BenGetsFit4Humanity

The Last Days…we did it!!

So here’s the rundown of the final few days…..

Thursday, April 28th

It’s not fun to spend part of your birthday in the doctor’s office, but at least the x-rays came back negative. Phew!

If you ride enough at Soul Cycle, sometimes you end up on the instructor bike and if it’s your 30th birthday, they might actually put you on the mic. Kym let me ride her bike and lead the class for three songs. You can check out two of the tracks below. And of course there was a water fight.

2 days and 6 hours left…I had some work cut out for me.

Friday, April 29th

Rode to work, no flats, no accidents. Success. 

TRIPLE….Danny then Todd then Clare. Not for rookies. What a way to start my 30’s. It also gave me an excuse to consume a little [a lot of] extra birthday cake.

2.5 hours to go. Piece of (birthday) cake!

Saturday, April 30th—THE END

I was definitely hurting. The riding and the celebrating was wearing on me, but this was the last day and I was going to finish no matter what.

The weather was great, so I took took the scenic route to the Tribeca studio.

5pm with Clare, to say it was a warm up ride would be a lie.

Then it was time for the main event…the final Fit4Humanity ride dubbed the “Hardcore4Humanity Ride”. Melanie led the ride and there were cameos by myself, Todd, Kym and Jenny.

Tara Powers—former Soul Cycle manager now working for Community Health International who organized the Fit4Humanity fund raising campaign—encouraged all the participants to rock their “hardcore” riding outfits. Here’s Tara in her sunglasses cheetah tights and shredded tank top.

Others wore cool shades, hair extensions and super-sized acrylic chains. I did my part wearing pink—“Pink is for Gangstas…” tee shirt with matching aviators. Don’t ask. Here’s a cool shot mid-sprint.

The ride itself was epic, but even more impressive were the results…

The Fit4Humanity team raised $25,000 that were matched and multiplied by a donor for a total of $125,000!!!! All to support sustainable health services in Darfur, Haiti, Chad and Central African Republic—this will make a difference for many.

Tara inspired me last year when she did 50 Soul Cycle rides in 30 days for the Epilepsy Foundation—last year I was only a donor, but this year I was a participant. It was an amazing experience. Thank you Tara and all the good people at Soul Cycle.

There it is…50 hours in 30 days. I hope you’ve enjoyed following this blog….THANK YOU FOR THE DONATIONS!!!

P.S.—even though the event itself is over, YOU CAN STILL DONATE.

To donate go to: http://www.fit4humanity.org/donate/

Also, an all new training blog coming soon. Stay tuned.

Day 27—home stretch

Bad News:

- My foot and ankle are still jacked up from my spill yesterday—going to the doctor tomorrow, probably will have some x-rays taken (fingers crossed).

- Got another flat tire—I have defective front wheel. 

Good news:

- Rode to work without incident.

- Had a really fun class/water fight with Kym. 

- I raised over $1,500 for Community Health International!!!

Rachel Stern, James Talbot and Teresa Hicks—you guys put me over the top!! Thank you!

So you want to know what I eat?  My little sister Julia has been writing for “The Epi Log” on www.epicurious.com. Julia asked me a few questions about my diet—please click the link below “Brotherly Love: An Athlete’s Diet” to read the interview, I think you’ll enjoy it.

Julia introduced me to Soul Cycle a little over a year ago—and it changed my life. Thanks JT.

7 hours left.

Even though I reached my $1,500 goal YOU CAN STILL DONATE, please do.

Day 26—a rough one….

Disclaimer: mom, I know you’re reading this, I’m totally fine.

I left my apartment this morning thinking it was going to be a great day, the sun was shinning, it was going to be really warm, so of course I was going to ride to work.

I was cruising up 8th avenue at a leisurely pace, when it happened…my brand new pair of Outlier pants unrolled and got caught in my chainring and I went down. I scrapped my hip and forearm-no big deal. But I couldn’t get out of the pedal strap (like a toe clip), so my foot and ankle got wrenched pretty good. Luckily, there were no cars following too close behind me.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve crashed, but I was still shaky. I tossed my bike on the sidewalk and sat on the curb for a minute just to regain my composure. I felt around my foot and ankle just to make sure nothing was out of place. I stood up and put some weight on my right leg, moderate pain but not excruciating.

I checked out my bike and everything seemed to be in working order except for my handlebar tape which got shredded—an easy repair. My new pants were ripped, but nothing my tailor couldn’t fix. I got back on my bike and rode to work. My foot and ankle actually felt better on the bike than they did walking.

It could have been worse.

As funny as it sounds, crashing my bike has made me a better rider. It’s easy to start feeling invincible when you’re flying through traffic like I was last night. It’s the accidents that have helped keep me grounded.

I stopped by the drugstore to get some supplies to patch myself up. I iced my foot and ankle a few times during the day. At lunch, I stopped by a golf shop near my office which actually sold a decent ankle brace.

After work, I went to get my bike and I had ANOTHER flat tire [insert expletive]—I’m definitely treating myself to a new front wheel for my birthday. I fixed the flat and hit the rode. I wanted to make it to Melanie Griffith’s 7:45pm class in Union Square.

