The Smart Ride 8 Post Ride

Wow the Smart Ride 8 is now in the books with record setting numbers! All records were broken for this one! We raised over $675K for Aids/HIV and had a huge presence in the Florida Keys doing so! This was so much more emotional than I could have ever imagined! It was also one of the most well organized events I have ever had the honor of participating in! From beginning to end there was encouragement and camaraderie that cannot be described. I rode with Team Chic Optique and would like to thank Karen and Julie for being who they are and doing the things they do for the community! I am overwhelmed with emotion just writing about this event!

I arrived in Miami on Thursday, getting a ride from one of my friends to the Morningstar Renewal Center. Upon arrival there was a great ceremony, check in and dinner. I was full of emotion walking along the timeline of Aids in America thinking of all the friends I have lost and my own battles with running and hiding from HIV. 25 years ago I had to come to terms with it and it has been a very difficult road. We had a great speech and candle light moment before heading back to the hotel for the evening. Originally I was going to be a part of the safety crew and ride my Suzuki but I decided I needed to get healthy and I really enjoy cycling. I had alot of friends in this event and I feel privileged to even be there! I bought a nice Trek at the end of July from Lauderdale Cyclery (lauderdalecyclery.com) and started training with some really fast guys here in FTL. I know this event was NOT a race but I wanted to do this for myself and everyone I knew that was affected by this terrible illness. It was sort of a personal thing for me. We rolled out at 6:45 into the streets of Miami and it was a nice mellow pace. I decided to pick up the pace and see what I could do and challenge myself. I ended up at the first checkpoint with a few fast guys from Orlando and decided we were going to go for it! We rode together helping each other and pushing ourselves. What a surreal feeling! I did not know these people and we were sharing pain and suffering together...never felt so good. Many people do not understand that the speed pain and suffering are all part of the experience and ask why we do this. You have to experience it to understand! Slowly I got waved on by my comrades as they stopped at different checkpoints. I only wanted to stop once for the lunch stop and by that time I was alone. I got down Card Sound Road (what a gorgeous road on a bike!) and rolled into the lunch stop and was told I was the first in there! I grabbed a banana, Gatorade and thanked everyone for being there and rolled out. There was a guy passing the lunch stop behind me as I rolled out and thought here we go! We turned left on to US1 and headed for Hawks Cay. I was happy to see a tail wind of sorts (kind of a cross/tail wind) and put down some power cruising at 25-27 MPH. I looked back after 10 miles and saw I was alone. I did not give up I just kept at it as hard as I thought I could. The pains and worry of a flat were always there and I just rode through it. I couldn't believe I was doing this! For sure there has to be others ahead...
I was 8 miles from the finish when I looked back again. There he was. Maybe 100 yards back was a guy with aero bars and speed to match! I thought about it and said to myself "I didn't go 92 miles suffering to get passed at the end!" Now I know this was not a competitive event but this was about personal goals and feeling good. I am sure he saw me and felt motivated to catch me as well! Good friendly competition is healthy as long as it is looked at for what it is...having a great time doing something great! I jumped up to 28-30 MPH until I saw 100.0 miles on my speedo. I looked back and I was alone again! At that point it was just about the numbers. As I turned left into Hawks Cay I saw everyone cheering me on and I absolutely cannot describe the wave of emotion that came over me. As I rolled up to the line everyone was very excited to tell me I was the first across the line! I couldn't control my emotion and started to cry like a baby! All the effort, pain, suffering, cramps and self motivational speeches I was rehearsing did not prepare me for the feelings I felt. I was victorious in just finishing this leg and here I was 4 hours and 39 minutes later at my destination. I did it! It was a great personal victory! I remembered all my lost friends and pictured them looking down at me from above and felt them helping me along the way! I did this for all of them and all the others that I had never met that have been taken by this great tragedy. I felt so not alone at that moment my heart almost exploded. Then I saw all the people here doing the same thing for those they love and have loved. Lots of tears to follow! I got a great massage (Dean Allen-ahairstudio.com) and rested for a while when more people started arriving. I stayed over at the line and cheered as people had the same emotions flowing over them and shared in this great wave of love and honor for those that have passed and those that rode for them.
The evening continued on and we had a great dinner by Rosie's and others and shared in our daily experience. A few people did not like the idea that I was proud of finishing first but to me we all finished first! I am a competitive individual and to say the others that came in on my heels were not would be a big huge lie! We had a blast! I was joking with a few of the other competitive cyclists that if you put wheels, helmets and numbers on anyone, competitive spirit lives! The beauty of this is it is what you make of it. If you want a challenge, go for it! whether its you r first big ride or your 100th. Hawks Cay was a great experience and the rooms provided were 5 star! Comfort way beyond my dreams!
The next morning was the push into Key West. I woke feeling great and was ready. They let us go and I moved forward quickly. I rolled up to a group of people moving very fast and decided to stay with them for a while. I am glad I did! I started to think of the camaraderie and sharing nature of what we were doing. I could have not stopped with them at the rest stop as it was a 65 mile ride today and not 100. Most of my non-stop training rides were 50-65 miles so this would have been easy to just keep going. I felt a great bond as we rolled into the stop and decided to enjoy the ride more today. My personal accomplishment of doing so well in the Century ride satisfied my competitive spirit and personal goals. We rolled out and pushed each other for the next 40 or so miles. The 7 mile bridge was a magical experience as we traded the front with each other! I found out as we were riding my comrades were all from Fort Lauderdale! How cool! There was a girl riding a Tri bike (Triathlete/time trial type bicycle) and she was really fast! One of the guys in our group lost all feeling in his foot and we as a group all stopped until he felt better. No one was getting dropped here! We soldiered on averaging more than 25 MPH when 5 miles from the end I got a flat. I felt horrible that I was holding everyone up but we all stopped and I was helped with my flat by someone way faster than me changing it! as we were stopped a lone girl on another aerodynamic bike came flying through. Instead of trying to just catch her we all cheered her on! That's what it is about! We got going and other than a minor tip over on my part right at the end we made great time rolling into the finish. The guy that was right behind me the previous day got the personal best award rolling in first and the girl that passed us was close behind. What really made it great is we all crossed in at the same time and shared in this moment. We did it! 165 miles! WOO HOO!!! We had a great lunch and rolled out at 2pm for a parade down Duval street and the surrounding area finishing on the pier. We had a great ceremony and the finish was spectacular. We all bowed our heads and cried for the riderless bicycle walked to the podium at the end representing all those lost.

