Gas Pains

Tom grew up in Milwaukee, bartended in Wauwatosa in the '70s and moved here in 1984.

Commentary, observations and musings about the outdoors, life in general and maybe Tosa politics and personalities will be the order of the day. He savors a lively debate as much as terrific cooking.

Riding For A Reason

Just For Fun, Roadside Curiosities, Bicycling

Riding a bicycle is a terrific way to get some fresh air and exercise.

Two-wheeled transportation is ideally suited for soaking-up the world around you since you're not tearing down the road at seventy miles per hour.  There is no shortage of roadside curiosities if you pay close attention to what's going on.

You can also ride a bike for a worthy cause.  (Here comes the shameless pitch).

Last weekend I peddled my bike from Mequon to Sturgeon Bay.  Not to soak-up the scenery - although I did plenty of that too.  It was the 17th annual Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Scenic Shore 150.

As in 150 miles.

I might just be the sole surviving rider to have ridden each and every one of the rides.  I'm also the Captain of Team Swill - which ranked right up there in team fund raising in an effort to meet the 2009 goal of $750,000.

In less than a couple of decades we've grown this ride from barely a hundred individuals to very close to a thousand riders.  All of us focused on raising money for blood-related cancer research and patient support. 

The five-year relative survival rate for the most common form of childhood cancer, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL), has risen from 4% 30 years ago to 86% today.  Bone marrow transplants were pioneered by The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society researchers and have saved thousands of lives.

So - there are a bunch of reasons to feel good about riding your bicycle.   

And I you're like me you'll feel even better watching the glorious Sunday sunrise over the vast tent city that sprouts-up like mushrooms on the campus of the UW Manitowoc.

If any of you are cyclists interested in supporting a worthy cause you need to check-out this ride.

Just like this rider - part of a larger pack sporting these very cool jerseys.

Recognize that guy?

You bet I do - that's Cranky Al.  He makes really good donuts and terrific pizzas.

I suppose that looks like Al but the gent sporting the jersey is Alderman Kim Krol - a repeat rider.

Last year's ride here along with some video footage...

The Team has been thinking about possibly appointing a videographer to record the ride and our antics but it is probably best that you're not to find us on YouTube.  Just yet anyway.

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