Ride For The Roses - 2001

Austin, Texas...Just Like I Pictured It

(Click here for the 2002 Ride.)

"Good morning Mr. Seaweed; it's 5 AM and 70 degrees in Austin." That was the wakeup call every morning from the front desk. Keep in mind that rain had just started falling last Friday morning as I stepped on the plane in lovely, beautiful, gorgeous San Jose where it was somewhere in the high 40's. I was three hours away from the land of George Dubya, Shiner Beer, and the Dallas Cowboys. So while you guys were lounging around the fireplace, the wise old Weedster was lumbering around in Lone Star Sunshine. And Austin had a great buzz going, too. Lance is in town. It's the Ride For The Roses weekend!

It's Party Time!

When they told us we'd be busy little bikers, they weren't kidding: check in, unload your bike, put it back together, take it for a little test ride, get yourself a big pile of southwestern cuisine, take a shower, HANG OUT WITH MISS U.S.A. So here we are at the first of many excellent activities: the Live To Ride Gala and dinner with the great Lance Armstrong. By the way, most of the auction stuff was a little out of yours and my price range: a yellow Tour de France leaders jersey signed by Lance..a bargain at $10,000; the famous Annie Liebovitz photo of a naked Lance on his bike..only $5000; or maybe you could use the Tiger Woods autographed flags from his first four Grand Slam tournaments..just $35,000. And it all goes to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which is OK by The Seaweed Page.

Changing The World One Survivor At A Time

The Lance Armstrong Foundation is all about Survivorship. From the moment Lance was diagnosed with cancer, he said "I am a survivor, not a victim." That's my friend Bob Hammer with his wife, Kim. Bob has the same testicular cancer that Lance had and, at dinner that night, he met several other guys that had survived the very same cancer. They introduced him to Lance's doctor (the one who saved his life), and he immediately offered his expertise and support. I'm telling you, this is a wonderful group of people. More on the Foundation later, but Bob and I had a very special bike ride to go on early the next morning.

Riding With The King

Everybody who raised over $5,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation got to go on a private ride with Lance on Saturday morning. As some of you people know, Mr. Seaweed likes to take the bike out for a scoot whenever possible. But to go for a ride in the ravishingly beautiful Austin, Texas countryside on a 75 degree day with the two-time winner of the Tour de France was an exceptionally cool moment. Hey, everybody's got their heroes. That day, a hundred and twenty five of us sure did.

Mork from Ork

And look who showed up! Robin Williams, the great cyclist from San Francisco! Actually, Robin's a pretty good rider. And the man never stops with the one-liners. He did about 25 minutes on stage at the dinner the night before, and it was absolutely hilarious. But then, when isn't he? Certainly not when riding with his buddy, Lance. That's my roommate on the trip, Doug Sovern from KCBS, interviewing him. Doug and I did the California AIDS Ride together in 1996 and figured we should get together and ride again. So we went half way across the country for a little cycling adventure and found our homeboy Robin hanging out with Lance.

Let's Go Racin'

It's Saturday night and 6th Street in Austin is absolutely rocking! Every two feet it seems like there's a juke joint or blues club or tattoo parlor with everybodys grandmother and dog partying big time on Friday and Saturday nights. On THIS Saturday night, there were an additional 30,000 spectators for the Downtown Criterium, an extremely fast bike race that loops around a ten block area of Austin's entertainment district. Our group hung out on the rooftop of Maggie Mae's eating barbecue and drinking margaritas. Lance is in training for the Tour, so some Russian guy won it and, boy was he one fast comrade!

Tres Amigos

Bob Hammer, Doug Sovern, Steven Seaweed. We're all on the same team. And Lance sure made us feel part of the team. He was sincerely grateful for everyone's support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Their goal, if you haven't already heard me say, is to change the world for the millions of people whose lives are impacted by cancer. Lance truly is a symbol of hope for the world of cancer survivors and their families. Our group raised $1.1 million to help Bob Hammer and people just like him manage and survive cancer. God Bless Lance Armstrong.

What Are You On?

Here's the fine print on this sweet Nike ad for Lance: "This is my body. And I can do whatever I want to it. I can push it. Study it. Tweak it. Listen to it. Everybody wants to know what I'm on. What am I on? I'm on my bike busting my ass six hours a day."

Weedman Lends A Hand

There's a great story that goes along with this one. When my friend, Doug, was interviewing Robin Williams, Robin wanted to thank "Miss D" for such great scenery on our ride with Lance. He said following her was like "swimming behind Jennifer Lopez." To make a long story short, at the autograph signing before the ride, everybody got two items signed. This woman put her leg up on the table for one of hers. Lance loved it. Before the ride, she asked Robin Williams for HIS autograph. This one was applied to the right butt cheek of "Miss D" and, later that night at dinner before the downtown race, I whispered to her that I'd heard she got another autograph. "What the hell, I've had a few margaritas, I'll show you," and she did. Unfortunately, your Ride For The Roses Reporter was not quick enough with the digital camera. Sorry.

100K...Let's Ride!

It's finally here. Sunday morning and the signature event of the weekend, The 2001 Ride For The Roses! The paper reported that over 8,000 crazy cyclists showed up for 10, 25 or 65 miles of gorgeous Austin countryside. The wildflowers were in bloom, the grass was green and once again we were in bicycle heaven. Naturally, the BONE Cycling Team powered its way through a full 65. Unfortunately, Lance had to bail after 25 miles to catch a flight back to France. He's racing there next week. The Ride started with Austin native Michael Ward (he's the guitarist for Jakob Dylan's band, the Wallflowers, and an excellent amateur bike racer) playing a Hendrixesque version of the Star Spangled Banner. It ended with live Rock 'n Roll, great food, ice cold beer and an occasional sore butt. Once again, a great group of people. Wonderful ride.

Lance Is Coming!

He'll be in San Francisco for the Pro Cycling Tour's BMC Software Grand Prix on September 9, 2001. Lance will make a rare US appearance on a 225km circuit (15 laps) of hilly terrain through downtown San Francisco, encompassing the Embarcadero, Presidio and North Beach areas. Most of the best cyclists in the world will be competing for a $100,000 purse. Mark your calendar.

One Last Thing

If you're still with me, I was at this panel discussion with Lance. It was called The Faces of Survivorship and I heard a guy read a poem he wrote. His name is Michael Hayes Samuelson. He's a breast cancer survivor, very cool guy and the author of Voices from the Edge.

Close the Door When You Leave

I never asked you to visit
...at least I don't believe I did
Maybe...I don't know It's so confusing
At any rate, you're a rude guest
You take my energy,
rob my sleep
and with a stick,
You swirl and distort my dreams
All right,
You are here...for now
But understand
There are two places that are forever off limits
You may not tread on my spirit
You may not occupy my soul
I have heard of your visits to others
I know the damage you leave in your path
The wanton disregard
for innocence, value, and what some would call fairness
Also, I hear that laughter confuses you;
that good food makes you feel bad,
and That nothing causes you more distress
than an autumn sunset,
the forever blue of a summer sky
Or the unconditional radiance of a child's smile
Listen and understand
You might pilfer my closets, empty all the drawers, and trash my house
But there are two places forever off limits
You may not tread on my spirit
You may not occupy my soul
Do not mistake my nausea, weakness, and pain
as signs of your victory
They are simply small dents in the armour I wear to fight you
Instead, look deeply into my eyes
They will once again remind you
that there are two places forever off limits
You must not... May not... Will not tread on my spirit
You must not... May not... Will not occupy my soul