I've recently agreed to accept an exciting challenge - to ride 120 miles circumnavigating Lake Okeechobee in two days on October 20th & 21st.  The purpose is to raise money for orphan children in... Learn More

I've recently agreed to accept an exciting challenge - to ride 120 miles circumnavigating Lake Okeechobee in two days on October 20th & 21st.  The purpose is to raise money for orphan children in third world countries thru the non-profit group, International Orphans.  You can find out more about this great organization by going to http://www.iorphan.cc.  Caring for orphans seems to have a very important place in the heart of God, and anything that's this important to Him is something of which I want to be a part. I need you to help sponsor me in this ride, I have a goal of raising $5000.  Anything you can give, no matter the size, will make a huge difference in the lives of these children.  I can assure you that every dollar you give will go to care for orphan children (with no administrative costs coming out of your contribution). Thanks for caring.  Thanks for giving! Donating is EASY-- 1)  Just click on the BIG ORANGE "Donate" button at the top right corner of your screen. 2)  Have your credit card ready. 3)  Follow the directions on your screen. See how EASY that was :) Thanks for your support! John     Hide

We are riding 120 miles on bicycles over 2 days (Oct. 20/21) around Lake Okeechobee to raise funds for the children of International Orphan Support. Click iorphan.cc for details. International Orphan Support... Learn More

We are riding 120 miles on bicycles over 2 days (Oct. 20/21) around Lake Okeechobee to raise funds for the children of International Orphan Support. Click iorphan.cc for details. International Orphan Support helps children in 3rd world countries. Many of them are orphaned, poor and without other support. A small donation on your part can bring big change to their lives. Every dime donated will go to the children - no admin fees with IOS! Donating is easy: just click on the big orange "Donate" button at top left. Have your card ready. If you are interested in riding in the 120 for Orphans, let me know via email: rick@crosscommunity.cc. Thanks for all your help! Rick Hide

HERE'S THE STORY: A 120-mile, two day bicycle ride taking place in two locations--the Twin Cities area of Minnesota and Lake Okeechobee in South Florida. The South Florida Ride is happening on October... Learn More

HERE'S THE STORY: A 120-mile, two day bicycle ride taking place in two locations--the Twin Cities area of Minnesota and Lake Okeechobee in South Florida. The South Florida Ride is happening on October 20-21. The purpose of the ride is to raise awareness and support for orphans.   Want to join the ride?   South Florida Ride: October 20-21: E-mail info@iorphan.cc for more information or just sign up below! You can form your own team or join Rick's team.  You can then direct your friends to the page to make donations. Riders will be responsible for their own food and accomdations. We'll provide you with a hotel recommendation (it won't be five star!) and a suggested supply list.   Minnesota Ride: E-mail info@iorphan.cc or check back soon for more details.   Want to donate to this event? Just click the donate button!   Visit iorphan.cc for more info. Hide

Here's the deal. I found out about this great charity and how they help starving kids in Guatemala. To raise awareness I am riding 120 miles over two days around lake Okeechobee. Every single penny goes to... Learn More

Here's the deal. I found out about this great charity and how they help starving kids in Guatemala. To raise awareness I am riding 120 miles over two days around lake Okeechobee. Every single penny goes to feeding the kids and the orphanage. You can learn more about it at iorphan.cc My goal is to raise $10 per mile of the ride. We hope to fund two projects with the money. The orphanage we support in Dufailly, Haiti is in desperate need of a well. The children do not have access to clean water and a well is a matter of life or death for them. In addition, we hope to fund the installation of security bars on group homes at Casa Shalom Orphanage in San Lucas, Guatemala. They also need bunk beds as theirs are falling apart. Hopefully the budget will be sufficient enough to boost their food allotment for next month – the kids aren't eating a well-balanced diet right now. Hide

Hi Friends! I appreciate your interest in and support for my 120 mile ride to benefit International Orphan Support! More info at iorphan.cc I'm training hard to bike 120 miles in 2 days around Lake... Learn More

