Buying a new bike

Well we are buying a new bike it's not for me, it's for my my son Ian. Last year he rode a bike we borrowed from the Milanowski family. Ian has grown at least 4 inches since last spring and that bike no longer fits him. So today we went over to VeloCity Cycles in Holland and talked to our coach Mike Clark. We got Ian all measured up and ended up ordering a Cannondale Synapse. (Yes, it's the Team bike.) It will probably be the middle of next week before it comes in, but once it does we'll post pictures of little Contador on his new ride.

Getting Ready

On Groundhog's Day we experienced a snowstorm unlike anything in these parts for over 30 years. 12" to 24" of snow fell, depending on where you were located. It took the better part of two days to dig everyone out. But today we are having our fourth consecutive plus 40 degree day. Yesterday the high temperature soared over 50. So that means thoughts are turning toward cycling outdoors.
There are many of our team mates who ride their bikes all winter long. Some even have studded snow tires. I'm not one of those folks. But the sunny skies and relatively balmy temps have got me itching to get back in the saddle. Plus it's almost time to sign up for this year's JDRF Ride. We have a team get together at New Holland Brewing Company on February 27th to discuss where our team is going this year. The early favorite is Death Valley, but Tuscon is gaining momentum. Then on March 7th we can officially sign up.
If you've ever though about riding with a great group of people and for a great cause now would be an excellent time to join us. You can get more details on our team by clicking here.

The history of the bicycle

Here's a link to a great article from Wired Magazine about the first bicycle. It was made of wood and didn't have pedals, a chain or brakes. But the basic concept was in place, all the back in 1818.

 Not exactly the carbon fiber we ride around on today is it?

Latest video

At the top of this page there is a video from JDRF that promotes the Ride program. At first glance it may look similar to what was there before, but this is an updated version for this year. My company, The Scheidel Group, created this video from the footage we shot for the documentary More Than 100 Miles: Riding to Cure Diabetes. This has been a fun project to work on and I really like the fact that we are a small part of helping to spread the word about finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes.

The Typographic Bicycle

I thought this was a really cool idea.
From The Practical Cyclist's Blog.

End of the Year

It's late December and the bikes are put away until spring. We may get out some time this winter, if we get a sunny day over 50 degrees. But in truth winter is for pursuing indoor sports. I'll be playing basketball and volleyball. Mary actually has a trainer so she can ride inside. Ian is the one winter outdoorsman in our family. He just bought himself a new snowboard and enjoys hitting the slopes. He may also play a little indoor soccer. We'll be staying fit over the winter months and be ready to get on the bikes again when the weather breaks.

Thanks again to everyone who made 2010 our best year ever. We raised over $12,000 for diabetes research. We also raised a lot of awareness through this blog, Jake's Music Festival, and the various radio show and YouTube appearances. It's been a great year and 2011 promises to be even better. Ride On!

More Thanks

Back in August we posted a list of all the people who had donated to Team Scheidel. Since then we have had many more contributors. At this time we'd like to thank those people.

Karen Kleinheksel
Jim Rueter
Linda Milanowski (and thanks for letting Ian use Don's bike)
Christine Behrens
P Guimond
Sylvia Veal
Rip and Sonia Singh
Robin Duvall
Chuck and Rose Weiten
Tom and Florence Scheidel
Roy Dodman
Tom and Kim Vogel
Doug Gerowski
Tim Sundt
Michelle Yamazaki
Kathy Magnuson
Bruce Oman
Wendi Lewis
David Pasciak
Tim Jackson
Katie Clark
Liz Wright

Special thanks also to Third Coast Cycling, Macatawa Cycling Club, VanAndel Arena, Peggy Essenberg, and the Corner Bar. The 2010 JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes raised over $4,000,000. The West Michigan Team contributed $186,000 of that. Thanks again to everyone who helped make this year a great success.

Second November Ride

One of my friends from our Ride Team, Linda Thompson-Poeder, has set a goal to do a century ride each month this year. With the nice weather we've been having she picked yesterday as her day for November. I rode along for the first half and a couple other team mates rode the second half. Linda and I met at Riverside Park on the north side of Grand Rapids at 7:30 a.m. The skies were clear, but the temperature was only 40 degrees. We headed north on the White Pine Trail to Rockford where we stopped for some much needed coffee and a warm up. We also each handled a business call and then hopped back on our bikes and continued on to Sand Lake. This was our turnaround point and we shed a layer of clothes as the temp was now over 50. On our way south we spotted a small herd of deer, about 8 or 9 animals near the Rouge River. We watched each other until the deer scattered because I made a small noise trying to unclip. Linda and I got back to our cars with 48 miles under our tires. I headed home and she headed out to the Musketawa Trail in Marne. There she met up with our team mates Melanie and Derek and they helped Linda finish her November century.

