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Dude & Mini Dude's 2017 Ride-2-Survive

Dude

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I swear I want to be like some of these guys when I grow up.

I've known Jacob Koomen now for about 6 years. He's turning 70 this year. He's always fun to ride beside, because we talk a lot of football, and it helps the time go by. He is a Canadian imigrant from Holland, and loves his footy. Also knows his way around bikes.

Jacob is missing the R2S this year. Here's why, in his words:

"My goal this year will be riding from the West Coast of Canada to the East Coast it will be a 7500 km journey and with your support it wil happen. I start on June 2nd 2017 with my wife Jannie a support/companion and caretaker.

It will be a long journey but concidering who I am riding for, the family and friends who are gone but now for the ones who are dealing with this horrible desease called Cancer it will be a ride never to forget!

The money raised from this event helps fund leading-edge cancer research that is improving cancer treatments, preventing cancer and saving lives; provide reliable and up-to-date information on cancer, risk reduction and treatment; offer vital community-based support services for people living with cancer and their families; and advocate for healthy public policies.

Please pledge me and help me reach my fundraising goal! Every pledge takes us one step further in the fight against cancer. Online pledging is secure and it saves the Canadian Cancer Society money by reducing administrative costs.

Thanks for your support! Jacob Koomen."
Riding. Accross Canada. With only his wife and a pup trailer for support.

http://www.campbellrivermirror.com/life/campbell-river-mans-journey-begins-friday/

Today was day one, and the R2S team saw him off.

See, these are the kinds of folks we get exposed to in this event. When I say it humbles you, it really does. He's 70 and riding his bike accross Canada. Seriously, I can only hope to be like Jacob when I grow up. I don't even hold his Dutch roots against him

Roll on, Jacob.
 
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Dude

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Update time: 3 weeks to show time.

Gonna be honest, the past 5-6 weeks (since my last update, actually) for me personally haven’t been great, training wise. I hit a serious wall in my training when I noticed in a race that I couldn’t dial up the effort to even keep pace with the pack. At this time of the year, and in the category I race in, I should have no issue maintaining the pace, and at times, pushing it. Forcing an attack, chasing down an attack, etc. In this particular race, on lap 1 / 6, on what would normally be a very easy hill, I was dropped like a sack of bricks. Lap 3, I very unceremoniously called it quits, my first DNF in a very long time.

I figured it was a matter of a bad day, maybe a bad weekend of nutrition / lack of proper rest, so wrote it off, and got back to my normal routine. The problem was, my normal routine was falling apart. The energy department went on strike. Not just for training, but for regular, every day stuff. It seemed like I just couldn’t get enough sleep, and training wise, everything, even low intensity stuff, gassed me.

This, compared to this time last season when I felt unstoppable.

My wife reminded me that I hadn’t had a Meyers cocktail in a long time. Last year through training, I was getting them once / month, always in the last week during a “recovery” week. I would say up till I recently dialed it back, I was between 50-75% of last year’s volume. My racing plans this year are not nearly as ambitious as last year. More for fun, not for goals. So, I hadn’t thought to get the Meyers IVs. I get them at Performance Integrated Health (free plug here for Kush and co, https://www.performanceintegratedhealth.net/iv-menu ). I found I was simply pushing myself so hard I was depleting my body of vitamins and nutrients at a rate I couldn’t replace naturally. I went in a few weeks back, and in the process, had a long chat with the Naturopath there, Dr. Kathrine Tavakoli. She figured I was suffering from Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome. In a nutshell, I’d been very demanding on my body physically, and the combined work / other stress was making so my body wasn’t responding anymore to me tapping into adrenaline.

She sent me for blood work, and I took the results to my MD. MDs don’t use the term AFS, but he did confirm that essentially that was the case. With his help and my NDs, we set out a plan to get me back to a reasonable energy level. Lots of different supplements, and some very specific foods. Above all, it takes a lot of time. I see it as a 1st world problem. I’ll get over it, and apparently a lot more common than most people realize.

Since getting a diagnosis, I’ve been off the bike until this past Saturday, and have run once, swam maybe 3-4 times. I’ve cancelled any plans to race at all this summer, and am just going to focus on getting my energy built back up, and enjoying the outdoors without a watch or goal attached to it.

As far as R2S, I’ll be doing that on very little training, but muscle memory and experience count for a lot in that event. I’ll make it work. After some time off, I do finally feel like I’m emerging from a cloud, and am getting back to light training this week. Very light, as I don’t want to fall back down the rabbit hole.

If anyone here has dealt w/ AFS, I’d be interested in hearing what you’ve done to come back from it.