Mel’s class was by far the highlight of my day. Even with the ankle brace, I had some pain with every pedal stroke—but I still had a great class. Mel has this amazing energy that penetrates every rider in the room. It’s something you should experience first hand. If you leave her class not feeling good, there’s something wrong with you.

We’ll see how the foot feels tomorrow.

8.5 hours left and there’s still a few more days to donate.

Mel’s leading the final Fit4Humanity ride this Saturday at 6pm at Soul Cycle Tribeca with some special guests. You can (and should) join us as we cross the finish line:

http://www.fit4humanity.org/events/

P.S.—tomorrow’s going to be a very special update, make sure you check back.

Day 25—rush hour

So around 5pm, I go online to see how many bikes are left in Daniel’s 7:30pm class. The class is pretty full but there are a few bikes left so I felt pretty confident that I would be able to get in, but when I got to the Soul Cycle studio in Tribeca the class was full and Daniel had given up the instructor bike so an extra person could ride. I thought to myself, “this sucks”. I hadn’t ridden in Daniel’s class in a few weeks and I was really looking forward to it.

Plan B—I called the studio in Union Square to see if Rique’s 7:45pm class was full and it was—with a waitlist—but I decided take my chances anyway. It was already 7:35 and Rique’s class was going to start in 10 minutes. I took off my cycling shoes and put back on my Outlier pants, jacket, sneakers and helmet, grabbed my bag and jumped on my bike. I took off down Warren Street to Church Street and sprinted up 6th Avenue. I made it to the Union Square studio on 18th and Broadway in about 6 minutes. Try that in a cab.

The class was totally full, but Rique was gracious enough to let me ride the instructor bike. I was a little winded but my legs felt good. I’m actually glad I was warmed up because just like last night, Rique’s class is no joke. To say it was intense is an understatement. Although yesterday my hour with Rique was my third class of the day and fourth hour of riding, today I was on the instructor bike with 61 pairs of eyes on me. There would be no brakes or slowing down or any thing of the sort. I had to go all out just to keep up. 

After class I ran into Lucy, who is one of the best riders at Soul Cycle (in my opinion, better than some of the instructors)—some of my best classes are when I get a bike next Lucy.

I asked Lucy how I did and she said I was great—that made my day. 10 hours left.

Day 24—I really like to ride bikes

I spent my day on a bicycle. I jumped on my bike at 9:22am and rode over to Soul Cycle Union Square for Roarke’s 9:30am ride, making it to class with no time to spare. As always, Roarke never disappoints.

After Roarke’s class, I rode over to Sid’s bike shop on 19th street to buy a new pair of bike shorts. A few months ago I decided to buy a pair of ASSOS shorts after the sales manager at Sid’s said that once I tried a pair I wouldn’t want to ride in any other brand—he was right. I cringe every time I have to wear a pair of my old shorts. I spend so much time in my ASSOS shorts, I needed another pair. They’re expensive, but definitely worth it. ASSOS’s slogan is “Sponsor Yourself[tm]”. I kind of like that.

I continued my sponsorship (AKA shopping) and rode over the Williamsburg Bridge to the Outlier showroom in Brooklyn. Outlier makes high performance cycling apparel that’s actually fashionable enough to wear in public (not that I wouldn’t look good wearing my ASSOS shorts at the bar—don’t drink and ride). All their clothing is made right here in New York City. An excerpt from Outlier’s philosophy:

“Your clothing should work as well on a bicycle as it does on the subway or in a car, without shouting to the world “I’m a cyclist.” We are a clothing company first, not a cycling company. But we’re a clothing company that designs simple, good looking and hard wearing garments for a world where bikes are a part of your daily life.”

I bought a pair of Outlier’s pants a little over a month ago—the Keirin Cut Dungarees—they’re great—a million times better to ride in than regular jeans. I’ve literally wore them everyday I’ve been out on my bike, so I needed another pair. The showroom staff is really friendly and knowledgeable. If you’re in Williamsburg check out their showroom: 364 Leonard Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211; Friday: 2pm–7pm; Saturday: 1pm–7pm; and Sunday: 1pm–6pm. Check out the Outlier’s website: http://outlier.cc/

At this point I had spent enough money, so I rode back into Manhattan and up the Soul Cycle studio on 72nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam—the original Soul Cycle location.

4pm with LB for an impromptu “Easter” ride. LB told me right before class that every song had “Jesus” in the lyrics. I went into it thinking it was going to be all gospel or something “churchy”, it wasn’t. I actually wouldn’t have known the difference if LB didn’t tell me, the music was great. 

Then 5pm with Rique Uresti. I had never been to Rique’s class but I heard some amazing reviews. The hype is true! The class was really challenging, but equally fun. Rique’s hilarious. If I wasn’t desperately trying to catch my breath, I was laughing out loud. Needless to say, I’m a fan.

On the road all day, I finally put my bike away around 7pm. Total riding time 4.5 hours. 6 days to finish the last 11 hours, no problem!!

Thank you Mary Clarke-Pearson for your donation!! I have a feeling my next donor will get me over the $1,500 goal—it could be you.

P.S.—my 30th birthday is this Thursday, I wear a medium in ASSOS shorts and I’m a 31 in Outlier’s pants. But seriously, in lieu of any birthday presents, please make a donation, it would mean significantly more to me.