Please consider donating this year!  The deadline is on the 18th!!!

Thanks!

First off - *big* thanks to all of you who have supported me both financially and non over the last couple of years - it is very much appreciated!

http://www.levisgranfondo.com/fund-raiser?uid=ccallana

As most of you know, I have ridden in this event for 2 years, this being my 3rd.  I am shooting for the 103 miler again this year, and hoping to improve on my time of 7 and half hours :)

The beneficiaries have changed a bit this year, you can see the details below - the main difference being that they dropped support for Livestrong, and added Patrick Dempsey's (McDreamy!) Center for Cancer Hope and Healing.

I hope you all consider donating this year, and if you do, please do it quickly. I know how these fundraising things go (which is why in the past there have been so many reminders) - so please do me a favor and just click the link as you get this email, so you don't forget :)   If you can't donate this year, that is fine too - please be thinking of me on October 5th as I'm riding  :)

Thanks again for your support! (to paraphrase Bartles and James)

http://www.levisgranfondo.com/fund-raiser?uid=ccallana

Dempsey Center For Cancer Hope and Healing

Levi’s GranFondo has a long and friendly relationship with actor Patrick Dempsey and his event, The Dempsey Challenge, and we’re pleased to add their main beneficiary to our roster of charities we support. The Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing in Lewiston, Maine provides free support, education, and integrative medicine services to cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers with the goal of improving the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities impacted by cancer. While The Dempsey Center is part of The Central Maine Comprehensive Cancer Center, the free services and programs of the Dempsey Center services are available to everyone, regardless of where cancer treatment is received. Find out more at http://www.dempseycenter.org.

The Pablove Foundation

Another dear friend of Levi’s GranFondo is The Pablove Foundation, whose mission is to fund pediatric cancer research and advances in treatment, educate and empower cancer families, and improve the quality of life for children living with cancer through hospital play, music, and arts programs. Their Pablove Across America long-distance cycling event will celebrate its fifth anniversary by kicking off “Day Zero” at the 2013 Levi’s GranFondo. Look for the Pablove peloton on event day and give ‘em a cheer. They’re riding for a pretty big cause and the GranFondo is just the start for them. To learn more and join the full ride from the Bay Area to Los Angeles this October visit http://pablove.org/paa

VeloStreet’s Cycling Initiatives Program

Levi’s GranFondo sees cycling in Sonoma County as an ongoing resource that drives wellness, environmental health, community, our economy, and quality of life. We see an obligation to help sustain that resource as best we can. As such, we’ve got an ever-growing list of projects we work on to make our home a cycling destination for everyone, whether you’re from down the street or across the oceans.

• Support and fundraising for services and access at local mountain bike-friendly State Parks threatened by budget cuts
• Pavement improvements along the GranFondo route as well as area routes popular with cyclists
• A competitive grant program to fund cycling infrastructure and education
• A cycling-specific signage program for favored cycling routes in Sonoma County to facilitate lawful cycling and to increase awareness among local residents.

Forget Me Not Farm

Since its inception in 1992, Forget Me Not Farm has helped thousands of at-risk children and youth break the cycle of abuse. Located on the grounds of the Humane Society & SPCA of Sonoma County, the Farm offers animal-assisted and horticultural therapeutic activities that provide a haven for children, plants and animals to bond, learn, and heal with one another.

Community Giving (Rural Schools and Fire Departments)

Much of the GranFondo course traverses beautiful rural scenery with little to no development. Looks can be deceiving however, for there are folks living in these fine stretches of country with kids that need as good a dose of learning as their city dwelling brethren. Problem is, much of these school districts have to spend more money to educate fewer students across these widely spread areas. On top of that, since there are less kids in the classroom, less money comes down from local, state, and federal coffers. The GranFondo is working with schools along the route to identify needs and support this community as we enjoy the views and terrain in their backyards. Additionally, this gets these kids excited about cycling at a young age and in a time where childhood obesity and nutrition are major problems for developing children.

