Meghan Delehanty's
I'm Riding to End AIDSFrom 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. Pledges can be made on a monthly basis or in a one time donation. $288 – one week’s worth of HIV medication $156 – one test for HIV and other $107 – one mental health services session There is also a function in the online donation process that allows you to donate a smaller amount over a few months (you choose how many). We'll keep riding until AIDS and HIV are a thing of the past. Please give what you can.
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Meghan's latest blog entry:
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 
Me at the top of a big hill on a training ride
Meghan's Goal: $3,000.00
Current Total: $1,412.00 |
Messages of Support for Meghanjohanna huang (5/10/08 12:30PM): hustle! this lady kicked my ass at the race!!! for a little context: prior to said event, we tried talking meghan into competing and she gave a sharp ironic look of are-you-kidding-me. well, meghan d. after your victory I am rebutting by saying: SLOW? are-you-kidding-me-you-speed-machine-you-smoked-me-and-then-some. she makes delicious vegan cookies too. can't wait for june! WE CAN DO IT. Ben H (4/24/08 1:56PM): kick some butt! cookie power ftw! Gary K. (4/24/08 10:39AM): That sure is a pretty bike you've got there. Dad (4/22/08 11:48AM): Let's see a picture of the new spaceage bike that will carry you from SF to LA. Nicole Campbell (4/22/08 7:11AM): Girl, I couldn't bike 5 miles somewhere! Congrats and good luck. Gary K. (4/15/08 10:55PM): Congratulations on getting the new bike. It will be a great steed on the journey ahead. Good luck with your fund raising, and that photo of you washing that little girls bike is priceless. Andrea (4/15/08 9:16PM): Good luck Meghan!!! Dawn (4/13/08 3:00AM): you're so rad. John Leme (3/19/08 9:47AM): You Can Do It!!!!! David P. (3/11/08 5:57PM): Meghan, 13 years ago I did the AIDS ride; in the beginning I didn't think it was possible. But after 3 months of training doing 80 miles in 1 day was tiring but I wasn't sore. While on the ride take time to look around, you will see some of this state that most people miss. After all you they keep you off the freeways. Good luck and do enjoy yourself, I had a blast those 7 days. Karen & Virg (3/10/08 6:02PM): Ouch! My rear hurts just thinking about riding that far!! You're awesome...and in terrific shape. You'll feel such a great sense of accomplishment when you've finished this ride. Best of luck and we're cheering you on in spirit:-). Aimee Jones (3/08/08 3:57PM): So proud of you for taking on such a big challenge! Monica (3/05/08 7:51PM): What a trip! You are my hero. GO MEGHAN!!! Bill Van Atta (3/05/08 7:30AM): Good luck! Bill Your Dad (3/05/08 6:10AM): Is this the same Meghan who I was afraid would never be able to ride a bike? Where did this athleticism come from? Love, Dad Gary (2/29/08 9:16AM): You are a core elite rida now. Mad props for completing the Dark Century with me. 100 miles, about 70 which was in the pouring rain. Epic. Michelle Kube (2/29/08 7:40AM): I wish I had the guts to give this ride a try!!! I admire what you're doing! Jodi Becker (2/29/08 5:56AM): Go faster....FASTER! Steve Gregory (2/08/08 8:06PM): Keep it between the lines... Courtney & Dave Satkoski (2/06/08 7:34AM): Best of luck with your rides Meghan!! We envy the neat trails, and especially hills, that you get to conquer each week. It was fun reading your blog! We're routing for you. Courtney & Dave Satkoski DannyZuko (1/17/08 3:02PM): C'mon it's not too far now and the hills, well they're not that bad and it's gonna be fun! |
Meghan's LinksTeam Midnight Ridazz
Midnight Ridazz
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center
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Meghan's BlogTuesday, May 6, 20082:34 PMHustle!It was only last july that I could barely ride a bike at all, but this weekend I competed in my first race. The race was put on by a fast-riding group called Wolfpack. It was an 8th mile drag race. I got second place. How weird is that? I always think of myself as really slow, but it's just another example of how far I've come training for this event. Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Thursday, May 1, 200810:14 PM4000 feetTraining for ALC has been challenging I rode a hundred miles at night in the rain through puddles so deep my feet went underwater to pedal I rode 80 miles out to the suburbs to see my boyfriend's hometown. I didn't ride after suffering a knee injury.
