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Team TaniaNo hill so steep, no wind so cruel, as a mind set against itself. August 22 The 2007 Ride Campaign Kicks Off!Well, the 2007 Team Tania family campaign is off and running! A little later than usual this year, but Tania sent out quite a few letters via US mail. Some of you may have already received one of your own. Please take a minute to read it and consider your donation this year. For my part, I will be focusing on sending family and friends an email. The MS Society makes it easy to donate safely online. Like a late night TV commercial - it's quick and easy! If you would like to take advantage of the online method, please click on the "Sponsor Me" link to the right of the screen. Tania and I both have a goal of $1,000 this year. It's a daunting figure, but we hope to reach it with your help.
We do hope that you will take a minute to sponsor us again this year. We do count on your help every year at this time so that others can benefit from the research, education, and support from the National MS Society. Remember, your dollars go directly to the Delaware and Lehigh Valley areas for support.
Also, take a moment if you can and drop us an email. Let us know what you think of this site and if you think it's helpful. We thought it would be another great way to keep in touch in addition to your calls, letters, and emails.
Take care!
Patrick September 29 Team Photo!Here it is! Our official Team Tania group photo. As soon as I can get a larger size, I'll post it. Click on the photo for a larger view.
September 26 Thank you!To all of our Team Tania Friends and Family: Tania and I would like to thank each and everyone of you for your part in Team Tania and in the 2006 Tour. Deepest thanks goes to Stacey; without her Team Tania would not be where it is today. Her countless hours of work, planning, and recruiting have not gone unnoticed. An excellent leader and our head cheerleader! Many, many thanks go to you Team Tania rider! As wonderful as Stacey is, you are all special in our eyes! I'm sure you have lots of stories to share from the ride. With 248 riders, I'm sure there's a good handful! If you don't mind, I'd like to share a quick one with you. During the weekend, Tania and I met two other couples on tandems. What a treat to finally be able to draft not just one, but *two* tandems! (Now I know why we find so many riders sneaking up on us!) Dave & Darcy and Bud & Renee were great riders, and we hope they join Team Tania next year. I'm sure you all know the benefits of drafting behind another rider. The pros do it - and yes, even in NASCAR. The biggest reason: you can save up to 40% less energy while drafting in a group. Believe me, I quickly noticed it when we were riding at a good clip and found that at times we just coasted. We were actually being sucked in behind them. We would switch off, each taking a turn at the front. It was easy; after our turn we pulled to the left and slowly let the other two pass. When it was safe, we pulled back in behind them. We did this for miles, each taking our turn in the circular pattern. Then came the pine barrens on Sunday. That road has always been a mental chasm for me. I was simply not strong enough to keep up and found myself struggling to beat that road. The gentle, but ever present uphill slope was bearable. But because I couldn't take advantage of anyone's draft, the headwinds were my downfall. I found myself struggling to the next rest stop where we found our new tandem friends. Poor Tania! She couldn't even pass me to say, "See you at the next stop." She was stuck there behind me as I blew up. By the way, if you ever want to see how good your relationship is; ride a tandem. Tania was the perfect partner. She was encouraging and kind. And of course, quick to remind me if I was doing something that I shouldn't. Why do I mention this? Because I think it's a good analogy of working together as a team. Sure, we could have done the ride on our own. But, by working together, we each take some of the burden making the entire effort easier. When one gets tired, another steps up and helps. That's *you*, Team Tania! We all contribute to the cause of helping those with MS. Those that need someone to draft behind. Some for a short time; some a bit longer. All the while, our strength becomes their strength. You may have seen them at the finish line. Cheering you as you completed the day. I'll bet you were exhausted and tired. But guess what, those fans of yours were brought there by you. Yep, they drafted behind your wheel all the way. Because you care, they know they can make it. Tania and I offer our deepest thanks to you, Team Tania. We're also you're biggest fans. Sincerely, Tania and Patrick Kincaid September 18 We did it!We did it!
Despite early morning rain, by the time we reached the lunch stop it started to clear up. Then, by the time we got to the finish line it was absolutely beatiful!
We met many, many wonderful people on the team. Thank you *all* for riding with us this year!
And we also met quite a few new prospects!
Thanks to Cycledrome for maintaining our borrowed tandem. It ran like a charm! If you're ever in the Lehigh Valley area, be sure to check them out. They're within a stone's throw of the Lehigh Valley Velodrome.
We also met up with two couples on tandems: Dave & Darcy and Bud & Renee. Many thanks for allowing us to join up with you. Now I know what it's like to draft another tandem! I think this was our fastest year -- no doubt with the help of our new friends.
I'm sure Stacey will be updating the official Team Tania website with all the news. As soon as I have pictures from our camera, I'll post them here and send copies to Stacey.
Tania's dad, Steve, was a great help in helping me get the tandem ready. I think this year was done in record time.
Of course, we stayed at The Anchor Inn where Carol and Bob Caponiti were wonderful hosts. Rumor has it that the entire inn was populated with Team Tania riders! If you're ever planning on spending a night in Ocean City, NJ, please consider The Anchor Inn. Tell Carol and Bob that we referred you.
There was some sad news: One of our riders went down hard. I heard that he had several broken ribs and a collapsed lung. Not sure of his name, but we're hoping for a quick recovery.
On another note: Reddy inadvertantly did the Century Loop *twice*! Talk about hard-core! Despite doing 125+ miles on Saturday, he was raring to go Sunday morning.
This year's start was awesome! Many thanks to Stacey for her seemingly unending energy. She rounded up a 20' x 20' team tent which was great for the wet morning. We were also honored to have an official photo time and a team start time before all of the other 6,000+ riders.
Too many stories to think about -- I'll have to keep updating as I think of them.
In the meantime, please check out the links on the left to sponsor us if you haven't already. We're still fund-raising!
Later!
September 13 It's almost time!It's almost time!
It's Wednesday and Tania's parents have arrived from Florida. So nice to have them back for awhile. All of the jerseys that Stacey gave me are delivered except for four - and they do look nice! See samples below... Rich at Hammerhead Brand Designs did a great job on the design (again) this year.
I picked up the tandem from our friends the Tkaczuks and had the guys at Cycledrome go over it. They did are *real* nice job dialing in the shifting including installing new cables. They ride should be real sweet.
So far, the weather looks picture perfect! Sunny with clouds, low 80's, light winds -- can't wait!
And -- since we're one of the top three teams we get a little special treat. Special parking with luggage handling; a specific photo time, and our own start time. The top three teams get to leave PATCO first (in order) and then everyone else.
Once again, Stacey did a stellar job as Captain of Team Tania. She completely outdoes herself each year. Way to go, Stacey! Among the millions of things she does to assemble, maintain, recruit, and otherwise cajole for the team, this year she managed to round up a huge tent at the start line for us -- 20' x 20'. We should be able to have our own private party inside! Also, she put together this year's banner which features our team sponsors. Our friend Cynthia owner of CP Signs in Emmaus donated the banner this year! If you ever need signage, please contact Cynthia and tell her Patrick sent you!
Special thanks to all of those that have sponsored us online and via personal check. We're well on our way to meeting our goals.
Later!
Patrick
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