Hi Friends! I appreciate your interest in and support for my 120 mile ride to benefit International Orphan Support! More info at iorphan.cc I'm training hard to bike 120 miles in 2 days around Lake Okeechobee! The ride is taking place in 2 locations - the Twin Cities area of Minnesota and South Florida. The goal is to raise awareness and funds for the children of International Orphan Support. Check out iorphan.cc for more information on the ride which is taking place October 20 & 21. UPDATES: 9/11/11 - I forgot to post a few rides and also did NADA while I was in NH but tonight I was back at it. 39 miles. :-) 8/26/11 - 38 miles in 2hrs and 40 mins! I took the c-18 to PGA, then West to the Beeline, North to Indiantown, East to Central to Greenway Dr. and back home. It was a great ride!!  Tomorrow I get the road bike tuned and smoother tires on the mtn bike. Yay! :-) 8/24/11 - 18 miles.  8/21/11 - 17 mile recovery ride. Kept it short and sweet after yesterday. :-) 8/20/11 - Wooohoooo. I was so pumped up after todays ride. Went all the way east to the ocean and up us 1 to Tequesta Dr. I looped around Island Way to Central and back home. It was 36 miles total. 45 next Sat.?? I think so!!!!  8/18/11 - 17 miles in an hour. It was soooooo nice to be outside again. The spin bike is boring... 8/16/11 & 8/17/11 - I've been stuck on the spin bike for the last 2 nights because I've been getting home to late to get in a decent ride before dark. Oh well. I got in 15 miles yesterday and 22 today. I'll probably take tomorrow and Friday off and do 40 on Sat...  8/14/11 - 28 miles in 1hr. 45 minutes. 4 Bridges i.e. Florida 'hills', a little rain and almost being hit by a crazy driver... Just another day on the bike! I'm really loving this. Maybe I found a permanent hobby I'll continue after the 120. :-)  8/10/11 - Ok, another interesting ride!!  Brandon says I'm no longer allowed to ride out of PBCE! lol. I was so happy to hear that he was finally going to ride with me and we rode about 9 miles together before it got FUN! After leaving from our house and heading out through Riverbend Park to Indiantown and East to Central at a leisurely 14mph (so he could keep up!!!!), I got a flat on my bike. It was about 7:15pm and we were about 8 miles from home. I left B there with my bike and raced home at an average speed of 23mph, grabbed the truck, and raced back to get him before dark. Hmmmmmmmmm, I think it's time to learn about fixing my bike on the fly......... 8/9/11 - Wow, what a perfect evening for a ride! I left at about 6:45pm and it was only 79 degrees with low humidity. I would have done a longer ride if I could have... Tonight was seriously the most enjoyable ride so far! 17.1 miles in 1hr 3 min at  just over 16mph average... The hills on Hood rd. killed my average pace! 8/7/11 - Almost didn't get a ride in this weekend but managed to accomplish 25 miles in 1hr and 18 minutes tonight. :-) 8/4/11 - Wheeew, 16 miles in just over an hour at 15.5mph on a mix of dirt and paved roads. I was cruising at times. Top speed was 35mph during a sprint but the dry dirt roads bogged me down, even on a mountain bike... On a side note, during todays ride I was thinking about the significance of this training and the ride itself. Several people have insinuated that perhaps I've taken on too much given everything else I have going on with work, school and LSAT prep. The fact is that I believe in the work of IOS more than I believe in becoming an attorney or getting all A's in my fall classes. I WILL ride 120 miles in October. It's a priority!  8/2/11 - My ride was cut short due to a menacing thunderstorm. Oh well. Average speed was up to 17.5mph. :-) 7/31/11 - I felt great after yesterdays ride so I decided to go a bit further today. Just after I left Brandon chased me down with his truck to give me a 'gift'; pepper spray. He's worried about me riding alone. Anyway, with my pepper spray in hand (ok, in pocket), I safely completed 14.39 miles in 56 minutes at an average speed of 15.19mph. Wooooohoooo! :-)  7/30/11 - Ok, today was day 2 of my training outside. It's hard to get off my spin bike and move outside my climate controlled living room! Anyway, despite the poor decision to eat chili an hour before this ride and the resulting heartburn half way into my ride I completed 12 miles in 46 minutes at an average speed of 15.3mph. :-)  Hide