Adventure Central

It's Not About the Bike

The Band of Brothers finished Ride the Rockies Sunday about 3:30 pm MDT in Breckenridge--screaming down from 11,500 ft. Hoosier Pass together and in style. What an experience, almost hard to put into words at this point--I am still processing all that we saw, did and felt on the Ride.

You may remember that Lance Armstrong wrote a book not too long ago called "It's Not About the Bike", his story of beating cancer, cycling and life. So, what I do know at this point is that Lance got it right. I have seen the profound impact that hope, friendship and a relentless commitment to pursuing a goal have on a two-time cancer survivor and his close friends. Not to mention another 2500 riders including 10 year-old kids, 75 year-old men and women, paraplegics, quadraplegics, recovering alchoholics and even guys wearing tennis shoes riding old mountain bikes--they and their stories were all part of the Ride.

On the surface, riding 430 miles in 6 days at altitudes up to 12,000 feet seems pretty crazy. Sure thought so when I first heard about it. But, my judgment is that the ride is that unique opportunity for folks to challenge conventional wisdom and/or their own fears and in finishing, declare victory over the voices they've likely heard for too long, telling them they are not good enough. This is about people reaching down deep and touching their souls, perhaps for the first time. Indeed, when we all finished the Ride the elation and triumph written on so many faces told a completely different story. The Ride is about conquering life's obstacles and winning--it's not about the bike.

For me and especially in the context of what we do at Adventure Central, the Ride was a great and transformational adventure. Like we are fond of saying, I've come back just a little bit different, likely changed in subtle but important ways that will reveal themselves over time. The experience supports my passion more than ever for Connecting the World to Great Adventures because I have seen the magic it works in people's lives. I am certain many of you have had similar experiences as well. How cool is it that Adventure Central's charter is to make that happen, and just maybe move the the needle a little on world happiness?

And to my Brothers, dudes, I salute your courage, fortitude, commitment and spirit. Riding with you was truly inspiring and a remarkable gift. Let's keep peddlin'.

Dick Schulte

Sunday is the Day

The Ride starts Sunday, June 15th, and the Band of Brothers is ready. We've logged thousands of training miles at this point, in California, Florida, Colorado and even Tuscany. We've ridden in the rain, sun, wind and sleet. Yeah, we really liked sleet. We rode at sea level and over 10,000 feet. We've dodged cars, motorcycles, trucks, cops and kids on bikes. We've learned how to do all sorts of things on a bike--eat, drink, converse, spit (this one was pretty easy) and think. So we can now think and ride at the same time, which may sound sort of goofy, but when you're in the saddle for 3 to 4 hours at a time, you think about a lot of stuff.

Like what? Well, ordinary stuff like what's for dinner tonight, do the Cubs REALLY have a shot this year, when will Paris Hilton just simply dissapear off of the planet and lately, when will a gallon of gas eclipse the cost of a decent haircut? And also, how damn lucky the Brothers are to be able to do this ride together and celebrate life, friendship and hope. The hope that lives within all of us that tomorrow really can be a better day if we can beat cancer, treat the planet a bit more gently and for godsake, not take too much of anything too seriously.

For me, preparing for the Ride has brought me closer to the Brothers and to already see the humility and humanity in seven ordinary guys attempting to do something way outside the comfort zone. I am so proud of these guys--I salute the Bro's and look forward to experiencing a great adventure with you soon.

Dick Schulte

Mountains and Molehills

We're getting closer. The Ride the Rockies tour begins in 5 weeks, June 14th from Durango, CO. The Brothers continue to build their training base and confidence. It's a good thing because the tour organizers put up the average climb elevations per leg recently on the RTR website for the tour. It looks like the average total climb per day is about 4,000 feet and the elevation on the tour never falls below 6,000 ft. But I know the Brothers are not deterred by the climbs, even though the Ride is a new experience for most of us. We are undaunted, preparing with focus and discilpine--and sore butts!

Mark put in a lot of miles recently in Italy, Scott's been training in and around his home in Avon, CO, Steve and I have been riding in Denver. Yesterday I logged my first 50-miler! And of course, the Elite Left Coast arm of the Band of Brothers continues to rack up the miles in the hills around the Bay Area.

Indeed, regradless of what's happening around us in daily life, the Ride pulls us forward to a joyous, spirited and challenging reunion and celebration of life. Confucius said, "Men do not stumble over moutains, but over molehills". The mountains await.

Dick Schulte

Left Coast Animals

We are humbled. The Elite Left Coast training arm of the Band of Brothers is kicking butt in terms of road training. They have been busy, putting in upwards of 200 miles per week already, especially in the scenic hills of Marin County. I might have driven 200 miles last week in my car but sure didn't ride 200 miles. Ah, that's about to change. Mark, one of the four Brothers based in Colorado, is currently in Italy, racking up the kilometres and we're pretty sure shovelling in the pasta and swilling serious amounts of Chianti. We feel so sorry for him. Scott, Steve and myself are hanging in there, in spite of a cooler than usual Colorado spring, and cranking up our training, too.

But these Left Coast dudes deserve some special recognition, so I've included a group picture of these strapping, determined and rather unusual looking fellas. Notice their colorful clothing, winning smiles and tight pants. Ok, so forget about the tight pants but otherwise, one tough looking group of riders, right? They are, left to right, Clark, Steve G. and Terry. Go Bros!

Dick Schulte

Safe Harbors?

Mark Twain was a bit of wanderer, but with a purpose. He explored the far reaches of the world and brought his own unique perspective and opinions to his American audience.

