2011 Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge Gran Fondo

So, I wondered how in the heck this year's Levi Leipheimers' King Ridge Gran Fondo could NOT be a total let-down after last years incredible event (if you have no idea what I'm talking about, go back a few clicks and read last year's blog entry.)

Luckily, I made a concerted effort to try a slightly different approach this year and it turned out to be a smart choice with some really great results!

After last year's event, I pondered my future involvement in Levi's Gran Fondo and I decided to ask (way back in January) to participate as an "on-bike course marshal." Thankfully, my efforts as a top fundraiser helped me land a highly coveted volunteer position that included many Sonoma County bike club locals (Thanks Greg @ Bike Monkey!)

Interestingly, I watched from the sidelines as open registration for the 100 mile route quickly filled up and closed. It felt slightly odd not signing up for the ride, but I was excited to be riding as a volunteer.

I had pretty much decided that my fundraising days were over too. I just didn't think asking for money again would be well-received and I wasn't sure I had the energy to work at it again.

Late July 2011. Fundraising is on...

I'm not sure when/how/why I changed my mind, but as this year's event crept closer, I decided I had an obligation to myself to fire up the fundraising machine and get to work. I guess I figured, if you're passionate about something, believe in what you are doing and want to do it, then get busy! Right?!

I won't go into the details of the actual fundraising, but I can tell you this - I have some AWESOME folks that support me BIG TIME! We raised $3601 this year (and another $100 for next year - it came in after this year's deadline and is credited to next year's effort.) For a time in late August, I was the top fundraiser and eventually settled at #6. I was really amazed at the overwhelming response of my repeat donors. I asked and they responded with great generosity and kind words of support.

Riding for Nick...

In the heat of August, on one of my training rides through the dusty cow pastures and hills surrounding my home, I couldn't help but think about how lucky I was to have the love of my wife, kids, family and friends and spend time almost every day out on one of my beloved bicycles.

As anyone who has spent hours on a bike can tell you, thoughts run deep. I thought of my dear friends Mark, Sandie and Sean Olson who had lost their

son/brother Nick earlier this year. A motor vehicle accident had taken Nick's life while at home on leave between his graduation as a Recon Marine and his pending deployment overseas.

I can tell you, the loss of Nick frequently erased the smile off Mark's face in an instant and heavy tears took its place. As Mark would tell me often, Nick loved to ride bikes - mountain and road. An idea came to me on one of those hot, leg-blasting training rides on the hills above my home. Nick would indeed ride again - with me at Levi's Gran Fondo.

Oh no, it's Facebook...

A potentially useless waste of time, turned powerful fundraising tool - FACEBOOK! I relied heavily on Facebook to reach out to friends and ask for donations. In fact, I was able to post

information about the Gran Fondo charities, post amounts raised updates and thank people for their contributions.

I must say, it wasn't without obsessive checking, updating and composing personal messages to keep things moving. For six weeks, I lived on my Gran Fondo personal fundraising page and Facebook. In all, I had 51 donations that ranged from my daughter Rachel to high school friends (wow, amazing response from folks I hung out with almost 30 years ago) to neighbors, co-workers, an NFL player, friends from my time in Portland, Oregon (20+ years ago), bike riding buddies, family members and even a few people I didn't think liked me much!

I finally landed at $3601 in early September and simply ran out of gas. I had e-mail blasted my address book, personally asked people I knew and probably posted my way into "hide all by

Patrick Layne" from a few friends on Facebook. Much to my delight, I had flown by last year's

fundraising total by over a $1,000!

Eventually, I was outdone by a few heavy hitters who came on strong in the waning days of the fundraising deadline. My only disappointment with fundraising came when I found out that Levi had taken the top fundraisers out to Forget Me Not Farm on a bike ride. I wished I could have topped the $5,000 mark, but it was not meant to be. I would have truly enjoyed being at the farm, seeing it firsthand and meeting the folks who do such meaningful work.

As many of you know, I went on an excellent bike ride with Levi last year and I didn't really feel as though I missed out on the actual bike riding this year.

If you are interested in learning more about Forget Me Not Farm, check them out on the web: http://forgetmenotfarm.org/

Levi & Me!

A van down by the river...

Shane Seymour - super-hero, fellow fundraiser and damn nice guy!

What? Where is this blog going? Read on friends, read on...

