Chapter 2 - More of the nicer side of Florida

After a great race in the Dade City/San Antonio area, it was with great anticipation (and a fixed bike) that we embarked on our second journey. We loaded up the RV with dogs, bikes food and ourselves and headed out on the trip. We made a quick stop at Starbucks on 136th Street off I595 on our way west and north. There is a Trek store next to it so I popped in to get some nutrition stuff when the guy behind the counter said "wow someone just hit that RV parked out front!". I turned around to see the people parked near us chasing them down. It turns out this lady didn't see it and backed right into it. Doh! The cop later said "you didn't see it? its the size of a building!" She fought all the way until she got the ticket. I am just glad she had insurance. With that drama over with (she just broke the fiberglass bumper and dented the body...) we continued on. We arrived at the GPS location for the race in the middle of orange groves in or near Auburndale/Lake Alfred. It was very spooky standing in an orange grove with no one around like that. The smell was unbelievable! Orange blossoms have a very sweet pungent orangy smell and it filled the air. When we woke I was able to open the RV window and pick an orange. Just wonderful surroundings! It was pretty cool out so I bundled up and walked the dogs. My race started pretty early and I met a few friends for the start. The course was pretty hilly and the start/finish was on a big hill with a headwind hammering straight at you as you climb. I was having a great race, probably spending too much time at the front pulling when I rotated back to the rear of the group. Up ahead I saw a big attack and was way to far back to respond. Our pace quickened and I saw one of the guys from Naples Cyclery that I raced along side of in the previous race trying to get back into the draft. He is a big guy with a lot of speed so I let him in and was glad I did! He pulled me up to the front of the group before the big hills started! As we approached the finish I positioned myself perfectly on the front. I could see the banners and people lining the finish ahead up the hill. I couldn't resist. I thought I could jump and hold everyone off so I went hard. I ran out of steam about 50 meters from the line and got passed like I was standing next to I95! I finished 11th. Next was my 1st Time Trial.

I had been looking forward to trying out my new TT bike (a Trek Speed Concept) and this was it! I had the pointy helmet and an aero jersey so I was prepared...still need a skin suit and disc wheel but that will come when I actually have something to spend! I lined up and got released. The experience of speed on a TT bike is awesome! The sound of the air going through my alien like helmet and the speed on my display was awesome! I caught a car and passed it like it was standing still! I also caught a few competitors as we are sent on 30 second intervals. I went a bit easy on the way out as I knew there was that ominous huge finish hill at the end (we are sent out, turn around and come back from the start/finish where on the road race we race in a big loop). I made my turn and came back. I really hit it n the hill and soon realized I should have gone faster on the way out as I still had some energy when I crossed the finish. I should have been puking and dying. Oh well I will try harder next time...but this effort was good enough for second! Excellent! I got more hardware!

The next day was a Criterium in downtown Winter Haven. We stayed at a Walmart parking lot as they allow RV's to stay (very handy) and arrived nice and early. Criteriums are always fast and dangerous but really intense and fun as they are in front of local businesses and usually held on downtown city streets. This one was no different with The Bean and Grape Cafe set right on one of the corners in front of the action! My race was pretty uneventful other than someone catching a pedal on the ground and spinning out in front of me. I finished 5th and got ready to head home. My sister Sandi texted me saying she was in town as well! What are the odds LOL! We went and visited my sister and her Boyfriend Jeff at a friend of theirs house in Winter Haven, 5 minutes away. The weekend was a success and I ws now leading the points championship. My next race is in Naples Florida, Where I lived for almost 10 years. Stay tuned! Evan

The are alive with the sound of...gears!