What an emotional event. I can't wait until next year!!!!

The Smart Ride 8

Well now that the 13 Hour race has come and gone I am working towards my goals for The Smart Ride! If anyone knows someone with a place in Key West I could use a place to crash Saturday night as hotels are expensive! I have almost reached my goal but need a few more people to step up and donate. On the link below you can make a donation for me from $1 to $1000. Every little bit helps! Here is the link...

https://thesmartride.org/8/pledge/index.php?participantID=354&step=step3

I hope the weather is better than it was in Virginia! I have developed a head cold from the trip and I really hope it goes away so I can start training again!

13 Hour 2011

Race Update for the 13 Hour Virginia International Raceway Charge of the Headlight Brigade!

Thanks everyone for the kind words of encouragement on here Facebook and Twitter! It was a long drive too and from the race so I am a bit tired writing this. I have a large coffee next to me so I am sure I can get through it!

I arrived in Greensboro NC on Tuesday around 12 noon at the SRI Racing headquarters. The crew were diligently working on the #66 ITR BMW getting it ready for the event. I jumped in and gave a hand getting the car set up and ready for the event. I put my Trevor Project stickers on the car and had it embroidered on my drivers suit and was very excited to be displaying this very worthy charity! Wednesday we did a bit more and were pretty well ready to go. We loaded up Wed night and headed to the track for the Thursday test day.
I had brought my bicycle up from Florida as I am training for The Smart Ride mid November. When I woke up on Thursday morning I got my spandex on and stepped out of the trailer to find 30 something degree weather! It was also very dark but I got a great ride in around the VIR race facility. Nothing like the NC/Virginia countryside! The crew got to the track as did my co-drivers and we got ready for the test day. I was first in the car and the set up seemed pretty good in the dry weather but we had a fuel leak and the fumes were getting to me. We had to come in and fix it so I only got 2-3 hot laps in the car between coming in and going out trying to fix it. Other than the brakes giving us a few problems the car was great. The other drivers tested the car through the day as we had one session each and everything went really well. It turned out to be a great day but there were clouds looming on the horizon…
The next morning we woke up to cooler temperatures and a cloudy and misty day. It seemed to just get worse as the day progressed. We put a compromise setup on the car (making it handle better in the rain as there is less grip which makes it not as fast when its dry) as it was looking like a downpour during qualifying and the first half of the race. We had some glitches with the brakes locking and were trying to figure that out right up to qualifying time. We heard cars out there so I suited up and jumped right in. It was pouring but the SRI Racing BMW had the measure of it. I got in 8 good laps then the brakes started to lock on me going into T1 and off I went! I got the car slowed pretty good before hitting the tire wall drivers side first. I was able to get away from the wall but got stuck in the wet grass. How embarrassing! Sri came on the radio and told me we were 4.5 seconds ahead of 2nd place in qualifying! Good thing the car wasn’t really damaged other than minor cosmetics after pushing a few dents out! The alignment was still good and the car felt great for the remainder of the evening. We came in 10th overall and 1st in class by a big margin! I love the rain! Now we just need to get the brakes to stop locking…