As for the kid, he keeps getting stronger and stronger, faster and faster. He took second recently in his category at the open BC Time Trial Championships (1st podium of the year), and the next day was a beast in the Senior BC Champs road race. No podium there, but instrumental in placing a teammate on the podium. This was a tough, very hilly 80 KM road race. Currently his training is focused on the Youth Provincial Championships in July.

This Saturday, however, we participated in an R2S training ride (R2S training rides are perfect for me right now, because they are long and slow. It’s the high intensity stuff that is knackering me). We get to the meet-up spot, and I arrange my gear, go to get the bikes off the rack, and Michael is all dressed, ready to go. I look for my gloves, and can’t find them. Look at the kid, he’s wearing my gloves! I tell him so, he swears they are not mine, and he brought his own. Problem is, his are mine, mine are his- I buy two of everything. So…yeah, conceivable he did bring an identical pair, and I lost mine. Ride is ready to go, and I still don’t have my gloves!

I do what I haven’t done since I was a teen, I rode out with naked hands. So exposed!

Anyhow, what are the chances I get involved in a crash the first time I don’t wear gloves in 25 years?

Pretty good, apparently. Like 100%. At about ½ way, the rider in front of me hit a large piece of steel that was on the road, and hadn’t been called out by the riders ahead of him. He hit it dead on, and went down fast. Right behind him, I tried to jump his bike, came up short, and went for a cartwheel on my bike. Rolled out of it pretty nicely, and was up right away to check in on Ray. Ray Baker is a 72 year old doctor who rides with us. He’s also a multiple Ironman finisher, and 8 time Boston Marathon qualifier / racer. At 72, last weekend ran a 4:20, which he was disappointed with.

Ray was more banged up than me, but thankfully, alert, and aside from a bunch of road rash, unhurt. Me, about the same, and down one helmet (it did its job, broken right side). We both took the rest of the 125 KM training ride off. Me because of broken helmet, him for other precautions. He suffers from early onset Parkinsons, so given his age and possible head injury, the safety crew wanted to keep a close eye on him. One of the many firefighters on the ride w/ us came along for the drive to observe old Ray. Heard yesterday he’s OK.

My worst road rash? Right hand. Good patch of skin removed. Gross, otherwise, minor in the grand scheme of things. If only I had gloves….

Later, at home, I’m putting a bunch of the gear away, I grab his riding jacket from the foyer floor. You know, because that’s where teenagers just throw their shite when they come home, right? I pick up the jacket, go to take out any riding food, etc, that may be the pockets, and I find…his pair…of identical…green gloves. Little fcuker was carrying his own on him the whole time, and was wearing mine.

That’s our update. The kid is a stud, I’m a dud, but will be good to go later this month. Fcuking can’t wait, actually. For the last 8 years it’s been the best day of each year. It’s an incredible day.

Our story is here; donate if it resonates with you. My biggest rule: my cause isn’t your cause, and you should never feel obligated to donate to mine. There is a lot of need in the world, so spread the love. If you want to hitch yourself to our wagon, more than welcome to do so by going here: http://convio.cancer.ca/site/TR/Otherspecialevents/IFE_BC_even_?px=7098048&pg=personal&fr_id=22233


~Mike & Michael, yours in the fight.

 

Rangerforever

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Nice shades Michael.
Kid looks like a Saudi Prince or something watching tennis at Roland Garros. ;)

And, yes, the little fcukers are indeed thieving denying bitches once they're same size as you in certain areas.
It's the only positive thing my wife can say about us not having daughters.
 

trece verde

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Nothing I have to worry about since both of mine are substantially taller than I am and are both built like gibbons. Catorce is 6'4" and has grown out of size 14 cleats. Quince is pushing 6'5" now with size 13 cleats. Thankfully none of my stuff fits them and none of their stuff fits me. Bastards all have better hair than we do, too...
 

Dude

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Tear jerker time.



I’m not sure if this is viewable w/ out FB, but I couldn’t find on Youtube.

I totally ripped this off from the Cop’s For Cancer website (to donate, go to www.copsforcancer.ca) . CFC and R2S have a pretty close relationship, a lot of the Cops pull double duty and also ride R2S. I poached this from Aaron Billesberger’s page (his kid is a keeper of some note for one of the Valley BCPL squads).

The necklace that Cheryle Ismirnioglou is wearing is one that I’ve described a few time in these posts over the years. At Children’s, the kids going through treatment for Cancer get a bobble for their necklace for every treatment they’d had to go through. You can see, that’s a lot of needles, chemo, surgeries, etc.. More than kids should be made to handle.

