The 2009 Britton Fund Ride

On May 4, 2009 I will be cycling a metric century in and about Reno, Nevada to help support the fundraising efforts of the The Britton Fund. The fund helps invest in the future of research and education in the field of arboriculture. http://www.thebrittonfund.org/

The one-day ride will be held the day before the 75th Annual Conference of the Western Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (CA, AZ, NV, HI). At the conference in Reno I will also be giving a presentation that I delivered at last year's national conference in St. Louis, Missouri.

Each rider is required to raise $1,000 in order to be able to take part in the ride. Learn more about the Britton Fund ride and help support my efforts to wrangle in some funds for a good cause.

Supporters

Sarah Stangle, San Francisco, CA
Sallie Stangle, San Francisco, CA
Chip Lyons, Salt Lake City, UT
Debbie Lyons, Salt Lake City, UT
Amy & Ray Pellerin, Tolland, CT
Brian Tsai, San Francisco, CA
Sunder Sujan, Daly City, CA
Dan Flanagan, San Francisco, CA
Jim Degolia, San Francisco, CA
Suzanne Whelan, SF, CA
Chad Davis, Iowa City, IA
Alexis Harte, Berkeley, CA
Richard & Kathy Buck, Simsbury, CT
Sarah Stangle, Mill River, MA
Yan Capretz, Mill River, MA
Naomi LeBeau, San Francisco, CA
Robert Buck, West Hartford, CT
Jani De Michele, West Hartford, CT
Jose G. Perez, Redwood City, CA
Epicenter Management, Orange, CA
Doug Wildman, San Francisco, CA
J P Revel, St. Louis, MO
Kristine Enea, San Francisco, CA
Julie Leopold, York, England
Bill Haddican, York, England
James DeVinny, San Francisco, CA
Barbara Dube, Tolland, CT
Carla Short, Oakland, CA
Ken & Linda Meyer, San Mateo, CA
Maria D'Agostino, San Francisco, CA
(YOUR NAME HERE!)

Started training & fundraising in earnest (3/3/2009)

With two months to go I am finally getting down to business. Over the weekend I sent out some fundraising letters targetting my biggest potential donors and yesterday evening after work I went on my first training ride. There was a brief break in the rain and I bolted out of the house near 3rd & Palou in Bayview Hunters Point and headed to the Golden Gate. My goal: to cross the bridge and bike to the top of the Marin Headlands, snap a photo and catch my breath, and bike back. I pulled this off, but it was a classic "biting off too much" that I am infamous for on solo journeys (biking, hiking, kayaking, always coming back home totally shot, family concerned about my whereabouts, etc.). The rain started at the top of the Marin Headlands, and didn't let up. The wind blasts across the G.G. Bridge were challenging - the rail separating me from the Pacific Ocean is just at elbow level - almost blew off my helmet. When I finally made it home it had turned into a 3 hr ride. Bone tired, cold and soaked, by the time I finished my shower the pizza that Sarah and Sallie had ordered was waiting for me.

I won't lie, there were some major tailwinds that helped shoot me up that steep, windy road to the top of the headlands. The photo I snapped from the top: see below. Maybe I will be able to fundraise and get my legs and lungs ready for this thing afterall.

Same training ride, 8 days later 3/10/2009

Dramatic Finish to My Training (5/2/2009)

Had a dramatic finish to my training today. My rear tire blew out with gusto while I was going down a steep hill at the Palace of the Legion of Honor. I thought someone had thrown an M-80 firecracker at me but the sudden and immediate loss of all air in my rear tire made me quickly realize that I was now riding downhill at a good clip, on a rough road, in rain, rim on asphalt, with my bike about to fishtail out from underneath me. Despite this sense of doom, I brought the bike and myself to a slow, controlled stop. Tire blew out in two locations: was done riding for the day, training closed out for the 2009 Britton Fund Ride. Cell phoned Sarah for backup, whisked me away an hour later and we got the bike under the knife and repaired by close of business. The bike now stands at the ready in my car, and the car sits ready to ride to RENO, NEVADA in just a few hours.

I raised $1,000 Thank You for making it happen! (5/3/2009)

Thank you for making this happen! I have raised enough money to take part in the ride and I have trained enough so that I'll be comfortable.

All for a good cause. Tree education and research - which will be on display during the ride and at the conference. I am even doing my humble part at the conference by providing a presentation about tree issues (education vs. enforcement). I like supporting the Britton Fund because it is a modest effort to help leverage funds. The money will go to good projects and the right people.

What the heck is tree research and education? To use one example, think of the current swine flu situation. What you see on display 24/7 is the dessimination of research and education. If we want to live among, maintain and enhance the trees in our surroundings, a lot of work takes place behind the scenes to make this happen. Trees don't just pop up conveniently where you want them to pop up. My hometown of West Hartford, CT has an area called Elmwood where no more elm trees can be found because of Dutch Elm Disease. The great American Chestnut trees of the eastern deciduous forests met a similar fate. Trees require care and attention, and arborists, researchers and scientists help make that happen. The Britton Fund supports these efforts. And hey, now you do too!