anticipated questions
Q: Isn't this page typically called "frequently asked questions?"
A: Well, yeah, but since the sum total of my readership to date - including myself - is one person, "frequently asked" doesn't seem to apply.
Q: Then why bother?
A: My goal is not to host the most popular site on the internets. This gives me a place to do a little writing and poke around with some mild HTML. If others discover it and are entertained, that's great. If others discover it and are entertained and feel like donating a little money, that's really great.
Q: What the heck is this, anyway?
A: It's a journal mainly of my riding and fundraising experiences on century rides to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, with a few other odds and ends about cycling thrown in to pad it out a bit.
Q: What's a century ride?
A: A one hundred mile bike ride.
Q: A hundred miles? Over how long?
A: One day.
Q: One day?! Are you crazy!?!
A: That's been suggested.
Q: Why on earth would you want to do such a thing?
A: I already mentioned that: to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. And because it's fun in kind of a painful way; nothing quite matches the euphoria and feeling of accomplishment upon finishing.
Q: How does you riding help the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society?
A: Well, I guess just the act of me riding a bicycle doesn't, actually. But I have agreed to raise money for them - at least $4,000, in fact - and in return they cover most of my travel expenses. Also, there's the symbolic gesture of undertaking an endurance event in honor of Leukemia patients and survivors. The sweat and suffering during the training and ride mean more to me than simply cutting a check.
Q: Travel expenses? Where are you going?
A: Lake Tahoe. On June 5, I intend to ride around it. Plus a little extra.
Q: Have you done this sort of thing before?
A: This is my third event. In June 2004, I rode America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride around Lake Tahoe and in March 2005 I rode the Solvang Century in California's Santa Barbara wine country.
Q: Is it really America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride?
A: I've been a lot of places in this country, and it's hard for me to imagine a more beautiful day on a bicycle. Aside from the scenery and fantastic views of America's largest alpine lake, most of the course is lined with appreciative leukemia patients and survivors, offering encouragement and cheering us on. A couple of times last year I got a little teary behind my sunglasses. It was a very moving experience.
Q: That sounds like a lot of spectators. How many people will be riding?
A: Of the approximately 2,500 riders, I think about 1,500 are riding for the Society and most of them are riding in honor of a friend or family member with a blood cancer. There will be almost 70 riders just in my group from the DC area. It's not out of the question that we will collectively raise several million dollars. Just 230 riders at the Solvang Century raised over $700,000.
Q: What does the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society do with the money?
A: Most of the money goes toward research of blood-borne cancers and their treatment, but a significant portion of it also goes to patient services. The Society answers questions of newly diagnosed patients, hosts support groups, and occasionally even offers financial aid for patients' out-of-pocket expenses. They also run education and advocacy programs.
Q: Yeah, but does any of that really make a difference?
A: Of course it does. In the past 40 years, the five-year relative survival rate for lymphoma has doubled and for leukemia has more than tripled. Childhood leukemia survival rates have jumped to 80% from only 4% in 1960 and have increased 5% in just the past year alone. But there's a lot still left to do. Leukemia remains the number one disease killer of children and young adults under 20 years old.
Q: You've convinced me. How can I help?
A: You can donate by credit card by clicking "DONATE" on the right side of this page. If you'd prefer to make out a check to the society, feel free to contact me at jehuntzingeriii [at] hotmail [dot] com for more details. Your donation is, of course, tax deductible. And if you want to get involved, visit the Team in Training website; that link is to the right as well. When you've finished with that, you can find my most recent post here. Thanks for pitching in. We CAN find a cure for cancer.
A: Well, yeah, but since the sum total of my readership to date - including myself - is one person, "frequently asked" doesn't seem to apply.
Q: Then why bother?
A: My goal is not to host the most popular site on the internets. This gives me a place to do a little writing and poke around with some mild HTML. If others discover it and are entertained, that's great. If others discover it and are entertained and feel like donating a little money, that's really great.
Q: What the heck is this, anyway?
A: It's a journal mainly of my riding and fundraising experiences on century rides to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, with a few other odds and ends about cycling thrown in to pad it out a bit.
Q: What's a century ride?
A: A one hundred mile bike ride.
Q: A hundred miles? Over how long?
A: One day.
Q: One day?! Are you crazy!?!
A: That's been suggested.
Q: Why on earth would you want to do such a thing?
A: I already mentioned that: to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. And because it's fun in kind of a painful way; nothing quite matches the euphoria and feeling of accomplishment upon finishing.
Q: How does you riding help the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society?
A: Well, I guess just the act of me riding a bicycle doesn't, actually. But I have agreed to raise money for them - at least $4,000, in fact - and in return they cover most of my travel expenses. Also, there's the symbolic gesture of undertaking an endurance event in honor of Leukemia patients and survivors. The sweat and suffering during the training and ride mean more to me than simply cutting a check.
Q: Travel expenses? Where are you going?
A: Lake Tahoe. On June 5, I intend to ride around it. Plus a little extra.
Q: Have you done this sort of thing before?
A: This is my third event. In June 2004, I rode America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride around Lake Tahoe and in March 2005 I rode the Solvang Century in California's Santa Barbara wine country.
Q: Is it really America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride?
A: I've been a lot of places in this country, and it's hard for me to imagine a more beautiful day on a bicycle. Aside from the scenery and fantastic views of America's largest alpine lake, most of the course is lined with appreciative leukemia patients and survivors, offering encouragement and cheering us on. A couple of times last year I got a little teary behind my sunglasses. It was a very moving experience.
Q: That sounds like a lot of spectators. How many people will be riding?
A: Of the approximately 2,500 riders, I think about 1,500 are riding for the Society and most of them are riding in honor of a friend or family member with a blood cancer. There will be almost 70 riders just in my group from the DC area. It's not out of the question that we will collectively raise several million dollars. Just 230 riders at the Solvang Century raised over $700,000.
Q: What does the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society do with the money?
A: Most of the money goes toward research of blood-borne cancers and their treatment, but a significant portion of it also goes to patient services. The Society answers questions of newly diagnosed patients, hosts support groups, and occasionally even offers financial aid for patients' out-of-pocket expenses. They also run education and advocacy programs.
Q: Yeah, but does any of that really make a difference?
A: Of course it does. In the past 40 years, the five-year relative survival rate for lymphoma has doubled and for leukemia has more than tripled. Childhood leukemia survival rates have jumped to 80% from only 4% in 1960 and have increased 5% in just the past year alone. But there's a lot still left to do. Leukemia remains the number one disease killer of children and young adults under 20 years old.
Q: You've convinced me. How can I help?
A: You can donate by credit card by clicking "DONATE" on the right side of this page. If you'd prefer to make out a check to the society, feel free to contact me at jehuntzingeriii [at] hotmail [dot] com for more details. Your donation is, of course, tax deductible. And if you want to get involved, visit the Team in Training website; that link is to the right as well. When you've finished with that, you can find my most recent post here. Thanks for pitching in. We CAN find a cure for cancer.
posted by hotrod at 6:00 AM
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