I’m amazed at people’s generosity.
After deciding to ride the RAGBRAI this summer, we posted an ad on craigslist letting people know that we were doing a ride for charity, and spelled out our story in short (dialysis, transplant, etc.).
The first day the ad was up, we received several emails offering support, a few bikes for sale, and one generous person who offered to donate lots of equipment to us.

Our first step of course is to get a couple road bikes so we can start training.
I was able to make some progress on that front this week, when I purchased a used Cervelo 56cm steel frame, with carbon fork, seat post, and Ultegra components. It’s quite a bit lighter than my Specialized Stumpjumper I’m used to riding, and quite a bit faster as well.

Tomorrow we’ll go to look at a bike for Anna, and hopefully it is something that will work out for us – it seems to be a pretty fair deal so far, so hopefully it’s comfortable enough. My only worry with it, is that it’s an aluminum frame, and I know that can be less comfortable over long distances. We’ll probably want to invest in a carbon fork/seat post at some point prior to RAGBRAI, but we’ll see.

Another friend of ours, Michelle, offered us use of her indoor trainer, which I got setup this evening. Before someone complains about the Christmas tree, remember that Anna’s family is Russian – there are 12 days of Christmas, and it doesn’t end until Russian Christmas, so really, we’re only a day over the limit. Also – Anna took the tree down this evening, so it’s no longer up.

Put a few miles on the trainer tonight, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also took a ride for a couple miles around outside, and this thing is fast. Must get stronger legs though… training tips appreciated.

So – that’s it, my ticket to 500 miles in 7 days. What should I name her?