27 miles for the Texas Mamma Jamma Ride

Here are some 'stats' from the first-ever Texas Mamma Jamma Ride:

1 handcyclist, accompanied by 1 amazingly supportive husband spent 3.5 hours riding 27 miles, carrying 51 names of women to honor, up countless hills, in chilly weather with a high of 57 degrees, along with 478 other riders and over 200 volunteers, to raise $2,910 (so far!) - toward our $3000 goal - as part of $517,000 (so far!) raised overall to support 10 nonprofit charities! (By the way, the amount of your donations that went to ride advertising, printed materials, rider t-shirts, etc. - $0. The ride had great sponsors--so your contributions went directly to the charities to provide needed services.)

It was a chilly day, but it was a well organized ride. The riders & volunteers were enthusiastic and supportive. We rode through a lovely area and enjoyed seeing the flowers and the farm animals (who seemed quite curious about this mass migration of critters on wheels! Many of the animals came toward the fences so Mark could snap a picture--either they were mugging for the camera or they were trying to give me a warning about what happens to those who lag too far behind the pack!)

The volunteers were terrific yesterday--even though we were the last of the 27 milers, they kept the 2 rest stops open until we came through. Wasn't that nice!?! We gave a moment's consideration to taking the shorter 13 mile route, but were committed to doing the full 27. A few miles after we passed the 13 mile turn-off, we saw the sign in honor of Mom--would have missed that if we'd taken the shorter distance!

We're definitely doing the ride next year (in fact, I'm already registered.) Next year, we're going to try something new in our fundraising--look for a post about that soon to give you a heads up.

And THANK YOU again to all of those who supported us financially and emotionally and to everyone who shared a name of someone to honor or celebrate! Every hill, every mile, every shiver of this ride was worth it!

Click on the 'Mamma Jamma Ride Oct 2009' slideshow for more pictures! (scroll down to the 'Mitchell Pictures' section of the toolbar on the right side of the blog page).

Almost There!

Thanks to the generosity of many friends & family, we're only $90 away from our $3000 goal for the Texas Mamma Jamma Ride. Thanks to everyone who contributed!

We will be carrying the names of 51 women--dear to us or dear to someone close to us. To everyone who submitted a name, thank you for allowing us to honor and celebrate these individuals in this way.

Tomorrow should be clear and we expect a pretty cold start to the ride! We also expect a hilly route! But, it is all for a good cause and we're sure it will be a lot of fun too. (Of course, I'm sure I'll think of my brother Troy saying that I should have put a motor on the handcycle!)

$2,600 so far for Texas Mamma Jamma Ride

So far we've raised $2,600 for the Texas Mamma Jamma Ride! Thanks to everyone who has contributed!!!! The 10 non profits all do important work to support individuals with breast cancer & their families--and to provide assistance for the uninsured & underinsured who need screenings or treatment.

We've gathered the names of 48 women to honor and celebrate during the ride. There are way TOO many names of individuals who have had or have breast cancer (& all cancers)--but there will be room on the flag (or flags, if necessary) for every name we're requested to add. The list is a reminder that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime (some men will have this disease too), but it is much more than that. It is a reminder that we will remember & uphold the memories of those now deceased, encourage and rejoice with those who are surviving, and offer hope & support to those who will be diagnosed in the future.

I do not define myself or anyone else by an experience with breast cancer--Mark and I know that every name on the flag represents a life lived or being lived and we are honoring the lives of these individuals. We thank all of you who are helping us do this by submitting names for the flag. If there is anyone you want included, there's still time--just let me know first name & last initial by Friday around 5pm.

There's also still time to donate (in fact, we can take donations through the first week of November) so feel free to donate online at the link below or to send a check to me and I'll submit it for you. If you want your donation made in honor of someone, just let me know the individual's name and to whom (name & address) you'd like an acknowledgment sent and I'll take care of it. DONATE HERE

Thanks for your support! We'll be riding 25 miles (I hear it is really 27 now) on Saturday for this important cause!