But I just climbed 4000 feet with my team up a mountain in Ojai.
I thought for sure i would die. We ran out of water at about 2500 feet, but luckily a support truck came and refilled our bottles.
We made it to the top and went to a beautiful waterfall.
Then we went down the hill at over 40 miles an hour ON BICYCLES!!! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Friday, April 18, 20089:42 PMCookies!I've started selling my now famous Triple Chocolate Death cookies at work and at bike rides to try and supplement my fundraising effort. Every little bit helps. Plus, people really seem to enjoy my top secret recipe for vegan cookie goodness.
In other news,
Tomorrow is my first big ride since an accident a couple weeks ago. I've been remiss in updating the blog because of my strenuous schedule of recovery. It included reading books, work, and eating the cookies that I did not sell. You can see how my busy schedule prohibited blog posting.
Anyways,
My first ride back will be an 80 miler. It'll be fully supported with rest stops provided by the Aids Life Cycle volunteers. It will also be my first big ride on my shiny new bike.
I'll let you know how it goes Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Monday, March 24, 20086:38 PMBurnoutAll this training really has been tough. I decided to take it easy the last two weeks and dramatically dropped my mileage. But this week, i'm looking forward to pumping it back up again. Our team is doing a century (100 miles) in two weeks so I've got to get ready. I hope that my new bicycle is here by then. In other news, our first big team fundraiser was this weekend. we had a bike wash. (think car wash...but with bikes). I was able to contribute a lot to the group fund by selling some vegan cookies I made as well as washing bikes. I"m posting a picture of myself washing a little girls bike.
Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Monday, March 10, 20087:59 PMYour Commute vs. My Pleasure RideGary and I rode from my house in Hollywood all the way to his childhood home in West Covina this weekend. It was an 80 mile round trip with a few serious hills. Gary handn't ever ridden bikes all the way out there. We've both ridden further before, but making a long trip that is always made by car really puts the distance into perspective. Saying we rode 80 miles doesnt really mean much to people, but saying we rode from Hollywood to West Covina really hits home. As we passed over the freeway that we would've had to drive there on, we looked down at the gridlocked traffic and commented on how much more fun it is to ride than sit in traffic.
in other bike news
I finished building my second bike. It's an emerald green girl's bike with a gold pinstripe. I am pretty sure it was built in the early 70's. it has fenders also. When i got it, it had several gears, but I converted it to a single speed. I refer to it as: the skirt bike, the date bike, or simply the green bike. Bikes Bikes Bikes! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Tuesday, March 4, 200811:14 PMMiles and MilesIt was just July when I was not sure if i could make it around the block on a bike. I had quit riding after getting hit by a car in college and only rode for a month or two then. I built my little red bike at a co-op in l.a. and took it for a spin and fell immediately. I've come a long way. Last week, I rode over two hundred fifty miles. That's including a ride in the rain that went over 100 miles. By the end of the week, my legs were sore, I couldnt get enough food into my face, and my enthusiasm hasnt waned at all. Despite eating like a starving cow, I'm losing weight and gaining muscle tone that I haven't had since Cross Country team sophomore year of high school. This weekend, I"m looking forward to an 80 mile ride with my boyfriend out to have lunch in the suburbs. Anyone who knows me is aware that sports are not typically my thing, but I think i've finally found one that I can stick with. Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Tuesday, February 26, 200811:14 PMThe Dark (and Wet) CenturySeveral members of Team Midnight Ridazz and I rode in the Dark Century ride this weekend. A century is 100 miles, and the Dark Century takes place at night. The ride was scheduled awhile ago, so the guy who planned it decided not to cancel it because of rain. We were practically swimming in parts. Around mile 50, the group had to ride through a puddle that was so deep, our feet had to go completely under water in order to pedal. I was really glad to have some new knee warmers and gloves to keep me warm even though I was soaked through. This was my first century. I was really nervous before hand and needed a major pep talk from team captain (and my boyfriend) Gary. He promised me I could do it so we rode out. The first 25 miles