Jeffrey Kongslie's
I'm Riding to End AIDSI'm so excited, and so nervous! From June 1-7, 2008, I'm bicycling in AIDS/LifeCycle. It's a 7-day, 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to make a world of difference in the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the people that have helped me along this journey. I have had the opportunity to train with a number of fantastic people that share a passion for a good cause, and have enthusiastically supported my own growth along the way. I want to thank friends and family (and even strangers) that have spoken words of encouragement over the last few months. Thanks to anyone who even wanted to support my fundraising efforts. Together we have raised over $5,000 and I am so amazed by that. I would especially like to thank my very loving and supportive partner, J-P, who has been so great through this whole experience. Especially over the last few weeks he has been a total bike widow, and I'm looking forward to spending time with him again when the ride is over. I am deeply honored that I get to do this. I have no doubt I will be forever changed by this experience, and look forward to that. Here's a good picture of the route that we'll be following along the way-
Thanks again to everyone for your love and support.
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Jeffrey's latest blog entry:
Tuesday, Jun 3, 2008 
Day 4, Half Way to LA
Jeffrey's Goal: $5,000.00
Current Total: $5,711.00 |
Jeffrey's LinksSan Francisco AIDS Foundation
routeslip.com
Experience AIDS/LifeCycle 2007
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Jeffrey's BlogTuesday, June 3, 20085:10 AMgoing great!hey all- just wanted to say hello from the road. Its been pretty amazing so far. We've completed the first two days. 79 miles and then 105 miles. The people on the ride have been great and so have the communities we've been riding through. I'm having a blast besides the fact that I left my phone in the cab in San francisco on sunday morning and had to drive back as soon as we rode in to santa cruz. On to paso robles today. Wish me luck!!! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Sunday, May 18, 20088:12 PMIt's all coming togetherDear friends, So, this crazy thing I decided to do is now only two weeks away. Two weeks from now I will have spent my first day cycling from San Francisco to Santa Cruz, will come home to sleep in my bed (instead of a tent) and will hopefully have had a great meal. Before then, there's still a bit more training to do, a few more things to get together, and a 70 lb duffle bag to pack. Not just that, but making hotel reservations for LA, buying my return plane ticket home, and finishing a lot up a work to be gone for 10 days. Over the past few weeks I've definately been pushing myself, and I feel myself getting stronger and in very good riding shape. I've pushed a little too hard though, and my old knee problems are coming back. Nothing I can do at this point other than dialing it back a bit, with lots of rest and ice. I did my first organized and supported ride today, Strawberry Fields Forever. It gave me a good taste of what it's like to ride with a large group, I think there were about 1000. I had a blast. I got to ride with some of my favorite AIDS/LifeCycle participants, and we were all enjoying the experience, knowing that in a couple of weeks we'll be on our way to LA. I can also celebrate the fact that I've now raised well over $5,000 for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. I am overwhelmed by the support I've received from so many people. I just keep thinking back to a few months ago when I set my goal at $2,500 and how hard I thought it would be just to raise that much. Never take the spirit of generosity for granted, it is still alive and well in our world. Thanks to everyone who supported me, either with a donation, or just some great words of encouragement. It has been appreciated. I'll think of all of you as I make my way south. Well, I'm tired from a couple of days of riding in the hot sun, and can't expect you to read this much! I'm hopeful that I can update this while on the ride, so stay tuned. Thanks again! Jeffrey Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Friday, April 25, 20084:19 PMGetting close...Hey everyone, So it's just starting to hit me that the ride is really getting close. Since my last post, I've upped my mileage, I did 86 miles from Aptos to Pacific Grove and back. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with myself for going that long of a distance. It was a really beautiful ride and the massive headwinds on the way back were only slightly irritating. Sadly, I returned to many voicemails asking me to call home, and upon doing so discovered that my Aunt Cyndee had passed away after a very brief but intense battle with cancer. It was a very emotional day, as we had started the ride with our group sharing our reasons for doing the ride. I talked about my friend Marty who I had met while working at the Nebraska AIDS Project. Marty was so full of life, and when he passed it was a huge loss. Needless to say, after 86 miles and really bad news, I was ready to go home and spend the rest of the day on the couch. The interesting thing about all of this is that one can honestly say that of all the stress you put your body through taking on this challenge, it's really nothing compared to the daily struggle that so many who live with a chronic life-threatening illness endure. I complain about sore quads and being exhausted, but I'm so inspired by people who get up every day and face the world full-on without knowing if this is the day their health starts to slide downward, or worse. I'm starting to make all of the travel arrangements now, plane tickets, hotel reservations, shipping the bike home. I can't believe this is just around the corner. I don't know what to expect, but I'm excited by what I hear from other people that have had this experience. I'm also scared, hoping that I've trained correctly, that I'll have what I need to make it through the week, and that I'll meet fun people and have a great time. So, thanks again for all of the support. I appreciate the words of encouragement, the donations, and the hugs. Best, Jeffrey Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Saturday, March 29, 20086:48 PMMy. Longest. Ride. Ever!Hey everyone! Well, I have to say honestly that I am very proud of myself. When I got home from my ride today, my handy little computer gave me the news, 73.6 miles. I think I can safely round that up to 75, what's 1.4 miles between friends. Anyway, it was a grueling day, but not as hard as I thought it would be. The very beginning of the ride home was tough, but once I got riding past certain markers that were familiar to me, I picked up the pace and finished strong. The riding to work has really made a difference in my training. The hills are not quite as rough as they were a few weeks ago, unless of course you're on mile 60, and then they burn just a little bit more. On the fundraising side, I'm about $90 away from my