Team Survivor Newsletter December 2018

Happy Holidays Team Survivor! Hard to believe, but we are just 6 months from our 100 mile ride around the amazing Lake Tahoe in June 2019! The time has come to start fundraising so we exceed our goal of $100,000 in donations to Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Hope you and your families have a great holiday season!

TEAM SURVIVOR KICKOFF 2019 – Thanks to everyone who attended our Kickoff a few weeks ago. It was great to get our team together again, especially since we have recruited so many first time Team Survivor riders this year! Here are the highlights for those of you who missed it:

 


TEAM SURVIVOR HONORED HERO – CONNOR MCGOFF – Connor’s parents Jen and Shawn McGoff joined the team to share his story:

Connor was diagnosed with leukemia when he was just 1 1/2 years old. He did over three years of chemo and thought the leukemia was gone, but a few years later it came back so Connor had to start chemo once again. He also had a bone marrow transplant from big sister Chloe. Unfortunately, a year later his leukemia was back again so earlier this year he had CAR-T immunotherapy. Last month, Connor and family got some amazing news! After CAR-T, Connor has no B-cells, no leukemia, and is MRD negative at day 34 post CAR-T cells. His fight is not over but this is a huge victory for our Honored Hero! Connor, we are all in your corner! We will ride hard this year in your honor, and we will raise as much money as possible for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! #ConnorMcStrong


AML RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGH – During our Kickoff we shared the story of LLS-funded research at the University of Colorado that will change the future of AML and its patients. Please take time to read this story – this illustrates why raising money is so important. Team Survivor is helping fund this kind of life-changing research! Our own Dr. James will be a critical part of this $5 million grant and future outcomes!

$5 million award targets leukemia stem cells


NEW MEMBERS – During our Kickoff each of our new 16 members shared their stories of why they have joined Team Survivor. We are lucky to have so many great people who have committed to our cause – also such a bonus that many of our new teammates are experienced riders who were recruited at Saturday Espress(o) Rides and other cycling events. Many of the new recruits have been riding with us for months. Welcome to you all!


TEAM SURVIVOR GOALS FOR 2019

  • Raise $100,000+ and fund another research portfolio
  • Recruit 60 riders that will fundraise and ride 100 miles with us next June
  • Show Up!
    • Show up to Fundraise – sure, you could raise the minimum, but since we are funding game changing treatments like the recent AML success, let’s think bigger and make a real impact!
    • Show up to Recruit – everyone on the team has connections. Bring a friend, co-worker, or family member along for ride! The more riders, the more we raise!
    • Show up to Train – TNT training starts in February. Those that show up every week will have a much better experience in Lake Tahoe!

NEW MEMBERS – We are up to 50 registered Team Survivor members! I’m delighted to announce the addition of seven more new members to Team Survivor! Please welcome first time Team Surivor riders Stephany deCrooy, Rita Valois, Hank Windmoeller, Laurie Steward, and Amber Kirt. Also, join me in welcoming two returning alumni riders, Rick Marlette and Steve Goodfriend!

  • Team Survivor, Colorado Springs – New member, Amber Kirt is the new Team Captain for Team Survivor in Colorado Springs (yes, it’s Captain Kirt)! We have already reached out to TNT alumni in the area but please get in touch with Amber if you know anyone in the Springs that might be interested in joining the team (Amberkirt@yahoo.com). Welcome Amber, it’s great to have you on the team!


    BIKE FIT SPECIAL -one of the biggest mistakes cyclists make is not having a proper fit. For those of you who make fit a priority, you know it makes all the difference in your performance and comfort. The other misperception is that fit is a “one and done experience.” What I have learned from 30 years of cycling is that your body changes and your bike shifts so fit is a continuous process. The other mistake some make is to throw money at a new accessories or gadgets (seats, bike butter, etc.); in fact, some bike shops encourage that behavior because there is money involved. None of those things will make a difference if you start with a bad fit.