This same geographic and financial situation extends to emergency services and other community services, not just schools. The GranFondo supports these vital local resources so that folks who make their life in further flung areas of the county can continue to have the same opportunities as their urban comrades.

Lance Armstong's Statement of August 23, 2012

Lance Armstong's Statement of August 23, 2012

AUSTIN, Texas - August 23rd, 2012 - There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, "Enough is enough." For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a two-year federal criminal investigation followed by Travis Tygart's unconstitutional witch hunt. The toll this has taken on my family, and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today – finished with this nonsense.

I had hoped that a federal court would stop USADA’s charade. Although the court was sympathetic to my concerns and recognized the many improprieties and deficiencies in USADA’s motives, its conduct, and its process, the court ultimately decided that it could not intervene.

If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA’s process, I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and – once and for all – put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance. But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair. Regardless of what Travis Tygart says, there is zero physical evidence to support his outlandish and heinous claims. The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colors. I made myself available around the clock and around the world. In-competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I provided. What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA will not stand by it?

From the beginning, however, this investigation has not been about learning the truth or cleaning up cycling, but about punishing me at all costs. I am a retired cyclist, yet USADA has lodged charges over 17 years old despite its own 8-year limitation. As respected organizations such as UCI and USA Cycling have made clear, USADA lacks jurisdiction even to bring these charges. The international bodies governing cycling have ordered USADA to stop, have given notice that no one should participate in USADA’s improper proceedings, and have made it clear the pronouncements by USADA that it has banned people for life or stripped them of their accomplishments are made without authority. And as many others, including USADA’s own arbitrators, have found, there is nothing even remotely fair about its process. USADA has broken the law, turned its back on its own rules, and stiff-armed those who have tried to persuade USADA to honor its obligations. At every turn, USADA has played the role of a bully, threatening everyone in its way and challenging the good faith of anyone who questions its motives or its methods, all at U.S. taxpayers’ expense. For the last two months, USADA has endlessly repeated the mantra that there should be a single set of rules, applicable to all, but they have arrogantly refused to practice what they preach. On top of all that, USADA has allegedly made deals with other riders that circumvent their own rules as long as they said I cheated. Many of those riders continue to race today.

The bottom line is I played by the rules that were put in place by the UCI, WADA and USADA when I raced. The idea that athletes can be convicted today without positive A and B samples, under the same rules and procedures that apply to athletes with positive tests, perverts the system and creates a process where any begrudged ex-teammate can open a USADA case out of spite or for personal gain or a cheating cyclist can cut a sweetheart deal for themselves. It’s an unfair approach, applied selectively, in opposition to all the rules. It’s just not right.

USADA cannot assert control of a professional international sport and attempt to strip my seven Tour de France titles. I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours. We all raced together. For three weeks over the same roads, the same mountains, and against all the weather and elements that we had to confront. There were no shortcuts, there was no special treatment. The same courses, the same rules. The toughest event in the world where the strongest man wins. Nobody can ever change that. Especially not Travis Tygart.

Today I turn the page. I will no longer address this issue, regardless of the circumstances. I will commit myself to the work I began before ever winning a single Tour de France title: serving people and families affected by cancer, especially those in underserved communities. This October, my Foundation will celebrate 15 years of service to cancer survivors and the milestone of raising nearly $500 million. We have a lot of work to do and I'm looking forward to an end to this pointless distraction. I have a responsibility to all those who have stepped forward to devote their time and energy to the cancer cause. I will not stop fighting for that mission. Going forward, I am going to devote myself to raising my five beautiful (and energetic) kids, fighting cancer, and attempting to be the fittest 40-year old on the planet.

2012 Levi's Gran Fondo Donation Request

Thanks so much to everyone who gave so generously last year to the charities of Levi’s Gran Fondo. 

I promise this year to not bombard you with a ton of emails - time is short and I know a lot of people are tapped out

.

