Cycling Foodie

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I love my George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine!

If you accidentally cut into an avocado before it is ripe, do not despair. Just grill it. You don’t even need to oil it or salt it or anything, unless you really want to, just grill it. It will soften up into a perfectly velvety beautiful rich grilled avocado.

Just grill it until it’s done. You’ll know. It might take a little experimentation, but cooking is like life – a daring adventure, or nothing at all (borrowed from Helen Keller).

(OK, I admit the first attempt is a little funky looking, but wow it was good!)

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Honey Stinger Booth

My favorite foodie find at yesterday’s LIVESTRONG Challenge Davis 2012 was the Honey Stinger products. I’ve tried their energy chews (my favorite is the pomegranate passion fruit) and waffles before and enjoyed them, so I  was excited to try other products. I enjoyed their energy bars – my favorite was the Peanut Butter ‘ n- Honey. Every one of their products that I tried, I really enjoyed. Honey Stinger products will now be a workout staple for me.

Along the ride, their products were available at rest stops and were quite popular with the riders. I kept getting to the rest stops and seeing empty boxes of waffles and energy gels, so I settled for bananas, granola bars, and Gatorade. Finally at the DBC-hosted rest stop on Allendale Road, there were waffles. This rest stop was a little off the road, so perhaps some of the more serious riders skipped it. I might have, except that I was having some issues with my bike, so I stopped to have it checked out. Sometimes life’s little inconveniences can have a sweet consequence. Shifting issues with my bike turned into the chance to enjoy a Honey Stinger Waffle.

My standout favorite for the day was their Ginsting energy gel. I finally got to try this at the last rest stop in Dixon. The wind had started to kick up (it’s Dixon, what did I expect?!) and this stretch of road was one of the toughest parts of my ride. I was getting fatigued, beaten by the sun and wind, and just wanting to be done. I could not stomach one more banana (had some at every rest stop) or any more Gatorade (I may never drink lemon-lime Gatorade again) and trail mix  would probably not have set well in my stomach. The Honey Stinger Ginsting gel was exactly what I needed. I was so thankful to find some of these at this rest stop. Not only did it taste great, it gave me the energy I needed to finish the ride.

Check them out online – http://www.honeystinger.com/

I’ve found their products locally at Nugget Markets, and my guess is that they’re probably also at the CoOp in Davis. To find them near you: http://www.honeystinger.com/dealers.php

Have a sweet day!

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This is why I ride.

Another rider today asked me if I was riding alone. I smiled and said, “No.”

I held each one of you near to my heart and thought of you often as I rode today. Whenever I began to feel fatigued, or that I wasn’t riding as fast as the other cyclists and was having a hard time keeping up, or my bike wasn’t shifting right, or various body parts started to hurt … I thought of you and how bravely you fought and that gave me the inspiration to keep riding.

Thank you to all of the volunteers, event organizers, vendors, sponsors, donors, and riders who made this event happen. Thank you to the CHP for helping to keep us all safe on the roads out there today. And, thank you Mother Nature for the beautiful weather and for keeping the winds pretty darn calm for this area!

It’s going to take me a few days to get a full post up about today. But soon, I promise!

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A huge thank you to everyone who donated to my LIVESTRONG Challenge Davis  ride!

I’ll be heading out shortly – I am riding to the start line this morning. The ride starts in Downtown Davis, so I thought being local and all, I could save a parking space for someone who has to travel by car. Parking in Downtown Davis is scarce on a good day, let alone a day like today.

