2012 Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge Gran Fondo

For the third year in a row, I've written up my Levi's GranFondo experiences and continue to be amazed at where my bicycles and passion for cycling have taken me...

A Deeply Satisfying Event

Wow, where to start?  This has been an incredible event for me over the past four years.  Life-changing?  Yes, in a sense, life-changing.  I've experienced such warmth, generosity, support and love from friends and family, I can't help but think it has changed the way I look at things and it has definitely brought me a lot of happiness.  Additionally, I have made a lot of friends along the way, rode my bike quite a few miles and raised money and awareness for some very worthy charities.

Retired From Fundraising - Or Not

After two years of successful fundraising (2010 & 2011), I had officially retired from GranFondo fundraising.  My rationale?  How can one go back for a third time to an empty cookie jar and expect cookies?  Funny thing is, I have this "cookie jar" that never seems to be empty.

From 2011, I had a donation that missed the deadline and rolled into this year's tally.  I was $100 in a week after last year's ride.  Talk about indecisiveness..."I'm $100 bucks up for 2012.  Do I walk away or go all in?"  I had the better part of the year to think about...or not.

August Fundraising

I decided to mount a very feeble fundraising effort on August 7.  I figured I'd post an announcement on my Facebook page and see if I could reel in $500-$1000 without making much of an effort.  Yes, I know this sounds completely stupid (especially as I type this out...it's kinda embarrassing to admit and is not at all in the spirit of helping others.)

I immediately raised over $500 and was mildly pleased, but something wasn't there.  I was overcome with sadness and felt an emptiness before deciding to abandon my efforts.  I thought, "$500 is better than nothing and this will be a good way of easing out after a few great years of raising lots of money."

Actually, I was contemplating the ride as I had dedicated it to the memory of my father, Patrick S. Layne who passed away in May.  His passing and the thought of riding for him became too much for me and caused me to fall into a period of sadness and loss.  My dad and I were not close for many years and as I thought about riding for him, it became a painful reminder of time lost, what could have been and what wasn't.

The Motivator

August 23.  My friend (since high school) Chris Marcoida sent me a message on Facebook regarding fundraising and I basically responded by telling her I wasn't really into it for various reasons.

Here's her response (click to enlarge and see entire text):

Everyone should have a friend like Chris - fun, full of positive energy, beautiful inside and out...and knows when to give you a kick in the ass!

Fundraising And Training

Shortly after Chris' message, I fully re-committed myself to going all out in a fundraising blaze of glory. I decided, " If I'm gonna put my name on this thing, its gonna get done right!"  I sent out an e-mail blast, re-composed myself to my Facebook audience and asked friends and family in-person for a "little donation love".

I continued to ride my bikes on a daily basis...mostly mountain biking.  I'd alternate days on my awesome Santa Cruz Highball (it's a gorgeous hard tail 29er) and my Santa Cruz Chameleon single speed (a simple, yet wonderful bike).  Every so often, I get out for a ride up Mount Diablo on my Ibis Silk SL road bike.  The miles continued to pile up as I tracked my progress on Strava.

Interestingly, my miles and numbers didn't look particularly impressive, but I felt myself getting stronger both mentally and physically and I knew it would translate well to the 103 mile Gran route with over 8,000 feet of climbing at Levi's GranFondo.  Honestly, I ride year-round and "training" doesn't really describe it accurately.  I'm in love with my bikes and I love riding...call it what you will.

Thank You All Very Much

The donations rolled in like crazy right through August and into September. I blew past $1000, then $2000 and unbelievably, $3000 came into view!  One major difference from previous year's donations...the amounts were larger.  I viewed this as a major vote of confidence in what I was doing and I'm deeply thankful to all of the following people:

Frank von Haunalter, Julia Zarcone & David Patmore, Frances Schatz, Shari Krandel, Brian McElreath, Lynn Bowers & Dale Lingscheid, Jim Phillips, David Link, Pam Carrico & John Larwood, Tim Thompson, Sara Black, Cathy & Rob Thompson, Amy & Edmund Jew, Vanessa Hauswald, Mark Olson, Kelly Wood, Jeff Kern, Jim King, Larry Fox, Jon Pulis, Marian Sagan & Tony D’Esopo, Nesto & Abra De La Torre, Steve & Linda Folkman, Adrienne Lovo & Steve Layne, Linda Rios, Christine Marcoida, Kristi Waterland, Jeff Chambers, Christie Martin, Mark Maidenburg, Garett James, Karin Parodi, Jason Kerner, David & Jill McFadden, Jerry Archer, Shawn Hickey & The Valet Team, Levi Leipheimer, Robert Gudanets, Jesse Dimond & Fernan Kalaw, Jane & Alan Kern, Amy & Kevin Kelly, Oren & Debra Massey, Sal Rodriguez, Gina & Taylor Black, Angela Kitchen, Kerrie Lambert and Eddie Mello.

Who Is This Levi Dude?

Approaching $3000 (I was somewhere around $2673) I received a donation from a guy named "Levi Leipheimer".  I thought, "Funny, one of my friends donated as Levi.  I wonder who the hell it is?"  I quickly sent an e-mail to Stephanie at Bike Monkey (Bike Monkey are the awesome folks who produce the GranFondo) and asked if she could help me find out which one of my friends used Levi's name to hide their donation.  A few days later, Stephanie responded, "I think it was Levi, but I can't tell for sure."  I decided to forget about it.  I figured I'd find out eventually, just as I had learned much later that "Anonymous" from 2010's fundraising effort was Jeff Kern.

Festa Del Fondo

Thursday evening, two days before the GranFondo, there was a special fundraising event hosted by Levi and his lovely wife Odessa called Festa Del Fondo that included a silent auction/reception, a sit-down dinner and live auction - all supporting Forget Me Not Farm.  As part of my "all in" strategy this year, I threw down $175 for a ticket and decided to attend.

As I arrived at Paradise Ridge Winery, I saw some familiar faces, stopped and chatted, then wandered in.  It was a gorgeous setting and I was looking forward to the evening.  I quickly realized this event would be unlike the atmosphere of most of Fondo weekend - it was a relatively quiet and intimate setting compared to the massive crowds that would descend on Finley Center in Santa Rosa over the next few days.  An additional "bonus" for attending this event was the ability to engage interesting people in the bike community one-on-one without autograph/photo seekers and cordoned off VIP areas.  In the case of the Festa, it was a VIP event itself.  I was able to chat with pro cyclists, bike industry movers and shakers, my Bike Monkey friends as well as Levi and Odessa.

Levi

A few moments after I arrived at the Festa Del Fondo, I saw Levi talking to some people.  I waited for a few minutes (not to interrupt) and much to my surprise, Levi got up, moved toward me with an outstretched hand and said, "Hey Patrick, good to see you.  I'm glad you could attend this evening."  I was happy to see Levi and even happier that he remembered me.  We chatted for a bit when I presented a photo book that my wonderful wife Kathy made for me - it is a collection of photos of my GranFondo experience over the past three years.  Kathy suggested I ask Levi to personalize it - which he graciously did:

Before I wandered off, I said to Levi, "Uh Levi, I'd like to ask you something...um, someone made a donation to my fundraising effort..."  Levi responded with a smile, "Yeah, it was me.  I appreciate all you have done to support our event and I wanted to help you reach your goal."

Nicely done Levi, nicely done.

The Invitation


Wednesday evening as I was packing my gear for the ride and was prepping for my Thursday afternoon departure for Santa Rosa, I received an email from Stephanie at Bike Monkey.  I was invited to join the Friday morning VIP ride with Levi.  Our destination?  Forget Me Not Farm!

In 2011, I had put together an all-out plan to raise as much money as I could.  I bugged friends, pestered family, crafted plans for an incredible fundraising assault.  In all, I raised $3601 and was thrilled with my accomplishment.  Unfortunately, I did not achieve top three (top five ain't bad three years in a row!) as I had the previous year and was left off the list for an invitation to the VIP ride with Levi on the Friday before the GranFondo.