First November Ride

I got out for my first post-Death Valley ride today. It was a beautiful fall day in Michigan so I pumped up the tires on my road bike and headed up to Rockford. Sunny skies and 55 degrees made for a glorious ride. It's late enough in the season that most of the crunchy leaves have blown away as well, leaving the trail dry and clear. I got in 16 miles and felt great. I'm already looking forward to next ride season.

Death Valley 2010 - Part 3

The JDRF Ride is the hardest and best thing I've ever done in my life. I've now participated in five rides in Death Valley; in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010, and one in Killington, Vermont in 2009. Each ride has been unique, with it's own personality and own stories to tell.

West Michigan Ride Team - Death Valley start line - 2005

In 2005 there we just 14 of us from West Michigan who rode in Death Valley. We had 12 other teammates who rode in Asheville, North Carolina. We really didn't know what to expect. We had trained all summer so we were physically ready, but we were not prepared for the overwhelming emotions of Death Valley. For many of us it was our first century ride. For all of us it was a bonding experience unlike any other.

Part of the team at Jubilee Pass in 2006

In 2006 our team more than doubled in size. And we discovered an important team dynamic. When you are riding across a barren landscape and can see clearly for over 20 miles, it's easy to spot your fellow cyclists on the route. However, when everyone is wearing the same jersey and black shorts it's hard to tell your teammates from the other 300 riders. So that year we came up with the helmet decorations. Kitty ears for the ladies, devil horns for the men (except Rob, who had a special decoration). I'm not sure who gets the credit/blame, but the helmet baubles have really helped us find each other out on the course.

Team photo on Friday morning - Death Valley 2007

2007 was the year of the wind. Friday had been a beautiful day. Sunny skies, mid 90's temperatures and no wind. When we woke up at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday to go to breakfast we knew we were in trouble. It was already quite warm and the trees were swaying in the wind. On the way out the winds were swirling so it was difficult to establish a consistent pace. After the climb up Jubilee we were dealing with a full on head wind for the 50 mile trip back. Wind speeds were a sustained 30 mph with gusts hitting 40. Several of us got into a pace line in order to struggle along at 9 mph. During that pace line we had a crash which left an imprint of my chain ring on my left, um, hip. We literally finished in a dust storm. Many riders ended up in the med tent that night. But we all survived and decided to come back to Death Valley with even more people.

Part of the team posing at the Sea Level sign in 2008. One mile to go.

We had a group of 25 riders who attended the Asheville Ride to a Cure in 2008. We also sent almost 40 people back to the Valley. 2008 was the year I produced the documentary about the Ride, "More Than 100 Miles: Riding to Cure Diabetes". The weather was great that year. Moderate temps for DV (mid 90's), very light winds and even a little cloud cover. Our team rode strong. You can see more about that ride be clicking on the documentary trailer link to the left.

Killington team photo - before the rains came - 2009

For me personally 2009 was the worst year ever. We rode in Killington, Vermont and it rained all day. Not just a light drizzle, but full on, multiple storm rain. And cold. Even though the ride was in August the high temperature never got above 53 degrees. I was cold and wet all day and I didn't like it one bit. I even said to our coach, Mike Clark, that I would rather ride in 120 degree heat than cold rain. As the old Chinese proverb says, "Be careful what you wish for". But the good news of Killington is that it was our 5th year together as a team and in that time we had raised one million dollars for diabetes research.

Mary, Ian and Tom out on the course in Death Valley in 2010.

Which brings us to this year. 2010 - back to the desert. Back to the heat. This was the biggest JDRF ride ever. We had the biggest West Michigan team here ever. This one ride raised over $1.3 million for diabetes research. It is incredible to be part of something that is so much bigger than each of us individually. We have made lifelong friendships while raising money that will help to someday cure our son Jake of diabetes. Thanks to everyone who has been part of this journey.

Jake Scheidel - the reason we do this. Diagnosed September 17, 1997.