Well, my laser-like focus on fundraising, beer drinking, bike riding and "Facebooking" brought me within weeks of the Gran Fondo with NO HOTEL reservation! Keep in mind, this ride was expecting ~7,500 cyclists - not all locals.

Bad planning? Yes, bad planning on my part. No planning on my part? Outright lame for sure.

What does one do in this situation? YES, take to posting on Facebook! After three posts touting, "I'll pay in cash and/or cheap beer for a place to stay" and "Anyone got a van down by the river

to share?", I was blessed with a single response. Shane Seymour, a fellow-fundraiser from Minnesota invited me to share his room at the Hilton that he had earned through a stellar fundraising campaign - he raised over $6,000! Way to go Shane!

Thanks to Shane, I could finally breath a sigh of relief that I had a place to stay and could now

focus on staying healthy, injury-free and look forward to an awesome weekend!

Lunch at Finley Center on Friday afternoon...

Impatient readers don't despair, we're getting closer to the ride part of the story (and the end of this post!)

I arrived at the Finley Center in Santa Rosa on Friday afternoon to pick up my "fundraiser's swag" (expensive gifts donated from cool bike gear companies and given to fundraisers. I was given a very cool $250 Giro Aeon helmet and a locally-made Rickshaw messenger's bag along with other assorted goodies.)

There was also a 15 minute meet 'n greet with Levi which was cool, but I really enjoyed chatting with Yuri for a few minutes as I had not seen him since last year's event (Yuri is a real nice guy with whom I had the pleasure of meeting last year and someone who I've kept in touch with via Facebook since

then.)

Whew, I'm starving! Luckily, the fine folks at Clif Bar & Company had set out a fine spread of "lunch" products for me to chow on while I hung out at Finley all afternoon waiting for the 5PM

course marshal's meeting. BTW, the Vanilla Almond bars (pictured above) are quite good!

My afternoon at Finley Center ended with a marshal's meeting and a quick introduction with my

assigned riding partner Allen Brumm. I must say, I was beginning to have reservations about this marshaling assignment as thoughts of being out on the course for 12 hours helping riders

flashed through my head.

Hangin' with the coolest guy in Santa Rosa...

On the way back to the hotel on Friday evening, I rolled by D'Argenzio Winery to see Ray and Carmen. Ray hosted a get-together last year at his winery/tasting room and I enjoyed hanging out so much, I decided to stop by again this year and say, "Hello." Ray is a charismatic guy who will graciously hand you a glass of wine and have you relaxed and enjoying the warm environs of the tasting room in no time. Carmen is a cute young lady who works with Ray at the winery. One thing I noticed about Ray is that he surrounds himself with beautiful women (way to go, Ray!) Hanging out for a bit, I even got a bocce ball lesson with a group that included a very pretty and very talented bicycle racer - Alison Starnes. Bocce ball didn't last long as we were all tired and need to get some rest before the big ride the next day, but we did manage to share some friendly conversation. If you happen to be in Santa Rosa, stop by and say "Hey" to Ray for me...and try some of his amazing wines!

http://www.dargenziowine.com/

I get up earlier than a rooster, just ask Shane...

Ride day - wake up!

4:45 AM, in search of coffee. Thank you iPhone, thank you Yelp, thank you Starbucks!

6:00 AM, riding the streets of Santa Rosa in the dark headed for Finley

Center - 0n-bike marshal staging area.

7:00 AM, staging...start time approximately 8:15 AM.

I'm always excited to get started on the bike when I know I'll be riding for several hours - today was no different.

Pictured below: hanging with my riding partner and fellow marshal Allen Brumm before the start. Wow, what a great guy. I was very fortunate to get paired up with such a good guy (and strong rider!) Thanks for the AWESOME ride Allen!

Off we go...

Follow the Levi.

A flat tire at mile ten is better than a flat tire at mile 90...

Yep, flat went the tire. Ten miles into the ride my front tire decided not to cooperate. Allen and I pulled off into an apple orchard and quickly changed the tube. I couldn't help but think, "Uh-oh,

is this a sign of things to come? Crash later? Mechanical failure? Bonk?" Think good thoughts...

Rain, wind, cows/cattle guards, steep climbs, steeper descents & a very dangerous metal grate bridge...