After last year's ride, I ran into Levi and expressed my mild disappointment that I was not able to see the farm firsthand.  During my fundraising effort, I had spent time researching the farm and it became a cornerstone of my fundraising.  I found Forget Me Not Farm's mission so admirable - helping children and animals - that I was drawn in and wanted to see it close-up.

Friday's Ride

At Friday morning's pre-Fondo "VIP ride", I found myself in a familiar position.  Two years earlier, I had hung at out the same location (Hyatt Vinyard Creek in Santa Rosa) waiting for the VIP ride to commence - nervous and excited at the prospect of meeting and riding with Levi and friends. However, this time was different; I was mostly excited to get to the farm and see it firsthand.  Don't get me wrong, pedaling with the pros wasn't bad, but seeing our donations at work and visiting the farm would be my reward on this ride.

The Farm

MTB World Champion & 4x Leadville Trail 100 Winner, Rebecca Rusch at Forget Me Not Farm

Forget Me Not Farm is an amazing little place.  As we rode into the farm, the staff welcomed us graciously and introduced us to the animals - most seemed happy to see us - goofy looking humans in biking gear!  We had time to interact with the animals and take a few photos before we headed out to the garden at the rear of the property.  Much to my surprise, there was a BEAUTIFUL organic garden with flowers planted throughout the various crops.  Thankfully, as hunger was creeping up on me, there was a wonderful selection of fruits, vegetables and delicious baked goods set out for us to eat, prepared by the staff using the farm's fresh ingredients.  As we ate (and shivered - it was overcast and cold), the staff members described the farm in detail giving us a good overview and leaving me with this thought; Forget Me Not Farm is a magical place with an honorable mission, staffed with dedicated and remarkable people.

To find out more: http://www.forgetmenotfarm.org/index.html

Hotel, Campsite or Church Floor?

Upon returning from the VIP ride, I raced back to my hotel room, took a quick shower and checked out.  Checked out?!  I know you're thinking, "Why were you checking out of the hotel - wasn't the big ride the next day?!"

Here's the lowdown...

At last year's GranFondo, after checking in at registration, I sat down down on the bench out front of Finley Center and proceeded to have a pleasant conversation with a fellow cyclist name "David." We chatted for quite some time about the GranFondo, cycling and various other topics (I can't remember what topics, but I'm sure they were interesting.)  As it turned out, David was camping nearby.  I thought that was a clever idea, especially if you've ever booked a hotel room in Sonoma County on a weekend - not always easy to find a room and it could be quite expensive.  Now add 7,500 riders, their families and friends along with other assorted bike folks to the mix.  To demonstrate, my Thursday night room for $110 jumped to $350 the following day.

A few weeks following last year's GranFondo, I was reading blog posts I'd found posted on the GF's Facebook page.  Much to my surprise, I read a post by "Sierracanon" and quickly realized it was the nice guy whom I had met on the bench at Finley - David Link.  We became "friends" on Facebook and kept in touch throughout the year.

With the GranFondo approaching quickly and my notorious lack of hotel-room planning, I messaged David and asked him if he was going to ride the GranFondo again this year and if he was going to camp out again.  David had not yet signed up for the ride, so I guess I was a motivating factor in getting him to do the ride for the fourth year in a row.  He also agreed to book a campsite at Spring Lake County Park.

For those who know me well, camping, or more specifically, sleeping on the ground is something I detest.  I often tell people, I've slept on the ground enough times in my life, it could fill several lifetimes of most normal people's ground sleeping quota.  I was imagining waking up GranFondo morning in the cold and darkness fumbling around while getting prepared to ride 100+ miles - not something I was looking forward to doing!

A few weeks before the ride, David sent me the following message:

"So, my friend Chris (aka Velopriest) who is a repeat Fondo rider, scored free accommodations in the parish hall at Incarnation Episcopal Church in Santa Rosa. I remember that he did this last year. The advantage of this location is that it's right downtown, about ten minutes riding time from Finley Park... walking distance from Russian River Brewing... and free parking. He has invited us to share the parish house floor with him on Friday night."