    Team Survivor has partnered with Chris Soden and IOG Bike Fit to give registered members the gift of “fit” for Christmas. Chris is an expert mechanic and fitter and has worked with cyclists from recreational to professional in his career. So, while he is the best in the business, he is also a great guy who genuinely wants everyone to have a better biking experience. For the first 10 members who step up for a bike fit, Chris has agreed to discount his $350 bike fit rate to $275 during December and January. Chris is a Bike Fit Ninja who has fit several members of Team Survivor – if you want a reference, ask me, Meli, Grover, Khem, Dave Krause, Gregg Rich, or the Amazing Ted. Before you throw any more money at your bike trying to get more comfortable, consider getting a professional fit. Last thing – Chris uses cutting edge technology for his fits. If your experience with bike fit is a guy with a plumb bob, you’re in for an elevated experience!

    I asked Chris for a few comments on the importance of bike fit and here they are:

    1- Much like other sports, the relationship between athlete and equipment is crucial to maximize performance and comfort
    2- Cycling is a sport based on efficiency so it is very tough to “feel” what is correct or “right” especially with people who cycle occasionally or sporadically.
    3- Like any sport the more you do it the more these “fit gaps” will start to bother and hamper the riding experience…..in some cases leading to injury. No different than going to the gym and doing an exercise with poor form or posture.
    4- Our bodies are continually changing in weight, flexibility, and strength so bike fit is a changing and dynamic endeavor.
    5- Riding a bike fast or uphill is never easy!! But it is a whole lot more fun when you body feels happy, balanced, and “in tune” with the equipment
    6- A proper bike fit also helps ensure that the rider has full access to brakes and shifters thus enabling us to react to a reactive world on the trails and roads!

    To be one of the lucky 10 to grab the best fit of your life, here is the link to the IOG website – http://www.ivanogorman.com/rates/
    Under 3D MOTION CAPTURE BIKE FIT – STANDARD BIKE FIT, click BOOK NOW, choose “Standard Bike Fit,” click on Chris Soden’s name and you can book your appointment. Remember, this is for the first 10 Team Survivor members, and good for December and January only.

    Thanks Chris for your partnership, your continued support of our team, and for this great offer!


    SATURDAY ESPRESS(O) RIDES – we celebrated our 20th Saturday Espress(o) Ride since Tahoe and will continue to ride every week. We’re having a great time and are ready for Tahoe now so join when you can!


    TRIPLE BYPASS RIDE – once again in 2019, Team Survivor will have a team participating in the Triple Bypass. For previous riders, early bird registration is available now. If this is your first time, registration opens on January 2nd and sells out quickly. Make sure you join Team Survivor during the registration process!


    FUNDRAISING – Team Survivor has hit $10,000 in donations before December – awesome job! It’s remarkable that we are over 10% of our fundraising goal before December 1st! Take the pressure off fundraising by starting early! As we talked about at Kickoff, the holidays are a great time to fundraise. People are interested in end of year tax-deductible donations to charity and are also in a giving spirit. Your goal should be to have your personal fundraising website set up and your first round of fundraising emails out before the end of the year! Thanks to the Team Survivor members who have set up their pages and are seeing donations coming in. Fundraising is more important than anything we will do on the bike this year – this is why we’re here. Everyone in Tahoe will ride 100 miles, only the rock stars will raise $100,000! We have raised $10,392 to date and here the teammates who have contributed to our new total:

    $2939 – John Reumann
    $2002 – Khem Suthiwan
    $1262 – James DeGregori
    $ 767 – Kim Hill
    $ 752 – Meli Reumann
    $1350 – Derek & Cara
    $ 302 – Kayla VanCleve
    $ 327 – Amber Kirt
    $ 107 – Nicole Odell
    $ 102 – Stephany deCrooy

  • Happy Holidays Team Survivor! Looking forward to all we will accomplish together in 2019!

    John Reumann
    Captain, Team Survivor