Alicia Rides For Tucson Arizona Team in Training

Alicia and Barb's Team "Team in Training" Page

Even more pictures and I will get Nippy's up this week too!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/93731980@N00/sets/72157600553248041/

Spring Cycling Event
June 3, 2007 ● Lake Tahoe, Nevada - The 16th Annual "America's
Most Beautiful Bike Ride-Lake Tahoe" has built a reputation for not
only its spectacular scenery, but also its great food and support.
Boat Cruise/35-Mile Fun Ride, 72-mile ride around the Lake, and
full 100-mile century are offered.

You can choose the 72 mile or the full 100-mile century with Team In
Training. Make sure to start out with the Team that you feel most
comfortable. If you have questions about what distance you should
choose please feel free to talk to the coaches or TNT staff.

America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride or “Where’s Nippy?”

It all started for us in October of 2006 as most of you know. A few friends suggested that I, Alicia, help
coach the Team In Training (TNT) Leukemia/Lymphoma Society’s bike ride for the Spring. I thought that
it would be fun and a great way to help a great cause.
Barb Dolan, was to be my assistant coach for this season. Barb had ridden a Mt. Bike a few times and
didn’t own a road bike yet BUT had been involved with the TNT for a few years and knew the way things
worked as far as websites, contacts, fundraising etc. I thought it would be a great match, I could handle
the cycle end, and she could handle all the paperwork. Boy did I get off easy.
We both went to the Coach’s Clinic given by renowned cyclist, coach, Doctor and author Arnie Baker
and received our Coach’s certificates in November of 2006. Now we were ready to start our recruiting.
Due to Tucson being such a huge cycling center in the states, it wasn’t easy to get a team together to
go to Lake Tahoe for this ride. For many, the fundraising was very daunting. Also, if you want to learn
how to cycle, you could just ride out your front door and join many different groups around town of many
different levels.
Our team started off being, Mike M, Mike W, Ann Marie L, Jim T, Barb and me. We did not have any
mentors as many of the TNT groups have, so I was given permission to have some of my cyclists friends
join in to help us. One of them was Nippy F. who has been riding and racing for years. The other was my
friend Mary Jo, who also has competed for years. Nippy was very passionate about the cause as he has
lost some family members to Leukemia recently but wasn’t sure if he could commit to joining the team
due to the fundraising and time commitments.
As our team was very small, Barb and I also became fundraisers along with being coaches and we built
our websites right along with everyone else.
Now, Barb, Ann Marie and Jim, were not new to cycling but new to anything more then 10+ miles and
very new to the skills area. Mike M. and Mike W. had been riding for years, and Mike M. has competed in
many cycling sports where Mike W. had mostly done sports for fun. Mike M. had had some friends that
were affected by the big C and Mike W.’s son was a Survivor. Barb’s Mom had passed away from it and
Jim had a made a friend with a young lady in the hospital who passed away also. Ann Marie has worked
in the health field for years and I am not sure if anyone close had personally been ill but this was
something that felt she needed to do to help. It seemed that I was the only one in our group that wasn’t
effected personally until I spoke to my mother, who informed me that I had an Uncle who was diagnosed
with Lymphoma and I began to see how many others I knew were effected and how many were helped
with every dollar that was raised. I was very happy to be there and helping.
Jim was not able to stay with us but would be back in the fall season.
So enough of the back ground stuff, on to our training and then our ride. BUT, remember, during the
training, these wonderful people were out there doing fund raisers at restaurants, yard sales, selling
beads, writing letters, sending emails all to raise funds for research. Our little team raised over 24
thousand dollars alone.
Our 1st training ride together was just over 11 miles and it was cold for us in Tucson, as it was in
February. We had some on borrowed bikes, bmx bikes, no bike shorts, and badly fit helmets.
During our months of training, we had Donna Lewandowski from the City of Tucson, Pima County and
the League of American Cyclists give us a class on bicycle safety and bicycle basics. In the class we
were taught how to do a quick stop, a quick turn and how to properly navigate the city streets. We were
taught about the different parts of our bikes, how to fix a flat and about basic bike fit.
After that, Dr. Bill Peterson, formally of esoles, now of Foot Fitness, did a bike fit for everyone and
checked out their shoe fit, not only on the bike but for every day too.
We gained another bike shop as a Friend of TNT that opened locally and was very willing to give
discounts to our team, Miles Ahead Cyclery.
With all that behind us we were ready to start doing miles. Weekly, I would build the route and on
Saturday mornings we would do our miles, through wind, cold, heat and Mountains. It was my busy
officiating and promoting season for bicycle racing, so if I was not there Barb was along with either Nippy
or Mary Jo for assistance. We/they rode up climbs that just weeks before had been too hard to
complete. They rode in pace lines smoothly that were too scary for some in the beginning and they rode