With the ride firmly under way, we headed toward the steep climbs of King Ridge. By now it was raining and at times very windy up on the ridge. With every crossing of the wet cattle guards, we made our way toward Hauser Bridge. Hauser is a metal grate bridge that scared the hell out of

me when I rode across it last year (I rode too close to the 2' tall guardrail and saw the creek 25'

below!) Two years ago, as I was entering the steep hairpin turn that leads to the bridge, I came upon a fellow cyclist walking up the road in his socks. He had lost control on the turn right before the bridge and flew off the road, losing his bike to the forest. Sadly, this year was the scene of a

bad crash on the wet metal bridge. This left 30-40 cyclists carefully walking their bikes past paramedics and emergency personnel tending to a fallen cyclist on the bridge. Later, I heard the cyclist was going to be okay, but had to spend some time in the hospital receiving care.

Onward we ride toward lunch...

For some reason, the climbing sections between miles 30-60 seemed to take forever to ride. I'll have to discuss this with Levi next time I see him and get his thoughts.

Lunch stop.

A quick bite and off I go...to the bike mechanic.

As I was rolling my bike toward the road, I noticed the rear brake rubbing against the rim with great force. I thought my brake caliper had become misaligned when I parked my bike. Wrong. My rear wheel was out of true and would not spin freely. Luckily, there were mechanics at

each stop and the guy who grabbed my bike and dropped it on to the

repair stand, tightened some spokes and had me ready to roll very quickly. I was so confident in his work, I decided to test it on Willow Creek Road, an optional dirt/gravel route a few miles up ahead.

Riding through the low clouds and light rain.

Willow Creek Road...

This year, the organizers of the event added an optional twist to the route. They introduced Willow Creek Road, a closed gravel/dirt road that wandered up through a beautiful forested area.

Initially, I had no interest in taking my skinny tire road bike banging off road, but when Allen e-mailed me ahead of the ride and asked if I would be willing to give it a try. I quickly remembered that this was the year of "taking a different approach." So, I readily agreed and left it at that.

On the day of the ride, I was rapidly changing my mind as we pedaled closer to the turn-off. Around mile 70, we stopped briefly, looked at each other and confirmed that we were both still game to give it a try. Off we went, rumbling down the rutted, gravel road headed toward a long uphill climb.

As I carefully chose my line, I heard twigs and rocks popping beneath my high pressure tires. I was beginning to love the decision. Actually, with every pedal stoke, I was beginning to float off into a state of sheer happiness. The lack of big groups of riders, the beauty of the forest, the focus that it took to stay moving up the road all made Willow Creek my favorite part of the entire ride!

Racing toward the end...

As I reached the top of Willow Creek Road, I knew Santa Rosa was getting closer. The ride would contain some long, fast stretches and I knew I'd be finishing the ride for the third time in three years.

I was also extremely excited to see the Olsons waiting at the finish line. Mark, Sandie and Sean were coming all the way up from San Jose to be there for end of "Nick's Ride."

The final few miles, I pedaled harder and could feel my thighs begin to burn. My eyes welled up with tears as I reached down and touched the photo of Nick on the front of my bike. I gently, but firmly told him, "Let's do this thing boy, your parents are waiting for us!"

The kind lady in the VIP tent turned out to be my VIP...

Upon finishing, I quickly reached into my jersey pocket and grabbed my iPhone. Remember that game show "The Price is Right?" When someone would lose, the music would go, "Wah, wahhhhh!" I was hearing that music right about then! My GPS tracking software killed my battery and the phone died somewhere around the top of Willow Creek Road.

Now, flash back to the finish and imagine my distress when I scanned the horizon to find thousands of people walking around. "Shit, I'll never find the Olsons," I thought to myself.

I wandered to the VIP tent trying to figure out my next move. I decided it should be an ice-cold Fat Tire Amber Ale. Amazingly, it worked! I gained momentum and started asking around to see if anyone had an iPhone charger! I'll be damned, a nice lady working in the tent smiled and said, "Yes. Yes, I do. Follow me." She led me to the back side of one of the food tables, lifted the table cloth and there was her MacBook Pro with an iPhone cable hanging off of it!

As the iPhone was re-charging its way back from the red battery zone, I ran into my friends Marshall, Nicole (with Finn) and Forrest (photo below) and chatted for a bit. I had a nice conversation with Scott Nydam, a former racer with BMC. I met Edward Wimmer from Road ID again (I met him a few years ago at the event.)

Finally, I returned to my phone and found I had text messages stacked up from Kathy, Mark Olson, Shane and my riding partner Allen. Wow, it felt great to have the phone working again! I sent out messages and directed all to my location (except Kathy...I texted her that I'd have to catch up later, but I had made it in safely from a long days' ride.)

