facilitate your LIVESTRONG fundraising activities.
2. Send me an email - rideforlivestrongseattle@gmail.com so I know that you are out there! (I'll let you know when we have training rides, or planning a community outreach event! 

Join us at the Seattle Century:

**WITH BONUS COUPON CODE ($10 OFF REGISTRATION) IF YOU SIGN UP WITH US***

Be part of a great ride through the Seattle Area, supported by gourmet food, culminated by a fantastic beer garden and salmon feed at the end.  Similar to last year, Seattle Century will provide a LIVESTRONG area at the finish where, regardless of speed and distance, we can all meet at the end and celebrate our ride together!  How cool is that?

1. Go to www.seattlecentury.com and click on the "Register" button.
2. Select "Advanced Online Registration"
3. At the bottom, key in the promotional code LIVESTRONG96 to receive your discount. (If you don't bike with us and are taking advantage of the discount, how about donating your discount to our LIVESTRONG efforts here.
4. Continue the registration process, and be part of our group!

We look forward to riding with you, and celebrating at the end!

LIVESTRONG,

Patrick
Senior LIVESTRONG Leader
Team Captain, Ride for LIVESTRONG Seattle

Know and Join our Awesome Group!

"RIDE FOR LIVESTRONG SEATTLE":

WHAT WE'RE ABOUT (and please join us)!

As we make more inroads into our community in 2012, people have been asking about us, and how they can join our group, whether on or off the bike.  This should help!


Who we are:

• We are a dedicated group of Seattle cyclists and cancer survivorship supporters, promoting LIVESTRONG and its programs through fundraising, local outreach, and community rides.  We began in 2011, after the LIVESTRONG Challenge relocated from our area, to show our continued support for the local cancer community.
   
• We're inclusive. Want to help out in the cancer community but don't know how? Support LIVESTRONG and want to do something about it in your neighborhood?  Want to know what LIVESTRONG has done locally, and help to support it?  If you said yes to any of these questions, and you have passion and dedication, you're in the right place and we'd love to hear from you.
   
• We're volunteers.  Our group consists of volunteers who support LIVESTRONG on our own time.  We do what we can.  We have daytime jobs, families and responbilities ... but we ARE passionate about LIVESTRONG's mission and goals to "fight to improve the lives of people affected by cancer" ... whether directing survivors and their families to the LIVESTRONG website or free navigation services, or reach out personally to support those that we can.

We also try to leverage our real-world skills and contacts to help advocate and support LIVESTRONG in the community.  

Know a restaurant or bar owner who would support a LIVESTRONG fundraising event?  A bike shop owner who can help promote us?  Have PR/Marketing skills from work that could help promote our group?  Know of someone who has been recently diagnosed, and could use our help and support?  These are the personal, grassroots-level things that will help us succeed!

• Most of us bike.  We aren't fast, but we are somewhat intermediate in pace and distance.  We have fun on our rides and push whenever we can, but most of all try to enjoy the experience of getting on our bikes, and enjoy our time together before returning to our other 'real world' responsiblities.
• Some of us don't bike. That's totally cool.  We have events that we attend off the bike where we need presence.  Bike Expos.  Cancer-related events. Rest stops at bike rides.  Talking to folks and handing out flyers about us and LIVESTRONG.  It's all fun, and it adds up to opening conversations about cancer, and what LIVESTRONG can do to help.
   
• We're a community. Yes, off the bike we are equal and like to hang out with each other. Want to grab a beer and talk about the week, your challenges, riding, LIVESTRONG, or your cancer experience (or not)?  We're all about that, too.

Help us grow!

 

We're out and training in the Seattle Area!  The usual cast of "Ride for LIVESTRONG Seattle" riders above (AJ, Mike and me [Patrick]) are out on the roads and trails, and we would love to grow our group of riders and volunteers!  We're also out in the cancer community at various events!

It's easy (and free!):

1. Sign up on the LIVESTRONG website as a group rider or supporter:  www.tinyurl.com/ride4lsseattle - which also sets up a "fundraising HQ" to help facilitate any fundraising activities.
2. Send me an email - rideforlivestrongseattle@gmail.com so I know that you are out there!
3. We'll let you know when we ride, or planning a community outreach event! 

