This is the first of a series of updates on my efforts to seek sponsors who are interested in my bike racing for Bangladesh with the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association. As you probably already know, 2009 will be my second full season of racing. In ‘08, it was all about me. In ‘09, it is all about Bangladesh, more specifically, the Memorial Christian Hospital in the southern part of the country. The hospital was founded almost 40 years ago by Dr. Vic Olsen (”Daktar”), and they are in sore need of a new facility. After visiting the hospital this past October, I was moved by the LORD to combine my racing with fund raising for the new hospital.
The fund raising has been slowly getting off the ground. I do not envy those who do this for a living. I’m afraid if my livelihood depended on my efforts, I would likely starve! I’m a total greenhorn at this, and am probably making every mistake in the book. Nonetheless, there have been some folks who have seen the presentation, and desire to be a part of this worthy cause. The total sponsorship at this point is at $2.25 per point.
I am now seriously training for the season on the Computrainer. This device simulates actual conditions of a race by allowing me to input the racing profile from a DeLorme mapping software, and then “ride” the race in the basement. The scenery is canned, of course, but the curves and more importantly, the hills are exactly what will be encountered on the race course. There is a real time read out of my heart rate, speed, cadence, and power generated.
This can be stored in a computer and then analyzed later. I upload it to an Internet web site, and my coach, Kevin Koval, in Carmel, Indiana, looks at my results from a given workout, and then dreams up new ways to torture me even more vigorously in the future. It really helps to relieve the boredom of riding your bicycle for hours on end in your basement!
The first race of the season is in Sebring, Florida on February 14th. It is a 24 hour race, and my goal is 375 miles, or an average of 15.625mph. Since it has 1.74 difficulty points, this would give me 27.19 points to start the season. Pray that I train strong, and overcome a nagging problem with pain in my right 5th metatarsal.
Well, that’s all for now. I have some meetings with medical colleagues coming up. Pray that they see the need in Bangladesh and are moved to sponsor.