down the climbs yelling Yea Hah when in January they would have never done anything along that line.
In short, they climbed mountains in a matter of 4 months, that they never thought they would climb.
Whether that mountain was a physical mountain (miles, heat, climbing) or a mental Mountain (fund
raising, time needed, can I do it).
By this time, Nippy had committed to being one of us also, so our team grew.
Now, we also had some awesome support behind us. Cara K. was a SAG and Fundraising guide. She
would be up early with us and make sure that we started on time and that everyone finished with either
M&M’s or raisins and lots of water and love. And Louanne was our Cheering section, every inch of the
way, telling us how wonderful we were and how great we were doing.
We also had the support of all of the family members of our little team, helping to fund raise, allowing the
boys to take naps on Saturdays after our rides and just being wonderful. Mike W. also was to bring his
wife, Roz, to Lake Tahoe with us where she would become my personal Sag support but more on that
soon.
So, after the months of training, we were ready and the time was here for us to go to Lake Tahoe. Cara
made all the reservations for our flights and hotels and made sure that we had the most amount of time
in Tahoe as possible. We were to leave at 5am from Tucson on Friday the 1st and get home at 1:40am
Tuesday the 5th. That was just more training in itself and I do believe I was the only one whining about
the hours. I could not believe how bright and cheerful Barb could be at 4:18am when I picked her up on
the way to the airport. I was to find out that she had to have two cups of coffee, quietly, in the morning to
be so bright and I was so happy to find out that she was human.
We had been following the weather and knew that the highs were going to be in the 70’s and were so
excited as we had already ridden in 100+ degree temps. We arrived in Reno at 9am and all stopped for
breakfast before we went to retrieve our luggage and find our bus to South Lake Tahoe. We had just a
little while to wait for that as Nippy vanished into the slot machines at the airport. This would become a
reoccurring theme over the weekend, one of us turning around and saying “Where’s Nippy?” .
Those of you who know Nippy know that he is distinctive, doesn’t look like anyone else, but he had this
ability to just vanish in thin air as you were looking in his direction. Nippy has traveled the world on his
own and was used to just heading over to see something that interested him and we got used to him,
coming and going in the blink of an eye.
Nippy won back the money he threw in the slot machine at Reno and decided that was enough at the
moment.
We hopped on our Bus at 10am and were up in South Lake Tahoe before noon.
As we departed the bus and got walking directions to our hotel, we called Mike W. and Roz, to let them
know we arrived, safe and sound. They had driven up earlier that week and were already enjoying the
beautiful Tahoe area. They found a awesome restaurant on the docks and promptly met us at the
Holiday Inn and took us there for some local Fish and Chips and some local Micro Brew. We sat drinking
beer (or wine) and looked at the snow covered mountains for hours it seemed.
Mike and Roz got us back to our hotel in time so that we could grab out pedals and head out to find our
bikes that were going to be off loaded from a Semi Truck at 3:40pm.
We made it to the truck on time (after I had gotten us slightly off track for 10 minutes visiting another
hotel) and were excited to find our bikes waiting patiently for us to claim them. I was amazing how good
she felt. After putting in some Lake Tahoe air in to the tires so that bikes could get acclimated, we waited
for Nippy to put Ann Marie’s pedals on. She had a slight issue with one of them and it may have gotten
stripped but it was going to work for the weekend after we adjusted her cleats. Back to our hotel, happily
on our bikes.
The Holiday Inn Express up in Tahoe is quite nice and the staff there was wonderful. The Phoenix Team
was staying there also and our Arizona TNT contact person Meagan introduced herself. I found out after
the weekend that she was quite impressed with our little group as we took care of ourselves and went
our merry way. We didn’t know it was supposed to be any other way and when you have 6 A type
personalities, someone will have it all figured out and it was amazing but we shared that responsibility
very easily.
We were on our own that evening, though the streets were crowded with 2000+ TNT members from all
around the country.
Mike picked us up again that evening for dinner and beer (another recurring theme for us, food and
drink) and we went to a nice (though Loud) Irish pub for dinner.
Early to bed and early to rise and we were out the door at 8am the next morning to see the switch backs
that we were to climb the next morning as part of the 100 miles we had to do. The bikes all behaved well
and so did we, mostly. Nippy was off to find Squaw Valley, where the Olympics were held many moons
ago and we played going down the road with our Team cheer. We could not be like everyone else, so as
they were calling out to us “GO TEAM” we would yell back “TEAM GO”. How rebellious we were, we felt
like naughty children and giggled the whole 20+ miles.
Climbing that day showed us that roads in Tucson were perfect for getting us in shape and I believe
everyone felt comfortable about the coming 100 miles the next morning. For Ann Marie and Barb, every
day that we had trained in Tucson was the most miles they had done in a day. Now tomorrow was going
