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2008 Ride
for the Roses
Please click the Donate button below to sponsor me for the Lance Armstrong Foundation's Ride for the Roses. On October 26, I will ride my bike 90 miles in Austin, Texas, to raise funds and awareness for the fight against cancer.
Will you sponsor my ride? Whether you can give $10, $100, or $1,000, I sincerely appreciate your support!
Please give generously to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The LAF believes that in the battle with cancer, unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything. Its mission includes public health, advocacy, and research programs.
With the tremendous support of family and friends, I passed my $20,000 fundraising goal and earned the polka dot jersey! My 2007 total is $20,775; my five-year total from 2003 to 2007 is $49,057. While significant progress has clearly been made in the fight against cancer, there is so much more to do to improve prevention, screening, access to care, treatment, and quality of life for survivors, and these funds will go directly to that cause.
On Friday, October 12, after rising at 4:00 a.m. to begin the journey, I arrived in Austin just after noon, checked into the hotel, registered for the weekend, and left my bike to be assembled. I brought an 8"x10" photo of my private ride with Lance Armstrong from last year to be autographed. That evening, we enjoyed a Texas BBQ dinner for about 125 of the top fundraisers, from among this year's 12,000 participants and volunteers.
The three LIVESTRONG Challenge events in Philadelphia, Portland, and Austin raised over $8 million. The three Cyclists Combating Cancer (CCC) teams, for which I served as captain in Philadelphia, collectively raised over $423,000, and we were honored with the Ride for the Roses Team Champion Award for a second year in a row. I was proud to have received the Messenger award for the most individual donors (now 235) in Philadelphia, but my record was blown away by our Portland team captain, Jerry Kelly, who with his wife Angie participated in all three events and had over 2,000 sponsors. They're incredible!
Saturday morning, LAF chairman and founder Lance Armstrong, LAF President Doug Ulman, and tennis pro Andy Roddick ran along with us at the 5K that started and ended at the Austin Capitol. This was my first organized run, and although I wasn't able to make it the full 3.1 miles without walking a couple stretches, I still finished in about 28 minutes -- slow by most standards, but an achievement by mine. I ran in honor of my father and friends Danny and Michael, who continue to fight Danny's advanced cancer. That afternoon, I checked out the booths at the LIVESTRONG Village, and 9 of our 45 CCC teammates enjoyed a short, easy bike ride around Austin neighborhoods. Saturday evening was the Fundraising Appreciation Dinner at the Convention Center, where I met my friend Fed Bernal, a cancer researcher with Dana-Farber in Boston, fellow testicular cancer survivor, and Challenge participant who had formed a 12-member family team to honor his grandmother's battle with cancer. We all "carbed up" with pasta for the next day's long ride.
My Sunday morning began at 5:00 a.m., and I was reunited by bus with my bike at the high school in Dripping Springs to complete the 60-mile course. These things are never exact; my actual mileage was about 63 miles, just over a full metric century (100 km). The scenery was beautiful, and the weather was ideal. My only trouble was a little water in the road early on. Despite the warning, which I heeded, to proceed slowly and carefully, my wheels skidded and I ended up with a few scrapes and bruises. A teammate who reached the spot after me slipped and fell while walking her bike through the water! As promised, I carried in my jersey pocket a list of all my sponsors and those you honored with your donations, so you were each with me on the ride. I rode and crossed the finish line with CCC teammates Kathy Carrico and Julie Rolfe. At the post-event party, I was finally able to hear the band Wideawake offer a live performance of "Maybe Tonight, Maybe Tomorrow," the LIVESTRONG anthem available through iTunes, with all proceeds benefiting the LAF. It's the most-played song on my iPod. This was a special treat, since I missed them twice last year, when I was still on the road in Philadelphia completing the 100-mile route and when their Ride for the Roses performance was rained out. Sunday ended with the traditional CCC meal at P.F. Chang's in downtown Austin, and Monday morning, I traveled back home.
This is just a quick synopsis of the weekend's events. I have so many more memories of meeting with friends old and new, some of the most amazing people on the planet.
I spent August 24-26, 2007, at the LIVESTRONG Challenge Philadelphia, an incredibly inspiring and empowering event. The $2.4 million raised through this event goes directly to the fight against cancer.
I packed up my bike Thursday night and headed to the Manchester airport Friday morning. Bob, a Cyclists Combating Cancer (CCC) team member who lives in Philadelphia, provided airport to hotel chauffeur service and loaned me his spare car for the weekend. I owe him big! I reassembled my bike in minutes — I've finally got the whole process down pat. Several CCCers assembled in the lobby of the Doubletree to chat, and then we had dinner at Houlahan's.
