Check presentation

Well, I am back in the office after conference and realized that we didn't put up the most important part of our ride.. The Check Presentation at the Give Kids the World.

Thanks to the help of so many volunteers, and to the help of John Kelly, We were able to ride our way to raise over $20,000.00 for GKTW!   It was an early morning, and we showed up in our jerseys (washed of course) and met some of the great people from the Owner's Association as well as the great team at Candlewood and Staybridge.

I have to say that when the kids started coming out of their villas to see what was going on with the big equipment and stage.. I was a little choked up.  Yes, this is what it all was for, the kids and families at the village.

 
I like this last photo the bet.. our rock star photo :)

The 500 Mile Man

As we all came to an end of our journey a couple of days ago and are all here in Orlando for the IHG Owners and Investors Conference, we all have had a couple of days to reflect and thinking about everything.  There is one person that I wanted to recognize and thank..

When Chris Bates (Area Manager in the West Region) and I sat down and talked about ways to raise money, I mentioned this knowing that Chris was have to drive and the knowledge to guide us along the way. He helped me pick my bike (since I did not have one), what items to buy prior and showed most of us during the ride how to change a tire and be as comfortable as possible.

And lets not forget, he completed 500 Miles!  From the moment he got there, he started, a beast in the seat, he pushed us all to want to be better on the bike, and never forgot the reason that we did this..  A true friend along with the rest of us will share this experience for a life time.

Thank you Chris for maintaining this blog, helping us throughout that entire journey...

Congrats buddy, you are the 500 mile man!

Day 7 the final day

It was a bittersweet start to the day on Monday October 22nd.  Kathy, Marvin, Manny and myself started off down the Trail for the last time on our our journey.  After 6 and 7 days of riding, we all were sore in places we won't mention here and in some cases, pedaling was painful.  We knew that the end of our ride was near and I think that each of us savored that last day in a different way.  Kathy and Manny, always saw the beauty along the trail, Eagles, turtles, incredible well springs and the beach of course.  Marvin, kept the crew together and despite a knee that was growing to double the size the other one, he pedaled on and on. I took this last day as an opportunity to really test myself a bit more... so all this meant that we were on different parts of the trail for the morning.  Our goal today was to reach at least 38 miles, which would allow each of us to reach our goal.

As we passed under the Largo sign for the last time, it was fitting that, that was our 38 mile of the day.. 400th mile in 7 days.  Just an amazing journey!

I know that I am proud of this week, but this wasn't really the ending.  The next day we would be presenting a check thanks to so many people that donated to this cause.  The ride was just to bring awareness to Give Kids the World and to raise some money to help build new villas for families.  

We reached $20,000 in donations!  We are very proud of that (by the way the donation site is still open:)

I know that each of us is also equally proud of our physical accomplishment during this week.  We had some mechanical issues along the way and physical barriers, but each of us completed our goals.  

We also know that.... this was special, not just a chance to ride for 7 days straight, for entire days, but that while we will do this again next year, it will never be like this.  Something that started as a crazy idea sitting around a table in Costa Rica, became reality.  We actually raised a boatload of money we got our bikes to Florida and we rode.

We have many people to thank,  but if it's ok.. I would like to thank my fellow riders today.

To Kathy, who made us laugh, was eternally positive and is such a loving and caring person.  Thank you for all the conversation along the ride.  Thank you for taking care of us along the way and helping me to stop and smell the roses now and then (well, beyond the smell of my own jersey:)

Manny,  Thanks for being my friend and for your perseverance, throughout the ride. You kept us grounded and reminded us of why we really are doing this.  Thank you!

   

Marvin, we rode together almost the entire time and you did it with a hurt knee.. you are truly the ironman of the ride.  None of this would have happened at all if we didn't keep pushing.  I am so happy that we didn't give up when things got tough along the way.

It's crazy that it happened and now.. I am sure it is going to be a traditional ride before conference.  We'll have more riders next year, but this year was amazing.  Thank you for pushing me along.

I'll post some photos of our Check Presentation soon, a very proud and joyous day. 

I loved this photo, taken by our friend Fanny in St. Pete. I think this was around mile 200... crazy.. everyone did over 400 miles in a week.. that's nuts!  What an amazing team!  Thanks gang. 

Day 6

It's Sunday!  Only the Second to the last day.

We all will agree that we have bittersweet emotions when it comes to this ride today.  It was our last day through Dunedin and the North Side of the Trail up to Tarpon Springs.