to be their biggest day and most exciting. It was very exciting for us all and we were going to have a
great day.
That evening was the Pre-Ride dinner and all the coaches and other support staff arrived early to line
the hall to cheer the Hero’s (our riders) for all the hard work they had already done and the hard work
they would do the next day. One of the support staff was in roller blades and a little purple tutu handing
out noise makers to us so that we could be as loud as possible when the hundreds of people that were
coming into our room for dinner that evening arrived on the red carpet.
We cheered for over 45 minutes as people made their way in and we then gorged on pasta and salad
and wine to make us strong for our ride in the morning.
There were introductions of staff and they gave us some figures, like this ride alone, this year alone, us,
2000+ riders alone, raised 8+ million dollars for the Leukemia/lymphoma fund. And then
A father came on, that would be riding his 1st 100 miles the next morning in dedication to his 6 year old
daughter. She had been diagnosed 18 months prior and he told us what endurance meant to him. Yes,
athletes had to learn endurance to train, to ride those hills and miles but his daughter had never trained
for the pain and suffering she endured going through the treatments but she endured everyday and
even when she could not walk on her own, she could always smile for her parents.
They were incredible and I am sure that each one of us there took that to heart and knew that tomorrow
could never be as hard for us, as it had been for her and her family.
We were to start at 6:20am the next morning and I think we all had breakfast in our rooms to get ready
for our day. It was beautiful and a little cool, which would be perfect for our ride. We started off strong,
calling out “On your left” for about the 1st 45 minutes as we calmly passed hundreds of riders while we
paced lined.
We got to our 1st big climb and decided to regroup at Inspiration Point as our stronger riders went off
and we causally climbed the switch backs. Barb charged ahead with the boys and Ann Marie and I
climbed steadily in the back.
Oh, Oh, I do not know how I almost forgot BUT most of the teams had some identifying item on their
helmets, letting other teams know where they were from. There were Chili Peppers from New Mexico,
Shark Fins from Florida, Sunflowers from Kansas and on and on. We had Nippy. He had wired on a 1
and ½ foot tall Saguaro Piñata to the top of his helmet and he was our leader. People laughed, called
out that they wanted candy, asked where he was from. We were surprised at how many people had no
clue that Saguaro’s are pretty much only in the Sonoran Desert, so Tucson area. He came know as Mr.
Alaska believe it or not. It was great. Yah Nippy!!. Even 30 miles an hour down hill did not stop Nippy
from holding his head high.
We skipped the 1st rest stop and stopped at the 2nd one (and the only one I would get to see that day)
and indulged on cooked red potatoes and other goodies. The potatoes were my favorite.
The boys had to visit the men’s room, so I sent Barb and Ann Marie off with the Piñata and told them we
would catch up shortly.
The boys and I headed out and had a nice little ride the next 5 miles, pacing with another group, leaving
them on the hill and then swooping over to catch the bike path that they were putting us on. So a
swooping left, then a swooping right and then they snuck a concrete pole right in the middle of the path
that we saw at the last moment and it was a bit too late for me to avoid and knocked me right off the
bike. The bike was fine though my thigh and knee took the whole impact. I attempted another 5 miles but
that was it for me and I sent the boys on ahead as I rode back to meet Roz who was coming out to get
me.
Now for the rest of the ride, I just have bits and pieces. I know that Nippy went missing at Squaw Valley
and they lost sight of him till the lunch stop which was about another 20 to 30 miles down the road. I
know that the girls were feeling awesome around the 50 mile mark and were thrilled to have the boys
ride up too.
They looked well in the pictures at lunch and then on the last climb now “Head Coach Barb” (as I was
out of commission, she came to the rescue) started barking out orders about form and pace and
position on the road and saved the day for the team.
I heard the Mike M. rode up ahead and then would stop to catch pictures of the team as they rode by
and so that his new “Mud Flap Girls” socks could be seen and admired by all.
I know that Ann Marie and Barb blew past the boys on the last down hill, shooting for the finish line. I
know personally the smiles on their faces as they crossed the line as I was there on crutches due to the
wonderful care of Roz.
They looked great and they did awesome and Roz handed everyone a cold beer and they were in
heaven.
Roz and I headed off to get some munchies for everyone as they rode back to the hotel to hit the pool
and we brought the libations and snacks back so they could relax pool side.
After an evening of celebration everyone followed Roz back to the casino for a lesson on how to play the
machines and even Barb came away with some extra funds.
The next day was a little let down for everyone I believe as both the Mike’s went off to the coaches clinic
(El Tour De Tucson, here they come) and the bikes were loaded up on the truck (thanks Nippy) and we
spent the day wandering around Lake Tahoe until it was time to catch the bus and head back to the
Reno airport.
It was a long evening traveling and we got back into Tucson around 2am.