Saturday morning, despite high heat and humidity, thirteen of us took a 25-mile group ride as a preview of Sunday's main event. I went through two bottles of water. After that, we all registered at the LIVESTRONG Village, set up at the Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. I worked a "Meet Your Mentor" shift from noon to 2:00 p.m., and several people I had advised by e-mail on fundraising and training stopped by to say hello. It was great to meet more of the other Challenge mentors and Lance Armstrong Foundation staff. I had time to take a much-needed shower and change clothes before heading into Philadelphia for the Awards Dinner in a banquet hall at 30th Street Station. That location couldn't have been any more convenient for my two guests for the evening, who took the train from New York City directly to the event.
I got word last Thursday that I had won the Messenger Award for the most individual donations! With three other award winners, I was on stage with Lance Armstrong and LAF president Doug Ulman and got to say a few words. My friend and teammate, Holly, who did the graphic design work for our new team jersey, posted a video clip of my speech on YouTube:
On Sunday morning, I was up at 5:30 a.m. to check out of the hotel, pack up Bob's car, and drive back to the college for the ride. We started out at about 7:45 a.m. I made a difficult decision at mile 35 to complete the 70-mile course instead of the 100 due to the steep hills and the weather, which was still hot and humid, though better than on Saturday. I have to say that those 70 miles were plenty challenging!
I crossed the finish line at about 1:50 p.m., not quite in time to make the afternoon awards ceremony, at which our CCC team jersey was announced as the contest winner! A final team dinner at Bertucci's for those who hadn't already left town, and then Bob took me back to the airport, and I was home by midnight, both exhausted and completely fired up.
My sights are now set on the Ride for the Roses on October 14 in Austin, Texas. I've reached the "green jersey" fundraising goal and will keep aiming for my $20,000 "polka dot jersey" goal between now and the fundraising deadline of October 5.
Sponsorship donations can still be made at this link.
As the back of our jersey says, quoting CCC member Angie, I intend to keep this up "until there's no more cancer." Thank you so much for your support.
Live strong,
Scott
I got the news on March 16 that I was accepted as a cancer survivorship delegate representing New Hampshire on Capitol Hill for a second year! From May 14-16, the Lance Armstrong Foundation led a group of 200 advocates to raise awareness about the numerous unaddressed issues faced by people living with cancer and to demand that legislators invest in resources, treatment, and services for everyone battling cancer.
To complement Washington, D.C., activities, over 230 events were held in communities across the country to raise awareness and show support for cancer survivors and their loved ones. I helped organize one of them, at the Coffee Beanery Café in Greenland, NH!
Judy and I had a wonderful weekend in Austin, Texas, from October 13-16, where we cycled together in the Ride for the Roses. Top fundraiser Charles Mulea generously gave me his spot in the private ride with Lance Armstrong, and I'm still smiling. Jake Gyllenhaal, who has been up for the role of Lance in a feature film that's in the works, was also there for the weekend. I told him that I recognized him from the photos in my daughter's room, and Alison was thrilled that we brought home his personalized autograph for her.
We met up with old friends from Cyclists Combating Cancer and new friends who share a passion for the cause. Our five CCC teams collectively raised over half a million dollars and received the Team Challenge award.
Despite dire warnings of heavy rain, which caused the 100-mile route to be canceled due to worries about flooding, all other rides went on as planned. The on-and-off light rain kept us cool. I was very proud of Judy for finishing 47 miles on a loaned mountain bike, doubling her longest previous distance. I'll always remember our crossing the finish line together!
The LIVESTRONG Challenge Philadelphia was one of the best weekends of my life! On New Year’s Eve, when registration first opened, I signed up to ride in this event with Cyclists Combating Cancer, an amazing group of survivors and supporters. As the first to register, I had the honor of accepting “team captain” duty and organized our activities for the weekend, with the help of a Philadelphia local team member.
With the support of many friends and family members, I reached my $15,000 fundraising goal, and I rode my bicycle 100 miles on Sunday, September 10!
On Friday night, my flight from Manchester, NH, arrived in Philadelphia. I was too late to join the opening night gathering at Houlihan’s, but I met some of my team in the lobby while checking in, and they told me I’d missed a hot time – literally – involving firemen! I put my bicycle together in my room, in record time and without having left any tools or parts behind, and went to sleep for the night.