were really great. The rain was very light and I kept pace with the group pretty easily. I'm not sure what happened after that, but I started losing energy and falling behind. The middle 50 miles was miserable. The rain, the cold, and lack of energy really made riding tough. But around mile 75, we stopped at a 7-11 store in the middle of nowhere. I swear it was put there just for me. I ate a banana and some dark chocolate, but I think it was the cup of coffee that totally changed my attitude. The last 25 miles were quite possibly my favorite 25 miles of biking ever. This ride was really tough, but I'm really proud of myself for completing it. Despite the misery in the middle, I can't wait for the next 100 mile ride. Maybe next time we can do it on a night where it isn't raining. Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Monday, February 18, 200811:41 PMThe Sound of EnthusiasmWhile ALC is not a race, there's nothing like a bike race to boost morale. I went to see a team member in his first bike race this weekend and really got pumped about riding my bike. The sound of the pack when they go by is really...well...great. It's like a low pitched wooooooosh. I had my old Schwinn in the car and really wanted to break it out and just ride around the grounds near the race. But every other bike there was made of carbon fiber and worth more money than 6 or 8 of my bikes. So I didn't.
But I'm very excited to train this week. Saturday is my first Century. That's 100 miles at once on a bike. My butt hurts just thinking about it! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Wednesday, February 6, 20083:58 PMThe most important part...I've discovered the most important part of a bicycle is not the wheels or frame. It's the seat (or saddle if you're a roadie).
After a few really long rides, I realized how essential it is to be comfortable on the bike. But a saddle seems to be the most difficult bike component to buy. No amount of research can determine which saddle will fit each rider. It just has to match your butt.
I picked up a new seat today, and got a few other old ones from my supervisor at work to try out. Hopefully I can figure it out before the Dark Century training ride. 100 miles on a bad seat sounds pretty terrible.
At least a new bike seat makes me want to ride more and test it out. Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Monday, January 28, 20089:10 PMFists of FuryThis weekend was my first time leading a training ride. I was worried because it was supposed to rain. I made up two different routes...one long one that went far away from home, and one that stuck close by. We ended up using.....NEITHER! We rode up Cahuenga, over Baraham, around to Griffith Park and over a big hill. Then we rode up to the Observatory. The view was amazing. The sun was shining and the rain cleared all the smog out. We could see forever. Totally worth the climb. Then we went down and back through the park to Liz's house. Team Captain Gary had a kind of scary fall coming down from the observatory, but Liz gave him band aids and he was fine. Even though it was my ride, I was the first to poop out. I have some catching up to do to get my fitness level up to the same place as the rest of the team, but I'm excited. I know I can do it. Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Monday, January 21, 200811:02 PMSea Monsters Training RideThe training ride and ALC kickoff event this weekend were amazing. Midnight Ridazz team captain Gary led us from Santa Monica down to Palos Verdes, up to the top of the mountain, down again, to LAX for the ALC party, and back to Santa Monica. As if that wasnt enough, we went to the CRANK Mob party ride later that night to get in some extra milage and rode from Santa Monica to West Hollywood and back. Here are some highlights from the ride:
Total Mileage: Around 74 for the entire day (according to Gary) Fastest downhill speed: 47 mph Weather: beautiful Theory I came up with on how to make our team faster: Matching Bike Jerseys (all the teams who passed us had them) My outlook on the training: If ALC were totally flat, I could do it next week. However, I have some work to do on hill-climbing. Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Friday, January 18, 200811:04 PMFirst Official Training RideI have been riding on and off with Team Midnight Ridazz as I debated joining the ALC ride, but tomorrow is my first official training ride as a member of the team. The ride will go from Santa Monica to Palos Verdes and through the hills there and back again. We'll be stopping by the Aids Life Cycle party on the way home. The theme of the ride is Sea Monsters: Revenge of Archeteuthis. Will my legs survive? Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb |
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