Now, we are all going through withdrawals and meeting on our own for bike rides and planning the next
adventures.

Mike and Mike will coach the Fall Cycling season for TNT with Nippy as a mentor.

Barb will be working with Coach Rick on the Marathon team as a Coach.

Ann Marie will be looking to pick up her pace and training for El Tour and

I decided that I would start racing for a few months (once I can get the leg and knee to heal) and then
back to officiating for the fall and spring but helping with the TNT where ever and whenever I can.

Thank you so much for all you support and please enjoy the photos. We rode for all of you in our hearts
and we wanted to make all of you proud to be part of our ride.

Here is our photo album:
http://tucsontntcycle.shutterfly.com/action/

Support Staff
TNT Staff:
Louanne Clark, Campaign Coordinator, louanne.clark@lls.org, 990-3577
Cara Kightlinger, Assistant Coordinator, cara.kightlinger@lls.org, 360-9267

TNT Coaches:
Alicia R. Heiserer, Head Cycle Coach, aliciarides@yahoo.com, www.aliciarides.com/tnt.html
Barb Dolan, Assistant Cycle Coach, barbdolan@hotmail.com, (602) 206-0810

Event Honored Teammates
TNT participants train for endurance events and raise funds in honor of National Capital Area residents
whose lives have been affected by a blood cancer – our Event Honored Teammates. By getting to know
your Honored Teammates, you will begin to better understand what it is like to battle a blood cancer and
truly appreciate the importance of your fundraising and training efforts. Your Event Honored
Teammates become your inspiration as you work towards your goals that better both of your lives. You
will meet your Event Honored Teammates at team trainings, socials and other events throughout the
season.
Our Event Honored Teammates are our heroes!

About the Society
Education and awareness are key elements in the fight against blood cancers. Including the following
facts in your letters and fundraising projects will help to further educate your donors.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, based in White Plains, NY, is the nation’s fastest growing non-
profit, voluntary health organization. Supported entirely by public contributions, the Society has 63
chapters in the United States and additional branches in Canada. For additional information, contact the
Society at (800) 955-4572 or visit www.lls.org.