Race day!! We woke up to miserable rainy and cold conditions Saturday morning and got the car prepped for a rain start. The weather showed big green blobs of rain and more on the way so on went the Hoosier rain tires. The crew got the car to the grid in a timely manner and the rain slowed. As soon as I got out on track for the start it stopped and my windshield fogged up from the lack of airflow. Ugh! I didn’t get the best start but tried to hold my position. The second place ITR car got by me (he was on intermediate tires…the right call) and I tried my best to keep the rains cool but it just kept drying out. Eventually they got so hot and slick I went off turn one again! This time I got the car slowed enough and spun around so I didn’t slam the wall…maybe just a touch but I only lost 10 seconds getting it out of the mud…I came in 27 seconds behind the now 1st place ITR car and early for my stint as we were losing too much time with the rain tires on in the dry. We refueled and put the dry tires on and tried to get the rear anti sway bar reattached but it was a bugger and cost us a few minutes on track. Dan Parker was the next one in and he has proven to be a very quick racer and was able to keep on track and did a great job in the seat setting the fast lap for our team. Catsby was in next and cranked out many good laps until the front ball joint let go stopping us just out of the pits. We were able to get the car towed back, ball joint replaced and back out on track in 22 minutes! Unfortunately it put us back to 5th. The drama continues!
Endurance racing is fun and unpredictable because you have so many variables. Lots of different drivers, crews and lots of time on the track and anything can happen. As we were getting towed back in 2 of our close competitors were in the pits fixing their cars! We went out on the same lap and it was race on! Now we were in a heated battle for 3rd. Craig Lippe was next in and did a stellar job trading lap times and positions with the #99 BMW Z3 ITR car. He had the longest stint in the car at 2 hours and 40 minutes! He was easy on the tires and brakes driving the car into the darkness. We had to stop early for dry tires and our mechanical gremlin put our pit strategy off. If my stint went on a bit longer and we didn’t have the ball joint failure…..anyways, it was Sri’s turn at it and he pulled his stint without incident but the extra pit stop put us back to 5th. It was now my turn to try and reel in our competitors!
I got into the car not knowing what to expect as the brakes were iffy for all the drivers and we had to brake in a straight line (no turning in on the brakes as they would just lock and flat spot the tires) so we had a bit of a compromise in our lap times. The car was surprisingly good considering the problems we had! The tires had a few minor flat spots causing some weird vibrations but it seemed to handle fine. I got out quick and we got word that we had a 90 second penalty for a minor (less than 12 inch) fuel spill! Noooooooooo! Oh well I came in and served my time and got out there to try and do something with our competition. Virginia International Raceway in the dark is a fun and different experience. The corners come at you quicker and you tend to turn in too early so it took me a few laps to acclimate myself to it. It was also the first time to really lap the car in the dry conditions. I caught all the ITR cars in our class and passed them. Then there was a call for oil in Hog Pen (the last corner on the track…a very fast right hander down a hill) I had just passed the Z3 and was trying to put some distance on him when I found the oil. It launched me off the outside where there was another car stuffed into the wall from said oil. I was able to get it back on without losing too much time but they threw a full course caution anyways so I was able to catch up. After the restart I was going back and forth with the #99 again and was ahead when going into turn 4 a Miata that we had passed on the straightaway before mad a bonehead maneuver and passed all of us stopping in my left rear door. I saw the lights coming and they were coming fast! I figured it was either the Prototype car that was vying for the win or the eventual winner in a very fast BMW M3 so I gave him room on the inside. It didn’t matter. He spun me 180 degrees and now I was facing oncoming traffic at night on a blind corner! I was able to restart and get the hell out of there! Luckily the car was undamaged. We all did our best and our 5th place finishing position was a hard pill to swallow after all that work! Our consolation was we still finished 18th overall out of 59 starters!