Saturday morning, sixteen of us from around the country met in the hotel parking lot and carpooled to cycle around Valley Forge, where the Continental Army of the newly formed United States of America camped for six months under General George Washington’s command. Our 25-mile ride took us through beautiful countryside, across a covered bridge, and up one extremely challenging hill, steeper than the famous Manayunk Wall, which forced me to get off my bike about 2/3 of the way up and walk. We recharged with gargantuan Philadelphia cheesesteak sandwiches at Pudge’s in Blue Bell, practically taking over the place with our growing CCC team, as others arrived to join us. After lunch, I checked in for the ride and visited the LIVESTRONG Village in downtown Philadelphia. Late in the afternoon, we had a small gathering of current and past TC-Cancer.com support forum members at the Public House.
The LIVESTRONG Challenge Pasta Dinner at the National Constitution Center honored those who raised at least $2,500. Individual and team Challenge and Messenger awards were presented to those who had raised the most funds and received the largest number of donations. Our CCC team was a strong second place with over $110,000 raised. Even better, the CCC teams in all five Challenge events across the country have collectively raised nearly a half million dollars! The 2,700 participants in the Philadelphia event raised $2.6 million. Foundation CEO Mitch Stoller described the great work of the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the programs it supports. Chairman Dennis Cavner had all those in attendance who are cancer survivors stand, then all those who have lost a loved one to cancer, then all those with a family member who is a survivor. By the end, nearly everyone in the room was standing. Cancer affects us all.
After a short night’s sleep, I woke just before the alarm set for 5:30 a.m. sounded, showered quickly, and dressed in my CCC kit. I made it to the ride site at Montgomery County Community College in plenty of time for the opening ceremony. Others who left shortly after me were stuck in heavy traffic, and the ride start was delayed about 30 minutes to get everyone assembled. A recording of the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s manifesto accompanied by an instrumental version of “Maybe Tonight, Maybe Tomorrow,” by the Austin band Wideawake set the mood.
“We believe in life. Your life. We believe in living every minute of it with every ounce of your being. And that you must not let cancer take control of it. We believe in energy: channeled and fierce. We believe in focus: getting smart and living strong. Unity is strength. Knowledge is power. Attitude is everything…”
At about 7:30 a.m., the 100-mile and 70-mile riders started, and the CCC team rode out together. The route led through rural farmland areas of Montgomery County into the city at the front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, down Benjamin Franklin Parkway toward City Hall, through China Town, to the banks of the Delaware River, past the Philadelphia Sports Complex to the old Naval Yard, past the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
I rode with four team members for most of the miles. Just after the Sports Complex, I managed to brake on an unexpected oil slick and crashed, earning the nickname “Roadkill,” which I wear as a badge of honor. The few scrapes will heal soon enough, and I think the oil stains in my jersey will fade.
When I called home on my cell phone at the 75-mile rest stop, my wife Judy reminded me that exactly a year ago, I was lying in a hospital bed, looking scrawny and facing the possibility of further surgery. A year later, I was about to finish a century ride. Talk about motivation! I rode strong for those last 25 miles. On this ride, I made it over every hill without stopping, and the reward for the uphill struggle was downhill speed sometimes over 40 miles per hour.
Just before 4:30 p.m., I crossed the finish line, received my survivor’s yellow rose, and waited to cheer the rest of the team in. The party was winding down, but I had a Shiner Hefeweizen and enjoyed swapping memories of the ride, then took my bike apart and packed it up in its travel case as a light rain began – its timing was perfect. I was fortunate to borrow a shower back at the Doubletree to clean up and change for the trip home, and I enjoyed a team dinner before driving to the airport. I was home by 12:30 a.m. Monday morning.
I’m eagerly looking ahead now to the Ride for the Roses in Austin, Texas, on October 15. Judy will join me for that trip, while the kids spend the weekend with friends. Sponsorship donations for the Ride for the Roses can still be made at this link.
When good people come together around a common cause, the collective energy is almost overwhelming. Thanks so much again for your support. We will win this fight.
Live strong,
Scott
LIVESTRONG Challenge Seacoast Training Ride
On August 27, seven spirited LIVESTRONG Challenge cyclists gathered at the Hampton, New Hampshire, Park and Ride and rode a 70-mile round trip to the Nubble lighthouse in York, Maine.
Granite State Quest
I rode 50 miles on June 17, 2006, in the Granite State Quest, a local event benefiting children's cancer programs at Massachusetts General Hospital. This was a great training ride for my LIVESTRONG Challenge in September, and I was glad to be part of a charity ride in my own home town!
CCC’ers Susan Nuyda, Scott Joy, Ken Hart, and Cindi Hart
in training at the Harts’ “Exercise Night” on 3/9/2006
May 15-17, 2006, I represented the state of New Hampshire for the Lance Armstrong Foundation's LIVESTRONG Day event in Washington, D.C.!