Well I did it! The Bicycle Magazine Fall Classic Fondo 2012 is in the books. The weather report looked pretty rainy all the way up to the event so I got a few items at Sicklers Bicycle in Exeter PA to deal with the cooler temperatures. I have a practice loop that goes from Wyoming PA to Harveys Lake and back and hit it hard a few times (its about 40 miles) and was feeling ok about my fitness. If this is your first time reading my blog, I am pretty new to road cycling as I got a road bike (my current Trek Madone 4.5) last September and started training for The Smart Ride ( https://www.thesmartride.org/8/pledge/pages/36/ )and my recap ( http://evandarling.blogspot.com/2011/11/smart-ride-8-post-ride.html ) and got really hooked on cycling! I had a great Trek EX8 mountain bike that I had been riding when I was in NC a few years ago but never got into the sport with the intensity like I have now. In 1998 I went for the Florida State Championships racing BMX and led the points to the end (for me) when I broke my collarbone at Okeeheelee. I still went for it broken collarbone and all and it was tough for sure! I was doing that more for my partners nephew who I was introducing to a sport that helped me through my troubled youth. Anyways, We arrived at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Breinigsville PA on Saturday morning to get registered, pick up my packet and timing chip and make a run through Velofest...a huge swap meet! Like a kid in a candy store I ran through it looking for a rain jacket and a few other goodies and got my moneys worth! Ultegra cranks and brakes, a Selle SMP Evolution seat (for $25!!!), my jacket (cannondale) and a few other goodies. Ray at the Bicycling Magazine registration booth sent me in the right direction to get them installed (I do not have alot of bike tools yet) at South Mountain Cycles & Coffee Bar in Emmaus PA...they fix your bike and serve the best cappucino...nice! We went back to the park and did an easy few miles around the track and headed to Walmart for the evening...they allow campers in the parking lot and it is open 24 hours...I fixed my bike and fell asleep without eating dinner DOH! The next morning I tried stuffing my face a few hours before and packed my jacket with munchies to avoid the bonk. It was freezing! I lined up and had a nice warm send off into the hills of PA. Now this event had 3 timed climbs with prizes for the top 5. I did not expect to win anything and i didn't but I am ok with that. There were some pretty serious people there. I started with the lead group and we were cruising along great to the first climb. I hit it pretty good but not with everything because it was only 5 miles in! We were flowing through some of the most beautiful roads and countryside I ever saw. we rounded a corner around mile 17.7 and I tried to go into my small ring for a climb and the chain popped off! I got it on fast but the pack rode on...I tried to follow for the next 20 miles and rode with a few of the fast guys in pursuit. I went to grab a bite to eat out of my jersey and ended up off course. I went to turn around when I realized to look for the signs and another guy wizzed by. I went after him as he looked like he knew where he was going. When asked if he knew if it was the right way as we hit an epic descent, he didnt know where he was going either! At the bottom we called the powers that be and were waiting for some directions as we were pretty far off course when we found an intersection. we backtracked and found our way again! from there it was the best day of riding ever! we climbed more hills than I did in Colorado on my summer trip, one called Hill Road in particular was pretty tough! I believe the 3rd timed climb was at the top. I see my time but did not even remember the 2nd climb! It was pretty tough digging all the way up the hill so I just did my best. The hills kept coming and I kept climbing. what came next were the worst cramps I ever felt! I was using muscles that are not used for cycling to somehow spin the cranks...I talked myself into finishing it with pain that would come and go like waves. the countryside and need to finish kept me going. At one point towards the end they sent us down a really cool gravel road! I would usually shy away from this kind of road on my road bike but it handled really well and was quite fun to slide it around! When the finish came I had covered 99 miles. Epic! The ride around the Velodrome was fun as well! I am figuring out that it was just the climbs that counted so next year I will keep myself fresh for the climbs and not try so hard to make it a race! Well here are the results ( http://bit.ly/UMrLXp ) as I finished 30th out of 130 starters...not bad for a beginner...I also was the winner of the hotly contested 44 year old group (there were 4 of us)! A big thanks to Bicycling Magazine, Specialized Bicycles, Topeak, NOW Energy Bars, H2O Overdrive, Wild Planet, Mediterranian Snack Foods, Giordana and all the people out there making this happen! See you next year!! Evan

Trying to get something going

I have noticed alot of international traffic on my website and blog...Lots of visits from Russia lately. Anyone there want to respond? I am still trying and will always try. I may be shutting down my website soon as it doesn't seem to make sense for me to keep it up if there is no interest in sponsorship. I will put the video on youtube and just get a cheap to maintain webpage. It is with great sadness that I shrink into the backround and get back to work and try and forget the last 5 years of struggling and begging. I do not know what I would have done differently or could ever do in the future to get people interested. There really is just no place for an out race car driver. I pretty much ended my career by trying to do this honestly and openly. I also should have listened to my conservative family and not tried this. It is embarrasing how little financial support has come from all of this. I love my fans and please keep the great emails and words of encouragement coming! I will always try and be my best (and get sponsors) but the GLBT financial world has spoken with no interest in getting someone out there in the straight world with an open message to our youth that you can do anything. I really thought it was an important message but I guess not. We live a stereotype. Sad.

I also just think I failed with my celebrity contacting skills. I tried paying publicists thousands of dollars to just make contact with Lady Gaga, Elton John, John Travolta and anyone else that may have interest in my mission but they all failed or just didnt put in the effort. If anyone knows how to contact a celebrity let me know!

I am getting ready for my first USA Cycling race next month to get a category rating (everyone starts at Cat 5) and begin my amateur bicycle racing journey. I have raced BMX bicycles for years, Mountain bikes and now road bikes. This is a great hobby getting me into the best shape of my life. I will try and blog about my progress even though it is much more boring than blogging about racing cars on the Pro level.

Thanks everyone for being there!
Evan

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!!!!

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