UPDATE!  Join us for the Seattle Century on July 28, 2012!

**WITH BONUS COUPON CODE ($10 OFF REGISTRATION) IF YOU SIGN UP WITH US***

Be part of a great ride through the Seattle Area, supported by gourmet food, culminated by a fantastic beer garden and salmon feed at the end.  Similar to last year, Seattle Century will provide a LIVESTRONG area at the finish where, regardless of speed and distance, we can all meet at the end and celebrate our ride together!  How cool is that?

1. Go to www.seattlecentury.com and click on the "Register" button.
2. Select "Advanced Online Registration"
3. At the bottom, key in the promotional code LIVESTRONG96 to receive your discount.
4. Continue the registration process, and be part of our group!

We identified several events for this year, including:

• "Seattle Bike Expo" in March, 2012;
• "YACFest" (Young Adults with Cancer Festival) on May 10, 2012;
• "Flying Wheels Summer Century" on June 9th, 2012; 
• "Seattle Century" on July 28th, 2012;
• "LIVESTRONG Day" on/near October 2, 2012;
• ongoing events and training rides around the Seattle area.
• "Team LIVESTRONG Challenge" Austin, TX during October 21, 2012 weekend (typically part of the "Cyclists Combatting Cancer" team - another awesome group);

More information when you join up!

Any questions? I'd love to hear from you -

LIVESTRONG,
Patrick

Senior LIVESTRONG Leader

Team Captain, Ride for LIVESTRONG Seattle
  

RIDE WITH US ON SUNDAY!

SUNDAY MAY 6, 2012

SPRING TRAINING RIDE - RIDE WITH US!

The weather forecast is looking GREAT for this Sunday!

Want to ride an intermediate pace with us?  Check out a good loop ride around Seattle?  Put in about 70+ miles with a few hills thrown in for good measure?  Meet some cool people who support LIVESTRONG in the Seattle area?

Here's the route that we are planning to follow: http://g.co/maps/7fa3a

(Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish loops, with some hills and a good climb halfway in!)

Of course, we're throwing in the 'dreaded' Montreux hill climb for kicks. If we survive it, the rest of the ride is a walk in the park!

Depart: 9:00 am from the Gas Works Park parking lot!

(North side of Lake Union.  Free Parking if you are driving there.)

We'll be going at an INTERMEDIATE pace (18-20mph in terms of exertion) to stretch our legs and get some base miles in - and enjoy the ride together.  We're not super-fast, but we ride at a fairly consistent intermediate pace.

***

On a personal note, I will be riding in honor of two wonderful people, great friends and fellow LIVESTRONG survivors and leaders - Steve Bartolucci (California) and Ashleigh Moore (Australia) - who have been re-diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer within the past day.  We're with you in spirit here in Seattle, and support your fight!

***

Hope to see you!

LIVESTRONG,

Patrick

Team Captain, Ride for LIVESTRONG Seattle

Senior LIVESTRONG Leader

rideforlivestrongseattle@gmail.com

As a general disclaimer, this is not an organized ride of any sort: Riding with us is at your own risk and peril (and pleasure!) - we cannot be responsible for you.  Wear a helmet.  Make sure your bike is in good running order.  Make sure that YOU are in good running order - ride at your own pace and stop/turn around if you are not comfortable with the distance and/or pace of the ride.  Bring extra tubes, flat repair kit, water and bottles, energy food, and a good sense of humor.  Wear sunscreen. Wear clean socks.  Understand and obey the rules of the road and ride responsibly.  There will be occassional stops and regroups at hills.  Bring a phone and cash/ID, just in case of an emergency.  Cheering is encouraged.


-----

Post-ride update!

We had a great ride - just over 70 miles (albeit we trimmed off the south Lake Washington loop in favor of the Mercer Island return route ... we'll blame our legs after the Montreux climb!). 

The weather was perfect and we had a lot of fun.  If you're interested in riding with us, just send me an email for notifications.  At this time of year, we ride practically every weekend, as schedule and weather permit!


Patrick and Mike with the pre-Montreux hill climb jitters ...