Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Back in California - 65 at the Tour d'Organics



Liam and I are back in California. It is good to be home after such a long time away, however, there are some aspects of the trip which we want to incorporate into our life in California as I return to work and Liam returns to school. The first change is that we are eating better. Liam is now open to trying new foods. He is also avoiding lots of sweets and high fructose corn syrup. Occasionally, he will have a Coke when we are on a very long ride, but we try to get the kind that uses cane sugar as the sweetener. We have always eaten together as a family, but we are trying to do it more often. Liam, his brothers, Tavi (my wife) and I are going to continue to work on our French with the Rosetta Stone language program. Liam wants to have his languages down when he is riding the Grand Tours in 10 to 12 years! We went to a video editing class at the local Apple Store, and we plan to do more because we're having a lot of fun with our little video clips, and we want them to keep getting better. Stay tuned!!!


Captain Liam flew us home from France

Liam is motivated to continue riding and he wants to take it to the next level. Before we left France, Liam wanted to pick a mellow, one-day tour/race where he could get in some distance. We could do it on our own, but sometimes it is better to pick an organized event. Last year, three weeks after getting his first Trek bike for his 8th birthday, Liam rode the 35 mile course at the Tour d'Organics up in Sonoma County, California. This organized ride is put on by the Organic Athlete Foundation and has 35, 65, and 100 mile options. Along the route, there are several stops at Organic farms with some of the best fruit you have ever tasted. The ride passes through the epicenter of the Alice Waters Slow Food movement. It is a great organized bike tour which takes place every year in August, and it is just what we were looking for. The Tour is a fundraiser for the Organic Athlete Foundation -- a group which encourages healthy eating and an active lifestyle.

We picked the 65 mile Loop of the Tour d'Organics on August the 16th, and this event became the focus of our training when we got back to California. Liam had ridden 50 miles in Annecy during the Tour de France, so the Tour in Sonoma would be his longest ride. We did a lot of cross training when we got back. Liam went to soccer camp for a week, and started swimming again with his Aquazot swim team. Our road bikes got a little crushed on the way back from Paris, so we were mountain biking a lot on the weekends. Lance Armstrong gave us some inspiration with his Leadville 100 mountain bike race preparation. On Saturday, Armstrong won the Colorado bike race in a record time and on a flat tire. Way to go Lance!!!


Back home at the beach in Southern California

Last week we got our road bikes back from the shop, and the whole family headed up to Northern California a few days early to visit with friends, and to get in some rides in the San Francisco Bay area. The weather was great, and the training was fantastic. On Saturday, we rolled into Sebastopol, and our first stop was West County Revolution -- a wonderful bike shop in Sonoma County. At this bike store you will find a great group of guys who will go the last mile for their customers. (We bought Liam's Trek road bike from this shop.) If you are near Sebastopol and stop by, tell them Liam and Bill sent you!


Charlie and Carmen did the 65 miles on their Tandem

On Sunday, the Tour d'Organics did not disappoint. The event is well-organized, has great food, runs through some of the most beautiful sections of the State, and has great people both volunteering and participating out on the road. The only hitch came at about the half-way mark when a yellow-jacket wasp made it into Liam's helmet. He got a pretty nasty sting on the right ear. We thought about pulling out of the race, but Liam decided to push on. Despite it being hot -- 100 degrees on one section -- Liam jammed the 65 mile course and finished strong. Liam is already talking about doing the 100 mile next year! I highly recommend this event. There is also a second Organic Tour up in Portland, Oregon in September. Click here for a link to Organic Athlete and more information about the race and the Organization.


This is a cool Trek Video that kind of got buried in the blog

Liam’s back to school essay, “what I did for my summer vacation,” just keeps getting better and better. We are in the process of looking for our next event. We want to pick a charity event – perhaps a late-summer triathlon – we will keep you posted.

This is Bill and Liam signing out – Ride safe and Live well!!!

2 comments:

  1. Peach Power! Go Liam!

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  2. HI Bill and Liam, great blog and love the video with you both with Lance Armstrong. Very impressive. What an experience you had on your trip to France. It was a pleasure meeting you in Bonita Canyon. Take care.

    Sharon Paxson

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