The LAF led a unified group of advocates to Washington D.C. to encourage lawmakers to address the health policy concerns of cancer survivors. In conjunction, LIVESTRONG Day events took place across the country to raise awareness of and bring attention to the issues cancer survivors face.
We received a full day of advocacy training on Tuesday, May 16, to give us the tools to ensure our issues were heard on Capitol Hill. In addition, Lance Armstrong, Senator John Kerry, and Representative Clay Shaw spoke at the Congressional reception. On Wednesday, May 17, we met with our Congresspeople, shared our cancer stories, and urged Congress to support legislation that benefits the cancer survivor community. I spoke with staff in Senator Judd Gregg's and Senator John Sununu's offices, and I met with Representative Jeb Bradley.
I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity to be part of the LIVESTRONG movement and to help make a difference.
Lance Armstrong Foundation Peloton Project
Ride for the Roses 2005 Report
October 21–23, 2005
With a lot of help from friends and family, I exceeded my goal to reach the $7,500 Green Jersey level and raised $8,025 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation Peloton Project 2005! The total raised was $7.3 million, all to fund research, education, and advocacy programs that help cancer survivors to live strong.
Judy arranged to have friends host our children for three nights so that she could travel with me -- our longest trip together without the kids since Alison was born. Rising at 3:30 a.m., we flew from Boston and arrived in Austin midday Friday.
While in Austin, we visited the Capitol and Visitor’s Center, Zilker Botanical Gardens, Barton Springs, and the bat colony at the Congress Street Bridge. I also increasingly eased up on my low-fat diet as we enjoyed meals at several good Austin restaurants: lunches at Roaring Fork and Austin Java and dinners at Threadgill’s Home Cooking (with Cyclists Combating Cancer or CCC) and Doña Emilia’s South American Bar & Grill.
The Peloton Dinner was Friday night at Texas Old Town in Kyle. Judy impressed me with her mechanical bull riding skill, and she also made the winning bid on a fun little pocketbook in the silent auction, having warned Robin Williams not to outbid her.
Sunday, we were up about 6:00 a.m. to get to the ride site in time for the 7:15 a.m. start, meeting CCC members so that we could all ride out together for a few miles before splitting for our different routes. The weekend weather and temperature were ideal, and on the 25-mile route, there was no trouble with wind, so I was able to complete the ride pretty easily. It was an absolute joy to be out riding strong!
At my first Ride for the Roses in 2004, I cycled the century route. Meeting that challenge was a great feeling, but it meant missing the post-ride party, as I spent the entire day out on the road. This year, my recovery from surgery in late June prevented me from getting in the training to complete a longer ride, but choosing the 25-mile route left me plenty of time to enjoy the food, drink, and company afterward. Across the stage where the bands played was a yellow paper chain honoring cancer survivors, to which we had contributed several links for family and friends, and behind the band, names submitted were displayed in tribute, as well.
Thanks again to all my sponsors. The money you donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation supports, for example:
Scott
Ride for the Roses 2005 Report
October 21–23, 2005
With a lot of help from friends and family, I exceeded my goal to reach the $7,500 Green Jersey level and raised $8,025 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation Peloton Project 2005! The total raised was $7.3 million, all to fund research, education, and advocacy programs that help cancer survivors to live strong.
Judy arranged to have friends host our children for three nights so that she could travel with me -- our longest trip together without the kids since Alison was born. Rising at 3:30 a.m., we flew from Boston and arrived in Austin midday Friday.
While in Austin, we visited the Capitol and Visitor’s Center, Zilker Botanical Gardens, Barton Springs, and the bat colony at the Congress Street Bridge. I also increasingly eased up on my low-fat diet as we enjoyed meals at several good Austin restaurants: lunches at Roaring Fork and Austin Java and dinners at Threadgill’s Home Cooking (with Cyclists Combating Cancer or CCC) and Doña Emilia’s South American Bar & Grill.
The Peloton Dinner was Friday night at Texas Old Town in Kyle. Judy impressed me with her mechanical bull riding skill, and she also made the winning bid on a fun little pocketbook in the silent auction, having warned Robin Williams not to outbid her.
Sunday, we were up about 6:00 a.m. to get to the ride site in time for the 7:15 a.m. start, meeting CCC members so that we could all ride out together for a few miles before splitting for our different routes. The weekend weather and temperature were ideal, and on the 25-mile route, there was no trouble with wind, so I was able to complete the ride pretty easily. It was an absolute joy to be out riding strong!