I’ve never met Cheryle, but she’s a great example of some of the other riders I have met being involved w/ R2S. I got involved because I was a rider, and wanted to ride a fully supported 400 KM day, and oh yeah, do something good while I was at it. People like Cheryle come to the ride through more unfortunate motivations, many not even as riders before finding out about the ride. Next thing you know, they are training for a massive day, the likes that most accomplished cyclists have not attempted.

Needless to say, I’m so thankful for my son choosing to be a part of this, mostly for his health, but also for his heart. It really is something unique and special that we get to share together.

Anyone who follows my posts on this knows I’m not all about “my cause”. I’m all about paying it forward. The CFC crew do some very cool things, more than just fund-raise, it’s about education, about giving back to their communities, and about providing hope to sufferers. www.copsforcancer.ca
 

Dude

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It's been a tale of two weeks.

Michael is in very good riding form right now.

When I first got him into BMX racing, the goal was always just to get him bitten the way I have been. Maybe catch a bug for racing, but in the end, love riding the way I do. I wanted to be able to wake my son up on a brilliant Saturday and say, "Hey, awesome day out there, wanna come riding?", or "Wanna come skiing?", or, "Wanna come surfing?"

Most of the time he groans, but says yes.

We've long since past that first early Saturday. We started with BMX racing together, then and still mountain bike together, and then it was road riding and R2S together. Skiing, surfing. So many early mornings, so many coffee runs before hitting it hard, enjoying a shared love for the outdoors.

These days, it's all about the road bike, riding at a level I never reached. This season started out with the goal of enjoying his last season as a junior with Team Cannondale. As he graduates from school, he also graduates from Junior racing. As with every other season, the only goal is to enjoy the competition, but remember the big picture...I just want the kid to love it as much as I do.

Early this season we were training indoors as Fortius. One of the coaches is Wes, and we were discussing Mike's upcoming season, and I kinda explained halphhazardly that there are no goals. Not really chasing podiums, just enjoy. Wes happens to be the BC high performance coach for U19 and U17.

This week we got a very unexpected email from Wes informing us that Michael is on the shortlist for Team BC to travel to Quebec this summer to compete in Le Tour d'Abitibi. http://tourabitibi.com/en/

This is an international stage race on the World UCI Circut- the U19 World Cup. An 8 stage in 7 days stage race, over 700 KM, mid July.

Totally unexpected as Michael has not attended any selection race, but he's raced a lot, and although not chasing podiums has contended well and shown to be a very good team rider. It's for the later attributes he may nab one of the 6 spots.

Pretty humbled and proud of the kid, weather he goes of not.

So, this weekend he graduates, then next weekend R2S, then it's off to Tofino for a week....where he'll be mostly on his bike pending out 100 KM days in case he gets the call.

Since this is Father's Day weekend, here are some shots of some of the best father / son memories over the years...on bikes and boards.
 

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Dude

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Re-reading that article, and there are a lot of iPad auto-corrects, please forgive them.

The beginning of the post read, "It's been a tale of two weeks."

I didn't write about my week, which was forgettable from a R2S prep standpoint.

This year, for the first time in 9 years, I'm going into R2S with virtually no long days under me, and no specific training. Due to this "adrenal fatigue", I've been off the bike for a solid 8 weeks, with the exception of the one ride where I crashed, another where I pulled off early @ 100 KM, and went home and slept, then a nice 3 hour mountain bike ride yesterday.

I've been a grumpy cnut around the house for those 8 weeks. More cnuty than normal. Training was going great up till the 3rd week of April, then it dropped off a cliff. In that time, I've taken the opportunity to really try and tune in my eating habits, and really understand what to eat and when. When training, that is way less of an issue, but now...it seems like I look at a cupcake and add 10 lbs. The eating education has at least ben good, and in the last two weeks, my energy has started to come back quite a bit. Not where it was last year, but way better than it was late April when I hit the wall. So that's at least good. My my ride yesterday was what 90% of R2Sers would find extremely challenging on a fitness and power scale, and I got through it feeling good. So, I'll take that, and 8 years experience, into Saturday with only 2 goals: enjoy, and help other riders get through. If I burn my matches helping others, and have to get in the sag car, so be it.
 

Dude

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LOL. They have moved me into the unit next door and upstairs. I have to get down the stairs and into the next unit before I see anyone, and sometimes that's enough to discourage me just walking over to a desk to bitch someone out.
 

Dude

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Thanks @Regs.

As I mentioned to Regs privately, over 9 years pretty sure TTP has generated $25K for this cause through R2S. That's not chump change, many thanks to everyone over the years who've kicked in.
 

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