As you may know, I am riding in this event again this year, and would greatly appreciate your donation on my behalf.  Last year I had a fun gimmick to offer in return for your donation.  This year, I don’t have anything as interesting.  Although if you all help to reach my goal, I will randomly draw a name to decide how I will grow my Mo for Movember ( http://us.movember.com/ ). The money raised goes to help many important activities, including support for Cancer patients, a project to help at risk youth and rural schools and fire departments in the Santa Rosa area.  See the bottom of the email for information on the charities.

I have stepped up the length of my ride this year from 103 miles versus the 65 miles I rode last year.  Similarly I raised my fundraising goal to $2800, from the $2120 you all provided in 2011. 

I need your help though.  Time is short as all fundraising for this year must be done by the first week of September.  The fastest way to donate is to go to my personal donation page and donate via credit card http://www.levisgranfondo.com/fund-raiser?uid=ccallana. Please click now! :)  You can also donate by Cash or Check.  The fastest method here is to send it to me, and I will donate on-line in your name (I know, this sounds fishy, but it’s not).  If this makes you uncomfortable, you can make a check out to VeloStreet Inc and send it either to me and I will forward it, or directly to them.  However this option takes a bit longer to sort out.

Please forward to all your generous friends! :)

Thank you again! Levi, VeloStreet, the supported charities and I very much appreciate your continued support.  

--Chris

VeloStreet’s Cycling Initiatives Program

VeloStreet, the non-profit arm of the GranFondo, has a series of hands-on initiatives that aim to directly improve cycling resources in the communities in which the GranFondo operates and throughout California. The current program changes with the cycling needs of the area, but is currently working on the following projects:

• Support and further fundraising for emergency management of local mountain bike-friendly State Parks threatened by closures due to budget cuts.
• A cycling-specific signage program for favored bicycle routes throughout Sonoma County to facilitate lawful cycling for tourists and to increase awareness amongst local residents.
• A competitive grant program to fund cycling infrastructure and education in California and beyond.

Forget Me Not Farm

Since its inception in 1992, Forget Me Not Farm has helped thousands of at-risk children and youth break the cycle of abuse. Located on the grounds of the Humane Society & SPCA of Sonoma County, the Farm offers animal-assisted and horticultural therapeutic activities that provide a haven for children, plants and animals to bond, learn, and heal with one another.

  

Community Giving

Much of the GranFondo course traverses beautiful rural scenery with little to no development. Looks can be deceiving however, for there are folks living in these fine stretches of country with kids that need as good a dose of learning as their city dwelling brethren. Problem is, much of these school districts have to spend more money to educate fewer students across these widely spread areas. On top of that, since there are less kids in the classroom, less money comes down from local, state, and federal coffers. The GranFondo is working with schools along the route to identify needs and support this community as we enjoy the views and terrain in their backyards. Additionally, this gets these kids excited about cycling at a young age and in a time where childhood obesity and nutrition are major problems for developing children.

This same geographic and financial situation extends to emergency services and other community services, not just schools. The GranFondo supports these vital local resources so that folks who make their life in further flung areas of the county can continue to have the same opportunities as their urban comrades.

LIVESTRONG

Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong and based in Austin, Texas, LIVESTRONG supports the 28 million people around the world living with cancer today. LIVESTRONG connects individuals to the support they need, leverages funding and resources to spur innovation and engages communities and leaders to drive social change. Known for the iconic yellow wristband, LIVESTRONG’s mission is to inspire and empower anyone affected by cancer. For more information visitwww.livestrong.org.

2011 - End of Year Cycling Stats

2011 - End of Year Cycling Stats

Statistics for the year (some data incomplete due to only getting the Garmin in April - hence the graph doesn't show rides from Jan-Mar, but I do have distance/time data from those months)
-- 150 bike rides
-- 3123.65 miles ridden
-- Over 209 hours on the bike
-- Over 93 thousand feet climbed
-- Over 93 thousand calories burned
-- Average ride was 20.82 miles at 76RPM, 14.9MPH, with 733 feet climbed, at 135bpm
-- Max speed hit was 43MPH (downhill of course!), max distance, 70.04 miles

Shaving Day

Well, the day finally came - time to shave off the beard!!  As many of you know, I have been fundraising for Levi Leipheimer's Gran Fondo charity bike ride.  I had set my goal at raising $1500.  In order to encourage people to donate, I offered up the incentive of shaving my beard off - something I haven't done in something like 16 or 17 years.  In addition, the person giving the most could come and do the shaving!  Well, I hit my goal a while back, and an old college buddy, Bill was the lucky winner, donating $250 to the cause.