At my first Ride for the Roses in 2004, I cycled the century route. Meeting that challenge was a great feeling, but it meant missing the post-ride party, as I spent the entire day out on the road. This year, my recovery from surgery in late June prevented me from getting in the training to complete a longer ride, but choosing the 25-mile route left me plenty of time to enjoy the food, drink, and company afterward. Across the stage where the bands played was a yellow paper chain honoring cancer survivors, to which we had contributed several links for family and friends, and behind the band, names submitted were displayed in tribute, as well.
Thanks again to all my sponsors. The money you donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation supports, for example:
- Survivorship programs at Dana-Farber in Boston and Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York City
- Emergency help for cancer patients in hurricane-stricken areas
- The Education Network to Advance Cancer Clinical Trials (ENACCT)
- Community programs such as Wellness for Life at the Central Maine Cancer Center in Lewiston, Maine, which provides nutrition consultation services and group and individualized exercise instruction for people living with cancer.
Scott
Ride
for the Roses 2004 Report
Following is my report from the Lance Armstrong Foundation's Ride for the Roses. In 2003, I was able to raise $1,536, and in 2004, my total was $3,205. I traveled this year to Austin, Texas, to participate on October 17 as a "white jersey" team member. It was an absolutely exhilarating experience!
I arrived in Austin at 10:00 p.m. Friday, and on Saturday morning, I joined a group from Cyclists Combating Cancer for a 25-mile ride around the city. It was great to meet some terrific people in person, after only knowing them by e-mail. It was also great to confirm I really had correctly reassembled my bike!
I volunteered at the ride site Saturday afternoon, hanging sponsor signs and doing odd jobs, and then drove into town for a CCC dinner at Mezzaluna restaurant. We were honored by a visit from Davis Phinney, who is the son of the CCC's founder, as well as a multiple stage winner in the Tour de France and an Olympic medalist. After eating, we walked over to the convention center for "A Conversation with Lance," moderated by Ann Curry from NBC's Today show, with questions asked by a select panel of cancer survivors. The first Junior Spirit of Survivorship Award was presented to an amazing 16-year-old survivor, Alex Oden.
Sunday morning, I got up early, donned my new LAF Peloton Project white jersey, new yellow Live Strong socks, and familiar Performance Century Gel shorts (this was not the time to experiment in that department), and headed out at 6:00 a.m. for the Ride for the Roses. I had some muffins and coffee and got into my lane in the starting gate area at 7:30, joining the crowd of 6,500 riders. About 7:45, Lance Armstrong addressed the group, thanked us all for raising almost $6 million, and read the LAF manifesto, which begins, "We believe in life. Your life. And that you must not let cancer take control of it." Will Farrell of Saturday Night Live did his uncanny George W. Bush impression and introduced Sheryl Crow to lead the national anthem. Robin Williams gave a brief, outrageous pep talk, and then the ride began!
With so many cyclists being released in waves, it took half an hour longer before I got to start, and we were supposed to reach the 30-mile mark before 10:00 a.m. or be diverted from the 100-mile course to the 70. Fortunately, the beginning of the ride had plenty of downhill, a tail wind pushed us along, and the temperature was moderate. With a short stop at the second rest area to fill my water bottle, I managed to reach the 30-mile mark -- at 10:20. Many of us kept going. I hadn't come all that way to do less than the full century! At about mile 45, I caught up with two CCC'ers, Mike and Bryan, and I rode with them for the next 45 miles, which was the hard stretch. It was now 90+ degrees, and the relentless head wind at least doubled the effort. On top of that, this "flat course" actually had a couple of killer hills, including one that made me stop and walk it. Despite the printed threat that the ride route would close at 4:00 p.m., they let us all complete it.
I never imagined before I had surgery for testicular cancer 16 months ago that I could ride 100 miles in a day on a bicycle, but soon afterward, I knew I had to do this. As I rode, I thought of so many family and friends whose lives have been affected or ended by cancer. Now, as I finally crossed the finish line, rode through the cancer survivor lane, and was handed a rose, succeeding in this physical challenge made me feel so alive and so grateful. I feel and accept "the obligation of the cured" to help others who are struggling, and I am so proud to be part of this fantastic, caring community of survivors.
After the long trip home on Monday, big hugs and kisses for my wife and kids, and distribution of the obligatory travel gifts from Texas, I registered for the Peloton Project 2005!
Thank you once again to all my sponsors and well-wishers.
Live strong!
Scott
Thanks for visiting!
E-mail:
scottjoy@comcast.net