At the very end of the road, there is a little dock where the fish come in.  Yesterday, we saw the fishermen tossing mackerel into a bin.  Today we just said a fine fair well to this quaint little Greek Fishing village.  On back down the trail.  We all were feeling good and had a little more pep in our step as we rode back into town.  I think we know every bump and jolt on this trail.  No, I know that we do.  Each day we see some of the same people.  One person mentioned to Kathy that "there are so many of you on this trail"  no, we are just here a lot!  Tomorrow, we will hit some milestones... some big numbers in riding!  Everyone has done a fantastic job.  Really, none of us have ever ridden this much for so many days.

If you are going to be at the IHG conference, don't be shocked if you see us up early riding around.. I think our legs will be begging for a ride.

At the end of this Glorious day, we had dinner with our 1 man support team and fellow rider John Kelley.  John has been here helping us every step of the way from logistics on the trail, to setting up PR to getting the rooms.. and carting us around with his sweet bike carrier.  He was out there on the trail today, burning up the pavement at a pace that was a little too quick for us.. long riding specialists :)

Our dinner was right on the water and we had this sunset to end the day.

There is still time to donate :)  

GKTW donations

Thanks again to everyone supporting us.  Our ride tomorrow will start as the sun comes up so that we can meet our goals and achieve some incredible milestones.

Then off to Orlando to GKTW.

Day 5

Today was another Epic day. We rode and rode and rode.. let me tell you the day after 86 miles, it takes you a little while to get going.  The funny thing is.. from Kathy to Marvin, Manny and myself.. that moment when you feel warmed up and good to go, is about 20 miles!  Now, thinking back a few weeks when we were doing some 20 mile rides.. and now that's just a warm up!  We had a great day.. riding down to St. Pete... where there were some festival goers that we had to dodge... over 8 overpasses... or as Kathy says.. 16!!! we go back over them again!!  :)    We stopped at our new adopted town of Dunedin as they were having another.. guess what.. festival!  Yes.. there seems to be something going on down here all the time.

Our day was capped off by a very nice dinner with our Host for the week.  Mr. George Glover invited us to go to have some Italian food.  It was amazing!  George a past Chairman for the Owner's Association shared some great stories and we all had fun.  And... one more thing.. after 81 miles in the saddle.. nearly 400 miles down... when you eat that first bite of food.. it tastes amazing!  I mean... we must have said.. "this is the best... fill in the blank"  every time we ate!  It's become our little joke.

Here is a picture of George, if you see him at conference, thank him for helping us out.  His staff has been amazing here at this property in Largo.  From the Front Desk staff that actually knows if the meeting room is rented to the folks at breakfast and the housekeepers that leave notes of encouragement in our rooms.

What an amazing place.. and a fantastic Host.

Thank you Baystar hotels!

Thanks George!

Day 4- Epic Ride

Today we rode down to St. Pete.. all the way until we got to Tampa Bay.. at which point we hit 200 miles on our journey!

Manny was able to grab a very nice lady from the area... named Fanny who gave us a little history and took this fantastic photo for us!

Later in the day, we were so honored to see a post on the Give Kids the World Facebook page about our ride.  Some of the comments just made us tear up and realize so much why we are doing this.  And... we were inspired.. We rode up to Tarpon Springs, making sure that we got the Max possible mileage today!

Here is a link to their page  https://www.facebook.com/gktwvillage?ref=ts&fref=ts

We don't have too many photos today.. Why?  Well, we rode 86 miles.  We had some mechanical issues, changed out some cleats, got some adjustments are Ride and Roll, had some mechanical issues with brakes then a flat.  But it was all worth it.. we rode like the wind on the way home (mostly because it was getting dark!

Thanks so much for your support!  What an amazing experience and we are so happy to be the conduit for all of you and your support of Give Kids the World.

We are nearing the $17,000 mark, and we would like to hit $20,000 or more by Monday.  If you are so inclined and would like to help out... Here is the link again.

click here for the donation page

Thanks again!  Tomorrow morning, we hit 300 miles!  Wait let me bold this   300 Miles!

Day 3 Dolphins/Bluejays/beaches and a little ride

Thanks to Gabby from the Dunedin Holiday Inn Express set up some fantastic Media opportunities.

First, we made the News here in the Tampa Area...

Tampa Bay Online

The Dunedin Patch

The City of Dunedin Facebook Page

How fun is that?  So this morning we had a personal visit with Winter the famous dolphin from the movie and obviously true story  A Dolphins Tale!

We'll add some photos later... they should be great!  Pamela Landwirth the President of Give Kids the World joined us for this Photo shoot.  It was great fun.

After this we went back to the hotel, made a quick change and got on our bikes for what we thought was going to be a short day, with some rest.  John Kelley joined us and we rode over to Clearwater for lunch. We were then invited to go to the Bluejays Spring Training stadium for another photo op... so back on teh bikes and up the trail.

We were all feeling so good that we kept riding.. so what was supposed to be a rest day.. wound being a day of about 40 miles!

We will hit 200 miles early tomorrow morning!