There is always next year! Thank you to The Trevor Project, SRI Racing, our crew and drivers! Hopefully we will get it next year!

That time of year again!

Hello all, the 2011 Charge of the Headlight Brigade is almost upon us. This is a 13 hour endurance race at Virginia International Raceway http://www.virnow.com/ . I am very excited to say I will be driving a BMW in this event! I have my Trevor Project logos ready and waiting and am having some embroidery done on my suit. I will be tweeting updates throughout the race and will put links in for results and such. This is a great step in the right direction as I got some private support to move forward with Racing for Diversity!

The 2012 plans involve Pro racing and trying to get the word out on many important subjects. I am hoping to bring light to some of our bigger problems like LGBTQ suicide issues, bullying issues, our environment and health and fitness issues with adults today.

I am also excited to say I am doing The Smart Ride 8 in November! This is a 165 mile ride for AIDS/HIV funding. We go from Miami to Key West and should be a great time for a great cause! If you want to make a tax deductable donation you can go to: http://thesmartride.org/ and make a donation...dont forget to use my rider number (#354). The training I have been doing for this event has opened up a new hobby/fitness training routine that I am really enjoying! Cycling in Florida is pretty flat but we make up for it with speed and headwinds! I just started riding with a group on the weekends and they regularly hit 28-32MPH for a good distance! Its amazing how fast a group can go and how it pushes you individually. I have been dropped out the back of the group for the first few weeks but am now beginning to hang with them. Speed averages on my bike computer are now cresting 20MPH after 50+ miles! I have never been able to do that before. My overall fitnes has improved dramatically and my mountain biking skills have also improved with sheer speed and strength. My legs and butt have also reaped many benefits ;-} but I still won't shave my legs.



I am still trying to reach Elton John, Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin and others to see if they would like to be a part of my diversity project. Imagine if they helped with thier resources! I could have a green racing project that helps LGBTQ youth with a great message! It would also benefit everyone with acceptance! If anyone knows how to reach out to these people please pass the word on!


I am working with Holly Chervnsik at Stinger Sports Marketing and we are working towards some great things!

I hope to see more positive things in the near future so stay tuned!!!

Evan