Jackpot - sleeping on a church floor the night before the big ride instead of bumbling around in a campground sounds great! I quickly agreed, then began to count off the benefits of the church floor over camping.  I ultimately decided the most important factor I should consider is that the "higher authority" would probably keep a closer eye on me in His house than some dusty, dark and cold campground.

As it turned out, the church floor worked really well and when I awoke at 5:30 AM on ride day, I was completely rested and was thankful for a good place to spend the night.

I'd like to offer a big THANK YOU to Church of the Incarnation for letting us sleep on your social hall floor.  Thanks to my pal David Link for suggesting and arranging the accommodations through his friend Fr. Chris Rankin-Williams (Velopriest).  Thanks Chris for hooking up a couple of cycling buddies; I slept great and was quite comfortable.  I especially enjoyed hanging out with two super-nice guys throughout the evening and next morning (and didn't miss the campground!)

The Levi Effect

As if there wasn't enough going on during the busy weekend, I decided to attend the premiere of  The Levi Effect on Friday evening in downtown Santa Rosa.

It was the first public showing of the film and included a personal introduction by Levi and afterwards a panel discussion with the filmmakers and assorted others including Levi's pal, Patrick Dempsey.

The film was really good as it guided the viewer through Levi's early years in Butte, Montana to his eventual home of Santa Rosa, California.  I found it particularly interesting in conveying its main focus; Levi's positive impact on his Santa Rosa/Sonoma County community.

However, I was left a bit ponderous over the doping allegations that have dogged cycling for years and where Levi would eventually land in the mess as the film did not address the possibility that Levi would be implicated in the scandal as was being widely reported.

Additionally, there were some seemingly out-of-context comments that Levi made at the premiere alluding to the next generation of riders and how he hoped they would have better choices to make in regard to rejecting the use of performance enhancing drugs - doping.

I turned to David after Levi made his comments and whispered, "Is that an admission of guilt of some sort?"  We both agreed there was something there, but the message wasn't crystal clear - until now.

If you care to read Levi's admission, follow the link below to the Wall Street Journal:

http://on.wsj.com/Q6uFUI

Eventually, it had been clarified that the version of the film that I watched the evening before the GranFondo was a slightly different version that would be released nationwide on October 23; it will address the doping issue, so I'm eager to re-watch the updated release.  Knowing the guy who put his heart and soul (as well as the last two years of his life) into it, I'm sure it will be great - admissions included (shout out to Carlos Perez at Bike Monkey - you are one incredible dude and I admire your heart).

So here's where I stand:  I support Levi.  I know he's a good guy and I believe he deserves his shot at redemption.

Riding

This year I staged up front with pro's and assorted VIP's at the very front of the 7,000+ participants.  I enjoyed it as I got a close-up view of some famous people and was able to ride out quickly and stay ahead of the masses.  Yes, I saw Patrick "McDreamy" Dempsey stroll in and Barry Bonds stood next to me waiting for the ride to begin...kinda cool.

I'll spare you the details of the ride, but it was really nice.  Good weather.  Good legs.  No mishaps. Levi's GranFondo "Gran" route is a fabulous ride.  It's challenging, scenic, fun and worth the effort.

I started my Garmin GPS a bit late, so I missed a few miles, but who really cares?  In all, it was a great ride and I'm thankful I finished safely.

Post-ride Relaxation

I enjoyed the festival after the ride and hung out with a few friends.  I was happy to see my buddy Forrest and relaxed with him for a while while recovering.  My good pal "Super (D)" Dave Oliver and his co-worker Josh checked in with a great ride report.  I was especially happy to see Jane Kern post ride.  Jane and I had a beer together and smiled profusely as we compared notes from our epic rides...nice ride Jane!

Jane & Me!

Exhausted and Headed For Home

Unlike past years, when I had stayed in Santa Rosa through the entire weekend, this year, I was ready to head home.  Having arrived on Thursday afternoon, by Saturday evening (and 103 bike miles later), I decided to call it a weekend.  I hopped on my bike one last time and slowly rolled out of the finish line festival area, back to the streets of Santa Rosa and pedaled to the church downtown where my car was parked.  I loaded up, pulled out of the parking lot, drove slowly to the freeway and happily headed home having enjoyed an awesome weekend that left me feeling completely satisfied.