Mission: The Society’s mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s Disease and
myeloma and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

Research: Since its establishment in 1949, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has devoted more than
$424 million to research. Many life-saving approaches to curing cancer were pioneered as a direct result
of the Society’s research investments with blood-related cancer patients, including Gleevec, an orally
administered molecularly targeted treatment for all phases of CML.

Patient Services: The Society sponsors a growing array of services designed to educate the public
about blood-related cancers and support patients from diagnosis through treatment and recovery.
Important among these are First Connection, Family Support Groups, Back to School Programs, and
Patient Financial Aid. The Society’s financial assistance program provides up to $500 per patient per
year to help cover the costs of transportation, drugs and various treatments.

Professional Education: The Society’s team of medical professionals share the latest research and
treatment advances through teleconferences, medical symposia, educational events and printed
materials.

Advocacy: The Society’s advocacy program seeks to increase federal funding of biomedical research
and influence healthcare reform, including ready access to quality cancer care and insurance coverage
of patient-care costs in clinical trials.

Community Service: Chapters provide a two-way communications program with social service agencies
and treatment facilities, resource materials and support groups.

If you or anyone you know in the National Capital Area would benefit from the services of the Society,
please contact Sarah Singer, Patient Services Manager at 703-960-1100 ext. 231.

About Blood Cancers
Leukemia
•        A malignant disease of the bone marrow and blood.
•        The common types of leukemia are divided into four categories; myelogenous or
lymphocytic, which can be acute or chronic. Over 33,000 new cases will be diagnosed in the U.S. this
year.
•        Strikes 11 times more adults than children.
•        More than 23,000 Americans will die from leukemia this year.
•        Death rates for children have declined 57% over the past 20 years, yet leukemia remains a
leading disease killer of children under 15.
•        The five-year survival rate for children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is now 80%.
•        The five-year survival rate for all leukemia patients has more than tripled in the past forty years to
46%.
Lymphoma
•        Any cancer that originates in the lymphatic system.
•        Approximately 62,250 new cases of lymphoma will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year, a 73%
increase since 1970.
•        About 20,700 Americans will die from lymphoma this year.
•        Two main types: Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Hodgkin’s Disease
•        One of the most curable cancers.
•        Five-year survival rates have doubled from 40% in 1960 to 85% today.
•        The five-year survival rate for children is up to 96%.
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
•        The five-year survival rate for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is now 59%.
•        The five-year survival rate for children is now nearly 80%, a significant improvement from the
1970’s.
Myeloma
•        A cancer found in the plasma calls, a type of white blood cell found mainly in the bone marrow.
•        Approximately 15,200 new cases will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year.
•        About 11,070 Americans will die from myeloma this year.
•        African Americans have a much higher incidence rate (11.9/100,000) of myeloma than those of
European descent (5.3/100,000 for men; 4.2/100,000 for women)
•        The five-year survival rate for myeloma is 28%.

Final Thoughts For You Before the Season Starts…

•        DON’T get overwhelmed with the training & fundraising information! Your coaches and TNT staff
are here to help you through the steps from starting to finishing the event. Call or email the coaches or
staff if you have any questions or concerns.
•        DO tell your co-workers, friends and family about what you have signed up to do! It takes a lot of
courage to try something new like Team in Training. Spread the word about what you are doing to help
find a cure for blood cancers. Its not too late to recruit a friend to join the Cycling Team with you! (If you
do know someone that wants to join, a good option is the last Information Meeting that is held at 1:00
before the Kickoff Meeting on January 27).
•        DO start thinking about your fundraising strategy. Its never to early to start drafting your
fundraising letter or planning your first fundraiser!
•        DO get excited! You have signed up for something that makes a big difference in the lives of
people suffering from blood cancers, while also giving you life-long memories and experiences during
your cycling training and the Event Weekend. Be proud of yourself!
•        Finally…

“Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.” ~ John F. Kennedy
“For it is in giving that we receive.” ~ Saint Francis of Assisi
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." ~ Winston Churchill
"The first and most important step toward success is the feeling that we can succeed." ~
Nelson Boswell
“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up." ~ Mark Twain