Day Two of the ride

This morning we met up with John Kelley and local cool guy Bill, who took us on a ride out to Honeymoon Island... so nice out there.  Then we rode some more and met up with what seemed like the entire business community of Dunedin!  What an amazing scene.  Photos snapping left and right, newspaper folks, the mayor, etc, etc.  Very fun.

What nice people  A local Mexican Restaurant had some big Dias De Los Muertas heads for a photos... see below

The lunch was perfect, and we got out on the road again.  In total today we racked up another 61.5 miles.  It was a leisurely pace, and a beautiful overcast day.

Kathy is just joking in this last photo, she rode strong all day long!

Day one complete  78 Miles down!

Rick from Ride N Roll in Largo has been just Awesome.  He has checked out our bikes, even did a little bike fitting.  What an awesome bike shop to have down the street from the start of our ride!

http://www.ridenrollcyclery.com/

We start today!

Quick 40 miles with John Kelley!

I went out this morning with John Kelley, after putting my bike back together we took a nice little 20 miles out and back ride to the top of the Pinellas trail.  We stopped to get this photo of the cool Greek Fishing village, where they harvest Sponges!  Behind my bike is a sponge boat... how cool is that?  Sorry Spongebob!

Here is a Garmin Recap of the ride (it didn't kick in for a few miles, as I had to stop and adjust a sensor)

New handlebars and tape, then I took it apart and made a bike sandwich.    Ready for my flight to Florida Tomorrow!

6 Days and Counting!

Countdown is about 6 days to go prior to our Charity Bike Ride begins in Tampa to benefit Give Kids the World. It only seems like yesterday that Chris Bates and I were sitting down at dinner and thought up this idea, and man has the time flown by. We will continue to post updates and blogs throughout the week and all of next week while we ride.

I am extremely excited about the ride and the fact that we have raised some money for a great cause.

I look forward to posting more soon and thank you all for reading and supporting us.

One week to go!

A little over a week to go.. and we'll be on the ride!  I am so excited, I checked my Garmin and since April I have logged over 1800 miles in training, with about 60,000 feet in climbing and close to 90,000 calories burned (well I wish I was super skinny, but not yet)  Here is a photo from my Sunday morning ride.  I love going out to the river on my bike. There are a few other cyclists out there along the way, and a few wild horses too.  It's a beautiful place to ride.. with lots of hills.  I think it will be fun to ride flat roads for a week!

Tucson Training ride

This week I took my nice bike with me on my trip to Tucson.  What a beautiful night!  I only wish it didn't get dark.. I was able to get in 31 miles, but could have ridden many more.  I love this weather!

Getting ready for our big ride!  I found a nice 30 mile ride to train on a good pace.  It takes me to the edge of the desert.
Click here to donate!

Cycling to Conference for Give Kids the World

500 miles on a bike for Give Kids the World!

In This Issue Our Mission Special thanks! Give today! Article Title   Our Mission   The Hotel Performance Support team is teaming up with the Owner's Association and Priority Club to help build four new villas at the Give Kids the World Village. A team of 4 riders, Kathryn Bannasch Chris Bates Marvin Boyd Manuel Mendoza Are going to be riding 500 miles prior to the IHG Conference.    The goal is to help raise funds to add to the goal for the Owner's Association new villas. Please help us to achieve that goal, by donating today!  Special Thanks! During our stay in Florida the Staff of the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites in Largo, Florida will be our hosts.  A huge shout out and Thank You to George Glover and his team for taking care of us during our ride!.  Give today! This year the IHG conference is in Orlando, right down the street from the Give Kids the World Village.  If you have never had the opportunity to visit this amazing place, you should take some time during your trip to stop in.  For those of us that have been blessed to take some time and visit, you know how special a place it is.  A few of us got together this year and came up with a plan to cycle to conference and raise money to help.  Anything you can give, is going to make a difference.   We are all so lucky to work for such a great company, if you have a little to give back, just realize that you will be making a huge difference in the lives of families at one of the most amazing places on this planet.    Thank you for your help! Who is Give Kids the World?   Give Kids The World has made a promise to never turn a child away. For 70 percent of the year however, the Village runs above 100 percent occupancy, meaning some families must lodge off property during their Wish Trip. For this reason, Give Kids The World Village is in the midst of the largest expansion project in its history. Demand for Central Florida wishes is forecast to increase about six percent each year through 2015. To accommodate this growth the Village will need to expand to approximately 240 villas. Every person you tell about this mission, will help bring GKTW one step closer to achieving this goal. Donating through this site is simple, fast, and totally secure. Your contribution to "My Personal Fundraiser" for Give Kids The World will make a difference in the lives of these special children. Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to share this opportunity with anyone who you think might want to donate to the Village as well.