Thank You

Many thanks to my friends and family for your support, encouragement, donations and love.  I am blessed to have so many incredible people in my life.  It makes pursuing my passion and living my dreams so much more fulfilling.  Thank you all.

A special thank you to my amazing wife Kathy who provides me with lots of love and happiness - I love you immensely.

Thank you all & much love,

Patrick

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

2010 Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge Gran Fondo

A weekend of privilege, fun and cycling...

Roughly nine months after registration and a couple thousand dollars raised for charity, the Gran Fondo finally arrived this past weekend (Oct. 9, 2010). Thanks to my many very generous friends, I was one of the top fundraisers for the event. So, what should have been a crowded century ride, turned into an incredible weekend of fun for me and Kathy.

So, this is how things went down...

I received an e-mail early last week telling me that my fundraising efforts were very much appreciated and although I did not raise the $8k required for the top-fundraiser award, they were inviting me to a series of events throughout the weekend in appreciation of my efforts. The first event was a Friday morning group ride with Levi Leipheimer, his personal mechanic and friend Glenn, a few local pros and some of Levi's fellow Team RadioShack riders...specifically, Bjorn Selander (former U23 U.S. TT Champ) and Ben King, current U.S. National Pro Road Race Champ. There were 14 riders in the group (including me and Levi). We met at 10:30AM on Friday morning at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek in Santa Rosa. Because I was notified kinda last minute, I had to scramble to get on the road from my home in San Ramon and get there in time to ride (I had arranged for Kathy to arrive later with our friend Jason.)

Riding with the pros...

I have to admit, I was a little nervous and awestruck when I first arrived as we stood around chatting and making introductions, but quickly relaxed as we pedaled out of the parking lot for our two hour ride. Within minutes, I was up front riding alongside Levi enjoying the experience. As I pulled out my little pocket camera to get a quick snapshot, Levi chuckled and told me, "Hey, don't sweat the photos, we have a professional photographer along taking photos for all you guys." The ride was an incredible experience, chatting with the pros and being part of a select group the day before a 6,000 rider event! BTW, the photos turned out great - I've organized them into a slideshow for all to see (the link is at the bottom of this post.)

Flash forward to Friday evening...

Kathy and I were invited to a "VIP" reception at D'Argenzio Winery. We'll, that may have been the "bust" of the weekend (very few people showed up), but at least we got to meet some real nice folks who we'd run into later in the weekend. But, not all was lost...Levi showed up and hung out for a bit. Kathy got to meet Levi and take some photos with him. Incidentally, we had heard that Patrick "McDreamy" Dempsey (you know, that hunky dude from the TV show Grey's Anatomy) would be in town for the ride on Saturday...Kathy thought he might show up at the winery reception, but no such luck :(

Saturday morning, up early and ready to roll...

The ride started at 8AM sharp from the Finley Center in Santa Rosa. There were 6,000 cyclists in attendance for the three rides - Piccolo (35 mi.), Medio (65 mi.) and the Gran (103 mi.) Up front, there was a roped off VIP section, follow by self-staging areas for all riders. Initially, I had thought about "crashing" the VIP area as I had met Yuri Hauswald, a local pro with Marin Bikes the day before and thought he'd probably let me in since he was the "gatekeeper". However, not wanting to push my luck, I casually stopped by to say, "Wassup" to Yuri then proceeded to line up about 20 feet behind the VIP section. Kathy was nervous to start up front with the "fast" riders, so she disappeared back into the sea of cyclists. Unfortunately, for Kath, I could see "McDreamy" up ahead in the VIP area and I was bummed she didn't get to see him!

We're off...