After I hit $1500 - I readjusted my fundraising goal to $2100 (the next incentive level).  I am $150 short of that goal.  If you are reading this, and would like to help out - the deadline is Tuesday Sept 20!!  So please donate quickly!!  Go here to donate...   http://www.levisgranfondo.com/fundraising/portal/?user=ccallana
The charities the ride supports are great - Livestrong cancer research, the Forget-me-not farm for at risk kids, lots of local Santa Rosa charities....  It would be great to stay in the top 10 donors, so please consider helping out if you can.

So we worked out with Bill to come up from the Bay Area to take care of his prize - they came up this weekend, and unbeknownst to me, had been conspiring with my wife to do something a bit different.  Instead of shaving at home, we went to a local barbershop for a professional shave.

They chose a new place in town, Lucky's - which happens to be in the local bowling alley :)   Very different barbershop than I have seen before - the barbers were all young guys with tatoos and piercings and such.   We were directed to Joe for the afternoon's hair removal process.

For those of you who already forgot what I looked like, here is the 'before' picture

As the clippers started knocking the beard off, the boys seemed a bit concerned

The guys decided to have a little fun, and create a "new" look - Not sure I like this one....

So he finished up with the clippers, and moved on to the actually shaving - straight razor style.  Got the hot towel treatment and everything

After a bit of relaxing with the towel, the shaving cream and razor came out....

The rest of the family wasn't quite sure this was such a good idea.......

But after the beard came off, they - meaning everybody in the whole place - convinced me that I should basically shave my head too.  Well, really a size 1/2 (that's 'half') guard on the clippers....

When everything was all said and done - the 'after' picture

Needless to say, I don't really even recognize myself.  I have never cut my hair this short - ever.  And of course, it's been so many years that I have had the beard - I forgot what it looks like underneath!  But if it is weird for me, it is even stranger for the kids.  They have spent a lot of time touching my head and face

If they had not been there to see it - they may not have even known it was me :)

So here we are - my boys, me, and man who made this possible.

A huge thanks goes out to all of you who donated - this wouldn't have happened without you.  I'm sure the folks at Bike Monkey thank you too :)  Big thanks to Bill as well for such an entertaining way to bring this to fruition.  And of course, thanks to my family for being supportive and encouraging.

The open question everyone keeps asking - how long am I going to leave it like this.  Honestly I don't know.  I will likely grow my hair out a bit longer - it is barely more than stubble right now.  I hate shaving, so I'm not sure how long I can keep it up - but we'll see....

Not sure what incentive I'll be able to come up with next year to get ya'll to donate, but I'm guessing it is going to have to be pretty good to top this one!!

USA Grand Tour

So we all know that cycling is not interesting to most in America - plenty already written about why that might be. But we do now have 3 pretty strong 1 week races in California, Utah and Colorado. Perhaps a joining of the 3 into a single Title might be interesting.

First of all, we have to rename the Colorado race - calling it "USA" anything, and keeping it limited to 1 state just doesn't make any sense. Tour of Colorado is already taken of course, but something with Colorado in the name might be helpful, eh? Then take the USA Pro Cycling Challenge name, and use it as an over-arching title for the 3 US 1 week races. Create a combined points scheme and award something interesting at the end of the 3rd race (currently Colorado on the schedule).

Seems this would give incentive to riders to attend all 3 and create longer term interest from fans of each of the 3 races.

Last Request (hopefully!)

Friends and Family - I reached my original goal of raising $1500 - The beard *will* be coming off at some point. Congrats to Bill Merrill for providing the largest donation - he gets to come out and do the trimming! :) A huge thanks to all who have contributed so far!!