goal. I'm really hoping that a few of you that haven't donated yet (or even anyone who wants to give again) will help me over the top. I can't wait to finish the serious fundraising part and just get completely focused on my training. The fun part today was having lunch in Pescadero with an amazing group of training buddies that I would not have made it through the day without. The only thing that inspires me more than my own performance today is that of my other training partners. They really impressed me. Everyone supports each other so well, it gave me just a little taste of what the ride will really be like. So, I'm totally tired, but feeling a great sense of accomplishment. This has been an amazing experience thus far, and I'm certain that it will only get better. Big (BIG) hill day next Sunday. Wish me luck. Thanks for your support! Jeffrey Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Thursday, March 20, 20089:21 AMBike to WorkHey everyone, Well, today was my first day of riding to work. I'm getting to the point in my training that I need to augment the longer weekend rides with a couple of shorter rides during the week. Since my schedule is so crazy, that means biking to work. For those of you not too familiar with Santa Cruz, my ride to work is basically like this, up a big hill, level off, up a big hill, level off, up a big hill, and then another hill. It's one big hill. The bright side is, going home will take me just a few minutes I guess. The other hard part, besides the hill, is that I have to "dress to impress" most days for my job, so it involves lots of pre-planning and then showering at work. Today, J-P was my hero, and drove my clothes and stuff up to campus when I got there. I doubt he'll want to do that every time, so I need to get it together a bit more. The fun part is that our campus is annually rated among the 10 most beautiful campuses in America, so starting off riding through a beautiful meadow, and then up to the redwood groves, it really does make you appreciate what's around you. I guess biking is a spectator sport, for the participant! Anyway, just wanted to keep everyone updated on my progress. Thanks for the words of encouragement and the donations. It all means a great deal. Best, Jeffrey Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Sunday, March 2, 200810:20 AM7 weeks, here we go...!Dear Friends, So, it's been a while since I updated this blog. Training has been going well. I've been participating in more group rides and gradually building up my skills and endurance for longer rides. Just yesterday, I started training with a group of other Santa Cruz riders as part of a 7 week series, which will culminate in my first century ride. That's right, in 7 short weeks I'll be up to 100 miles. I'm a little scared about how quickly I can progress, but I'm happy that I'm not doing it alone. Not only do I have a great group of people to ride with, but I continue to enjoy the support and encouragement of all of you who have supported me either emotionally or financially (many of you both!). One thing I'm extremely proud of is that it's only March and you all have already helped me raise over $1,700 towards my fundraising goal of $2,500. After hearing so many personal stories from my fellow riders, I remain confident that what we're doing to raise funds to fight HIV/AIDS is powerful and provides hope to so many people. I'm honored to be able to participate in this experience! So, I'll be doing more fundraising and training over the next few months, and look forward to continuing keeping all of you updated about my progress. Also, if you have the opportunity to mark you calendar already, we'll be riding into Santa Cruz the first day of the ride (June 1) and I'd love to see as many friends as possible cheering us all in to the first day finish line. Thanks again for the support! Best, Jeffrey Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Sunday, December 2, 200711:31 AMOk, this is hardHi all, Well, in a switch from my usual cheery "whoo-hoo I just did a really fun ride" entry, I'm giving you what yesterday amounted to my first realization that training for this ride is going to be really really hard. I joined some teammates from Team Slug yesterday for a 50 mile ride. This was a stretch for me as my biggest ride to date had been around 30 miles. Also, there were a lot of hills involved, something I hadn't encountered too much as of yet, but surely will on the bid ride in June. Well, I got my butt kicked. It was really hard, cold, it rained a little, the hills killed me, and I arrived back home worn out and whipped. But, I feel really good that I made it through a really challenging ride. I did get my first taste though of what is to come and that I have a lot of work to do to prepare for riding 85 miles a day for a week. I am so tired today, I just want to stay in bed. But, of course, I'll get back out on the road really soon, and do something easy to get back on it, maybe 25 miles or something... ;-) Anyway, thanks again for the support. I know now how much I'm going to need it. Later- Jeffrey Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Sunday, November 18, 200710:05 AMMy First Group Ride- I'm HookedHey all- So yesterday I drove over the hill to Mountain View for my first ever group ride. I was really nervous, I didn't know anyone, still not too confident in my riding pace, shifting skills, etc. Everyone was really kind and welcoming. There were people that have been doing the ride for years, and people like me who are just getting started. It was a good mix, and a great turn-out, 31 people! The ride was fantastic, the weather in November is still beautiful here in this part of CA, and we rode through some gorgeous country with nature preserves and great roads. Now I don't think I can go back to riding alone. Being with people who are so kind and encouraging while you're struggling up a hill or just looking for water along the route is such a great experience. As always, I'll keep you posted. And please give early and often!!! ;-) Jeffrey Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Monday, November 12, 20076:56 PMFirst Ride Since Signing Up, I Made It!For those keeping track, I just today completed my first ride since signing up for ALC7, and my longest ride ever. I did about 32 miles today, or so says Google Maps. While I was riding by myself today (too tired to make the team ride this morning, sorry guys) I had the emotional support of those who made donations toward my goal and offered words of encouragement. I also gave myself a treat and had a chocolate chip cookie at the Whale City Bakery in Davenport, CA. Hey, we all get motivated by different things. Thanks mucho for all the kind words, I'm so glad nobody has yet said, "You, bike 550 miles in a week? Are you crazy?" Or maybe everyone already knows the answer to that last question. Keep checking back for more updates, I'll try to keep this updated regularly. Jeffrey Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb |
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