About twenty minutes into the ride, I was flying along at a pace that should have left me totally cooked by mile 50, but I seemed to feel okay, so I decided to keep the hammer down. I was behind some dude, who was riding a bit slower than me, so I moved out around him, glanced to my right and...McDreamy appeared! I immediately sat up, slowed to his pace and looked over at him..."Hey, my wife is lookin' for you! I think you're the only reason I was able to get her to participate in this craziness!" I yelled to him. He replied, "Well, where is she?" I gave him the "back there somewhere" thumb and said, "Somewhere behind us!" He chuckled and responded, "I'll be back there in a bit, I'm sure I'll see her!" We smiled, I replied, "Have a great ride!" to which he said the same and onward I pedaled. I immediately thought, "Jeez, what dumb luck riding alongside McDreamy in this absolute mass of humanity on wheels with identities hidden in dorky bike helmets and sunglasses." I also thought about how Kathy had once again missed out, so I quickly pulled out my cell phone and snapped off a terrible photo of McDreamy from over my shoulder...I was determined to get her at least a quick view of him - if only through the crappy lens of my cell phone while barreling down the road surrounded by bike nuts!

Riding, climbing, descending rapidly, riding, climbing...

The ride itself was excellent. I was making good time, the weather was perfect, the scenery was amazing and Coleman Valley Road was looming at mile 75! I loved the constantly changing scenery from vineyards to oak covered foothills to redwood forests to sweeping ocean views. Did I mention the steep climbs and even steeper descents?! Wow, Meyers Grade was nothing less than treacherous. The overall stats from the ride were something like 103 miles, 8,500 feet of climbing and all you can drink cold beer in the VIP tent at the finish line!

The VIP tent is near...

I managed to reel off the miles at a pace faster than I had previously thought possible for me and finished the ride in 6:53. About the same time I finished, I pulled my phone out of my jersey and saw a text message from Kathy...she was in the VIP tent waiting for me...and McDreamy was there!!! Finally, Kathy got to feast her eyes on Patrick "McDreamy" Dempsey! I made my way into the VIP tent where Kathy said, "What can I get for you?" My response? Well, it went something like this..."A cold beer and a photo of you with McDreamy." She whispered to me, "I stood right next to him - wow! Unfortunately, they asked us not to bother him when they let us into the VIP area." I told Kathy, "Hold on, I chatted with him on the ride and now it's time to get your picture with him." I walked over near Mr. Dempsey, made eye contact and motioned him over to me. I mentioned our chat on the ride in the morning and something about my wife wanting to meet him. He laughed and said, "Oh yeah, I remember" and then turned to Kathy asked her name and introduced himself. Without further delay, I asked the two of them to smile for the camera and...see below, enough said?

VIP tents are cool...

Maybe the best part of the weekend (aside from my Friday ride with Levi) was the VIP tent after the ride. I saw my friends Forrest, and Marshall, Levi, Patrick Dempsey and several other kinda famous people from the bicycling community. My friend Forrest who's a real character (in a great way) and knows almost everyone gave me a personal introduction to his friend "Brian." Brian Lopes is a 4x World Champion mountain biker! The "all-you-can-drink" ice-cold Fat Tire Ale and good food were cool too!

Photo: (L to R) Marshall, Forrest, Brian and Me (yeah, they finished way before me, that's why I'm still wearing my helmet!)

The "after" party...

Well, you'd think it would all end after the VIP tent, but it didn't. My friend Forrest mentioned that Yuri was having a small, private get-together later that evening at a place in the historic railroad district in Santa Rosa and we were invited. As it turns out, Kathy and I spent the evening with a dozen or so people that included Levi, his wife Odessa, Ben King, the organizers of the event - Carlos and Greg, Team RadioShack's Sponsorship Manager, Glen, Forrest and his lovely wife Nicole and of course our gracious host Yuri. It was kind of surreal, hanging out at a huge event and being swept into a small inner-circle of people who were at the center of it.

Finally, we ended our weekend with a restless, overtired sleep Saturday night, a BIG breakfast the next morning and a leisurely drive home where the couch was waiting for me to spend the rest of the afternoon.

My heartfelt thanks...

Well, I had a hell of a weekend and I'm very grateful to my friends for their generosity. Because of you guys and many others, I was rewarded with a unique and very fun experience. Thanks so much for your support!

Patrick

Picassa slideshow http://bit.ly/9fM7ID