I’m almost ready; just going through my mental checklist …

• Coffee? Check!
• Light, healthy breakfast? Check!
• Air in the tires, water bottles filled, electrolyte packets and a few back up snacks just in case … check, check, check!
• Read Bicycle Safety and Etiquette (http://www.livestrong.org/Take-Action/Team-LIVESTRONG-Events/Ride/Team-LIVESTRONG-Challenge-Davis/Bicycle-Safety-and-Etiquette) – done!
• Helmet, gloves, sunscreen sleeves, removable layers … got it!
• Sunscreen? 100 spf! Lip balm? Two!
• Camera? Of course! Extra battery? Yep!
• Study the route? Better get on that …
• Grateful for the 100’s of amazing volunteers who will be there today? Abundantly so!
• Can do attitude? Oh, yeah!

Pretty sure I’ve got all of the miscellaneous details covered.

Right now the weather looks beautiful in Davis and the wind is calm. Let’s hope the wind stays calm for the entire ride today! It tends to get pretty breezy out there on the roads between Vacaville and Davis.

Well, I’d better get back to it and get ready to get on the road. Wish me good luck!

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Pick a fight. Cancer sucks.

No riding for me today to be sure I’m well rested for tomorrow’s LIVESTRONG Challenge Davis. THAT is proving to be almost as challenging as tomorrow’s ride is going to be!!!

Here are the three route options:

LIVESTRONG Challenge Davis 2012

The calm before the storm.

Vendor tents, getting set up for today's packet pick-up & tomorrow's event.

Vendor booths & registration.

People were swarming to sample the Honey Stinger products!

I’ve just recently discovered Honey Stinger products (http://honeystinger.com/), so I was thrilled to see them setting up a booth. They had lots of samples and were selling everything for $1 each, which is a better deal than you’ll get in the store.

Honey Stinger Waffles ... dangerously good!

FRS Healthy Performance booth

I wandered around a bit, tried some samples, got my bib, tee shirt, and water bottle and gathered up some energy and inspiration for tomorrow’s ride. Awesome volunteers – thank you for making me feel so welcome at my first LIVESTRONG Challenge Davis!

This time tomorrow … I will have completed my first Livestrong Challenge Davis!

 

I didn't get to talk to these guys, but love this name!

Here's to you, guys!

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I’ll be doing my first Team LIVESTRONG Challenge Davis ride
I only need to raise $40 more to meet the fundraising minimum
**actually $20 because I’m matching donations 😀

http://www.livestrong.org/Take-Action/Team-LIVESTRONG-Events/Ride/Team-LIVESTRONG-Challenge-Davis

You can find my page here: http://laf.livestrong.org/site/TR?fr_id=1181&pg=pfind

I was hoping to raise more, but I registered late, late, late for this ride.

So, do I ride the 65-mile route or the 100-mile route? I have a feeling I’ll decide when I get to the Pleasants Valley Road / Putah Creek Road intersection.

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Less than 48 hours to go!!!

http://www.livestrong.org/Take-Action/Team-LIVESTRONG-Events/Ride/Team-LIVESTRONG-Challenge-Davis

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Just a quick ride tonight, just to spin out my legs. I have to make sure to not overdo it this week so I’m ready for Sunday’s Livestrong Challenge Davis ride.

If you would like to make a donation to my Livestrong Challenge Davis ride, please go here: http://laf.livestrong.org/site/TR?pg=pfind&fr_id=1181 and type in my name, scroll down, click on my name and that should take you to my page. Any donations received, I will match dollar for dollar (up to a maximum total of $250).

I also really need to get caught up on a few things at home, one of which is this blog!

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Yep … 117 degrees Fahrenheit … 14 miles from home. Today’s ride was the last big training ride before next Sunday’s century – the Livestrong Challenge Davis. I rode Davis, Winters, Cantelow, Lake Solano, Winters, Lake Solano, Winters, Davis … 66.7 miles. Lots of water. Really, really happy that the water fountains at Lake Solano Park are on again!

If you would like to make a donation to my Livestrong Challenge Davis ride, go here: http://laf.livestrong.org/site/TR?pg=pfind&fr_id=1181 and type in my name, scroll down, click on my name and that should take you to my page. Any donations received, I will match dollar for dollar (up to a maximum total of $250).