After one journey, he wrote " Twenty years from now you will be more disapointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So, throw of the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

The Brothers are training fiercely, workin' hard to be ready for the Big Ride. And for most of us, that means stepping out of our comfort zones, our safe harbors. I have to say, it feels good, it feels right. The fear of the unknown only creeps in on the steep hills, when we're wondering how we're gonna do a a hill at 12k feet in the middle of a 70-mile day. Not sure how we'll do it--like all explorers, we'll find out when we get there.

Dick Schulte

The Brothers Are Workin'

Two traning updates from the Band of Brothers (BOB).

First, the Elite Left Coast training arm of the BOB (Steve G., Terry and Clark) are hard at work and are doing brisk 30 mile rides on the weekends in the rolling hills in the S.F. Bay Area. We also think they are sneaking in week-day rides when they ought to be, well, working. These lads are serious, not even stopping for beers, on their rides. We admire them, but think they might be missing something.

Mark, who lives in Crested Butte and came up with this RTR group ride in the first place, is an avid cyclist and outdoor activity enthusiast. But clearly, living above 9,000 ft. is impacting his common sense. They have just a little bit of snow up there right now, so Mark has got some other stuff going on to stay fit. Like a 20-mile cross country ski race lots of backcountry skiing and communing, soon headed to Canada for a week of climbing AND skiing 50,000 vertical feet (that's up and down, folks, for 7-8 hours per day) and then in April he puts the short pants back on to cycle in Italy for a total of about 1000 km. Mama mia--did I say enthusiast? How about pazzo ragazzo ("crazy guy" in Italian)?

The other guys are workin', too. More to follow on the grueling training regimens of Scott, Steve K. and me. Really.

Later.

Why We Climb

"You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again.  So why bother in the first place?  Just this: what is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above.  One climbs, one sees.  One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen."

     --Rene Daumal, French Mountaineer

I ran across this quote and thought it was interesting for two reasons: one, I have always wondered why mountain climbers climb, at times risking everything to summit an Everest, a K2 or a Rainier.  These words were illuminating in that regard to me, made sense in the context of exploring the physical and mental boundaries in life.  But on reading again, I realized the Frenchman's words may reflect some personal metaphors for each member of the Band of Brothers in our collective quest to Ride the Rockies.  As a group we've chosen to ride to celebrate friendship, Steve's successful battle with cancer and to also raise a little money to fund cancer research.  But truly, why bother, why risk failure or injury, why not just stay home?

Indeed, why do we climb?

The answer is likely a personal one for each RTR rider and for that matter, all of us.  The point is that those who don't want to "just stay home" are 21st century explorers, willing to test the boundaries of the world we know so that we can see.  And perhaps when we can see, we will know.  And knowing makes us better equipped to continue exploring, because that is what we do, what the journey is all about.

Dick Schulte, CEO

Band of Brothers

A year ago a very good friend of mine was diagnosed, for the second time in his life, with cancer. 10 years had passed since Steve's last successful bout with Lymphoma, and this time the return of the same cancer unexpected.  And it was more advanced when discovered.  Very aggressive stem-cell replacement treatment was prescribed for Steve and at the time, it was unclear if the treatment would work and thus, just how long he might have to live. What was clear is this--Steve was in for a tough fight.

Steve and I are part of a close-knit group of friends who went to Colorado College together, all tightly bonded by the intense transformational aspects of the college experience, especially as part of the same college fraternity. While this group of friends does not all live in the same area, we remain in contact and very supportive of each other. So, it was fitting and quite natural for us, this Band of Brothers, to rally around Steve during his treatment and recovery. One of our group, Mark, is an avid cyclist and came up with an idea to inspire Steve through his treatment phase, to give him something tangible to focus on during recovery and literally, a reason to fight cancer for the second time and go on living. The idea for all of us, Steve included, was to participate in the Ride the Rockies cycling adventure held every summer in the Colorado mountains. Ride the Rockies is not a race, but it is a 435-mile long stage event held over a 6 day period. Each stage averages about 70 miles per dat at altitudes of over 12,000 feet at times--2,000 riders moving from town to town in Colorado's high country. It requires preparation, commitment and at least a little bit of courage. We thought it a fitting way to celebrate Steve's ability to overcome tough odds, to celebrate friendship and indeed, to celebrate life itself.

We petitioned the RTR organizing committee to accept us as a group of 8 riders and 4 weeks ago learned we had been accepted. The Band of Brothers, as we are now officially known, will be riding RTR from June 15th to the 21st 2008 from Durango, Colorado to Breckenridge. Most of us are not avid cyclists, some of us are fit, some are not...yet. But, we are committed, as always, to each other and now to training for the ride. Steve's cancer is gone and he's got a new bike. His battle against this repugnant disease has been nothing short of magnificent and the stem cell replacement treatment seems to have worked well. But we know that he's still at risk, and at the end of the day, aren't we all? So, we choose to ride.

I will use this blog to update our training progress weekly and report on the event itself in June.  We will also be raising money for cancer research and I'll include that information in the future for folks who might want to support the Band of Brothers as we Ride the Rockies.  We'd sure appreciate it and cancer victims will appreciate it even more.  As the leader of Adventure Central, I find it exhilarating and yet humbling to be part of this particular adventure in AC's home state of Colorado with great friends in the celebration of life.  And maybe, just maybe, we'll inspire you to "get out there", too.

Dick Schulte, CEO