I am making 1 last ditch effort to get to the next incentive step - at $2100. I currently have $1800 (including some off-line donations not in the system yet) - so I am only $300 short! You can help me reach that step! The deadline is coming up soon at the end of the month so don't wait!! The Charities listed below will benefit greatly from your donation. If your budget doesn't allow for any more charitable giving this year - no problem! Cheer really loud Saturday morning October 1 :) See below for the original email and information on the charities.

====

As many of you know, on October 1, I am doing a Metric Century (62 Miles or so) ride near Santa Rosa as part of Levi Leipheimer's GranFondo. This is a charity event, and as such I am attempting to raise $1500(Updated to $2100) for the charities the event supports. I have included the list of charities at the bottom of this email.

I am writing to ask you for your help in reaching my goal. There are 3 incentives for you to donate (besides helping some worthy charities!):

--If you donate $100 or more, the event folks will send you some sort of a gift.

--If I hit my goal, I will shave my beard (which I haven't done in over 15 years) - I'll even make a video of it!! :)

--If you are the highest donor, I will let you participate in the shaving if you so wish! :) (Highest donor $250 - Thanks Bill!!)

There is a deadline of August 30 to meet the fundraising goals, so please don't wait! :)

If you would like to help out, please click here to donate by credit/debit card. http://www.levisgranfondo.com/fundraising/portal/?user=ccallana

You can donate by check as well if you are more comfortable doing that - send them to me, made out to VeloStreet, Inc. - just make sure to send them soon so I can send them off to Santa Rosa before the end of the month!! :)

VeloStreet is a Non-Profit - all donations are tax deductible.

Your support is greatly appreciated - Please forward to anyone who you think may be willing to help out.

Thanks for your consideration!!

--Chris

----

Supported charities

http://www.levisgranfondo.com/p/fundraise/cause/

LIVESTRONG

Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong and based in Austin, Texas, LIVESTRONG fights for the 28 million people around the world living with cancer today. LIVESTRONG connects individuals to the support they need, leverages funding and resources to spur innovation and engages communities and leaders to drive social change. Known for the iconic yellow wristband, LIVESTRONG’s mission is to inspire and empower anyone affected by cancer. For more information visit www.livestrong.org.

VeloStreet’s Cycling Initiatives Program

VeloStreet, the non-profit arm of the GranFondo, has a series of hands-on initiatives that aim to directly improving cycling resources in the communities in which the GranFondo operates and throughout California. The current program is made of the following promising initiatives:

• Ongoing planing and scoping for the construction of the first Sonoma County Velodrome in Santa Rosa
• A cycling-specific signage program for favored bicycle routes throughout Sonoma County to facilitate lawful cycling for tourists and to increase awareness amongst local residents.
• A competitive grant program to fund cycling infrastructure and education in California and beyond.

Forget Me Not Farm

Since its inception in 1992, Forget Me Not Farm has helped thousands of at-risk children and youth break the cycle of abuse. Located on the grounds of the Humane Society & SPCA of Sonoma County, the Farm offers animal-assisted and horticultural therapeutic activities that provide a haven for children, plants and animals to bond, learn, and heal with one another.

Community Giving

Much of the GranFondo course traverses beautiful rural scenery with little to no development. Looks can be deceiving however, for there are folks living in these fine stretches of country with kids that need as good a dose of learning as their city dwelling brethren. Problem is, much of these school districts have to spend more money to educate fewer students across these widely spread areas. On top of that, since there are less kids in the classroom, less money comes down from local, state, and federal coffers. The GranFondo is working with schools along the route to identify needs and support this community as we enjoy the views and terrain in their backyards. Additionally, this gets these kids excited about cycling at a young age and in a time where childhood obesity and nutrition are major problems for developing children.

This same geographic and financial situation extends to emergency services and other community services, not just schools. The GranFondo supports these vital local resources so that folks who make their life in further flung areas of the county can continue to have the same opportunities as their urban comrades.