3 Days to Departure

3 Days to go and we’ve:

• Confirmed with all media on the locations we’ll be and the time we expect to arrive
• Confirmed with all SPCAs/Shelters that we plan to visit with our date and expected time of arrival
• Updated our bike-mounted GPS system with the minor revisions for the 2011 trip
• Confirmed our list of needed supplies and who is bringing what (but haven’t packed yet)
• Cleaned up a snag related to Mike’s travel to West Chester due to work
• Updated the website and blog structure for the 2011 ride specifics
• Received notes from friends who have already donated letting us know the amount and which SPCA/shelter received the money (we have no other way of knowing!)
• Promoted the ride through local businesses in the areas around the SPCA/shelter we’re supporting and shared donation jar labels and event promotions
• Coordinated most of the Stillman Volvo hand-off with Ed Stillman (thanks again, Ed!!)

Since the weekend is coming, Viktor plans to do a 60 mile ride on Saturday and a 65 mile ride on Sunday (the Sunday ride is a fundraiser called the Chester County Challenge for Cancer). Gary’s in Maryland and Mike’s in Marcellus.  Mike will arrive late Monday night (Viktor will meet him in Clarks Summit, PA and drive him down from there) and we will all be ready to roll (with tons of friends, Mayor Comitta and whichever media folks are actually present at 8:00AM on Tuesday, June 21!)

More soon!

What are we bringing for this year’s ride?

We are blessed to have the Stillman Volvo XC-90 support vehicle again in 2011, so have tons of room to carry our gear, but we still don’t plan to over pack.

Here is what we plan to bring:

• Bike mechanics Kit (everything we need, in my opinion, to do any repair on the road other than a broken frame or headset replacement!)
• Floor pump
• First Aid Kit (mini-version)
• Beach towel (to sit on in the car when driving)
• Two gallons of water will always be in the vehicle so we’ll always have hydration when we need it
• Gatorade mix and/or Gatorade type hydration for those who prefer more electrolytes
• Nutrition – Powerbars, Cliff bars, GU gels, etc – all personal preference per rider and about 2 to 3 of each per rider, per day
• Tissues, wipes and a trash/recycling bag to keep ourselves and the vehicle clean!
• Money for gas, accommodations, and food

In my “carry on” bag in the car (bag is about 2ft x 1ft x 1ft)

• Shorts, t-shirt, ear plugs and eye cover (as used on airplane), in case someone that I share a room with snores!
• 2nd kit (jersey, shorts, socks, headband). We will ride with Red WCCC on Day 1, 3 and 5 and Blue WCCC (2 years ago) on Day 2 and 4.
• 1 zip lock bag with electronics – camera battery charger, i-phone charger/cable, paper cue sheets, spare batteries for GPS, wallet
• Running shoes or flip-flops for when not on the bike (and a plastic bag to keep them in)
• Chamois Butt’r (from Paceline Products – thanks much, guys!), Coppertone Sport sunscreen (SPF-30) and a tube of diaper crème (for Mike, since he hasn’t been riding much)
• 1 zip lock bag with toiletries – razor, toothbrush, toothpaste
• 1 zip lock bag with pro-link lube
• Spare tubes x 4, Spare tires x 2 (just in case)
• More Power bars, gels, power-bar electrolyte powder mix (enough for all of us in individual serving packets)
• Wallet with driver’s license and medical insurance cards, cash and credit cards (although I will likely carry this and my cell phone with headset in my back jesrey pouch.)

I also kept my usual saddle bag which contains:

• a spare tube
• 2 allen keys
• Full size chain tool
• Tire levers
• Screw driver (flat & Philips)
• Chain master link
• Derailleur cables (front/rear), brake cable (1 each)
• Money and medical card, but the wallet stays in my above bag
• Emergency ID with doctor and family contact info
• Elastics and twist ties plus zip-ties – for the McGyver moments
• Finger nail clips (to cut the cables if we have repair issues)

What would you bring? Let us know and if you plan to ride for just a few hours, we’ll certainly share our hydration and nutrition when you join us! That said, if you plan to cheer us on, feel free to have a “rest stop” along our route so we can stop and enjoy any refreshments you may have to offer and chat with you. Feel free to bring your pets, but let’s use a separate bowl for their hydration!

Preparing for the 2011 Ride

We’re about 2 weeks away from the 2011 Pedaling4Paws ride.

Since the last ride completed, we’ve been working (albeit certainly not non-stop) on improving the Pedaling4Paws ride. At this point, we’ve created collateral, donation jars, materials that are unique to each SPCA/Shelter we’re visiting and generally speaking, we’ve talked up the ride.

In the last 2 weeks before our departure, we’re finalizing the schedule and which shelters / SPCAs we’ll visit (and when). We’ve made arrangements for lodging – with great thanks to the Country Inn & Suites in Lehighton and to The Vacation Inn in Union Dale! We have secured our support vehicle (through Stillman Volvo and Ed Stillman, who will also ride with us the first full day). We’ve reached out to cycling clubs along the way (though we still don’t have final numbers of riders) and we’ve updated the routing for each day of the ride (thanks, Gary!)

Technically, we still have some things to complete, including this blog area. We wanted to keep the history of 2009 and 2010 while ensuring the most recent posts are what you see. Our intention is to once again blog every 2 hours (approximately) and to upload as many photos as we can. We want those of you who cannot ride with us (or who can only ride a portion) to be with us in spirit all the way. We hope the blog will help!!

It’s going to be a great ride for a great cause, so join us, donate to your favorite SPCA/shelter (and let them know its on behalf of Pedaling4Paws) and have fun!

Thanks,
Viktor Ohnjec

Mike Van Ryn

Gary Bianchini