VIP tent meeting...

I finally met up with Mark, Sandie and Sean. They had found their way to the outer fence of the VIP area and we hugged and shared big smiles.

I should mention, another perk for fundraising to a certain level is earning an invitation to hang out in the VIP area post-ride. This is a nice bonus after a long day of riding. Not only do you get to eat, drink and relax, but there are some interesting people to meet.

Thankfully, Yuri wandered by about the time the Olsons arrived and I quietly asked him if my friends could come into the VIP area and sit down with me. I had much to share with them and they were my VIP's. Yuri quickly escorted them in without question and we again shared hugs and smiles of happiness.

Forget King Ridge...Levi is King!

After spending quite a bit of time on stage addressing the enthusiastic crowd, Levi returned to the VIP area. As he was entering, I walked up and introduced myself and was mildly surprised when he informed me that he knew who I was and that he greatly appreciated my fundraising efforts and support of the event over the past few years (I guess he had recognized me from all the fundraiser's activities?)

I informed Levi that in addition to my fundraising for the event, I had dedicated my ride to Nick Olson and his parents and brother had come all the way from San Jose to see me finish. I asked him if he could take a moment to say, "hello" to them.

Over the next 15 minutes, my admiration for Levi Leipheimer, the Olympian, Tour De France Podium finisher, 3x Tour of California winner and accomplished professional cyclist changed.

Levi turned to the Olsons, hugged each of them and expressed his sympathies for their loss. He proceeded to ask about Nick and listen to Mark and Sandie tell stories about Nick. They told Levi who he was and what he loved - athletics, friends and cycling! I showed Levi the photo of Nick that I had mounted on my bike and pointed out the side of the photo with Nick "popping a wheelie" on his mountain bike, this produced smiles all around.

Finally, Levi wrote a note to Shawn on the cover of a Bike Monkey magazine. He also wrote a note on the photo I had mounted on my bike and posed for a few photos with us.

I can tell you that this interaction between the Olsons and the world-class cycling champion named Levi, was a humbling experience. He displayed a genuine warmth and caring that changed my admiration of him from cycling fan to friend. I now know this for sure, Levi Leipheimer is a world-class person and I'll ride in support of him any day.

McDreamy rides again...

With my objectives for the weekend nearly complete (ride for Nick, have fun and be safe), I could now turn my attention to important items like - getting a photo with Patrick "McDreamy" Dempsey!

You see, my lovely wife Kathy had decided the training and craziness of the weekend weren't in the cards for her this year. So, she sent me alone with one request - "Get a photo of you and McDreamy together!" Last year, I had facilitated a quick intro and photo of Kathy and "the other" Patrick, this year it was my turn.

Fortunately, I was able to grab Patrick for a moment as he was preparing to leave and explain my situation. Being the awesome guy he is, he laughed, shook my hand and took a quick photo with me. Mission accomplished - see below!

"Patrick & Patrick"

We're almost there!

"Patrick, is that you with the beautiful and talented professional bike racer, Alison Starnes?"

As luck would have it, I ran into Alison after she received her Gran Fondo award for being the first woman to finish. We had discussed the possibility the night before at D'Argenzio Winery and I was excited to see that it had happened. Alison is a very sweet and charming person and I wish her great success! BTW, that trophy weighs a ton! Thanks Alison for sharing!

Odds 'n ends...

Riding 100+ miles and meeting with Levi and friends was the high point of the weekend. Riding 5 miles back to the hotel at dusk after the event was the low point...just an FYI.

After a quick shower, I headed out for an excellent meal with Shane and his friend at Riviera Ristorante in Santa Rosa (highly recommend!) As if he weren't generous enough, Shane treated for dinner! I reiterate, Shane Seymour is a super-hero and damn nice guy! Thank you, Shane.

Okay, so I wake up early...

6:30 Sunday morning, hit the road headed for home. It was an incredible weekend and I achieved all my objectives:

Have fun.

Be safe.

Honor Nick and his family.

Get a photo with McDreamy (for Kathy).

Thank you...

Yes, we have arrived at the end of this long post. But, before I let you go I have to extend my heartfelt thanks to all my fundraising donors and all who sent warm wishes throughout the entire journey. I had a great ride and feel blessed to know I had so many people supporting my efforts.

Many thanks,

Patrick

Fundraising for 2012 is now open...

http://www.levisgranfondo.com/fundraising/portal/?user=patricklayne