Eric Chen’s Neighborhood

Click here to read about our team's double century pre-ride training!

-Eric

Hey friends and family,

First off, congrats to all of you who've graduated this past weekend! I too join you as UT's class of '09. Hook em horns.

That said, I want to thank ALL of you guys for your support this past year and a half. From the epic garage sale to the It's a Grind fundraiser, to all of you who so kindly donated to finding a cure, and most importantly to those of you who shared with me your personal experiences with this dreadful thing called cancer.

This summer will be a crazy experience, and I remind you all to follow with me on my journey via www.texas4000.org . I'll hopefully be regularly updating my journal and taking lots of pictures/videos for you all to experience the ride through.

If you all have any names or stories you'd like to share with me but have been hesitant to, please do share! We ride this summer b/c we believe that a bunch of college kids can do something to cure cancer. Be the change you want to see in the world right?

Lastly, join me and my team for one last hurrah at the official Texas 4000 sendoff of from UT Austin. There'll be a short presentation and we'll be off:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=82913089644#/event.php?eid=85518316166&ref=ts

Best of luck to all of you who will be working hard this summer. Keep fighting the good fight!

your bro & friend,
Eric

Day 1: Austin to San Marcos (56 mi)

Today we biked from Austin to San Marcos - a 56 mile journey. We started the day at 4:50 am and kicked off at about 7am. We arrived in San Marcos at about 12:30pm to PB&J sandwiches. Today was a tough ride to me, especially at first. My legs were still tight and not warmed up, and I was definitely working the whole time. Additionally, thinking about Mr. Yin while I rode seemed to make it even more difficult and trying because not only would my body be tired but my heart would be heavy also. Nevertheless, it definitely also made me persevere all the more. James, I'm praying for you and your wife and daughter Jasmine. As I write this my legs are already sore, and I'm nervous about tomorrow's ride - also another 50 miler. I know I can finish it, but I wonder at what pace I can ride. I'm so grateful for this opportunity, and I know our team is growing closer and closer (in more ways than you'd imagine). And while I'm excited about the ride, I'm definitely anxious about these next 70 days leading up to our ATLAS ride. In the meantime, I'll keep pedaling and pressing on through the pain--because pain is temporary, but hopefully our impact lasts a lifetime. Please pray for continued courage, strength, and team safety.

Day 2: San Marcos to New Braunfels (53 mi)

I've arrived at New Braunfels, showered, and eaten lunch. today's ride was not nearly as tough as yesterday's, maybe because we were more warmed up this time. that said, today's route had more hills which feel terrible to climb, but if you keep pedaling, it soon works itself out. Another big event for today... I had my first "big" collision. We were going in a double paceline (which is when two riders ride side by side with a line of riders one behind the other) at about 20 mph when the riders at the front dropped off. I guess Bryn, my teammate in front of me, was following too closely b/c within seconds she had skidded and crashed to the pavement still on her bike. I, following closely behind her quickly braked but I think still hit her wheel and flew over my bike. Luckily, Bryn was wearing her helmet, and it did indeed crack rendering it now useless, but she's doing great with only a few cuts and bruises (she's a fighter). I ended up landing on my hands and side, and thanks to these Pearl Izumi gloves, my hands aren't nearly as torn up or bruised as they would have been. The irony is that I was just complaining this morning that my gloves were already starting to wear down after only one ride. I guess worn out gloves are still better than no gloves at all. In the end, we ended up making it to New Braunfels in one piece at about 12pm. Legs are a bit sore, but nothing unexpecte. All in all, I'm glad I kept at it, even after being shaken up a bit from the collision. In the afternoon we visited a cancer center, which was definitely time well spent. We visited the Cancer Care Center in New Braunfels and the doctors there were kind enough to give the 16 of us a tour of the facility. it was especially enlightening because it was my first visit to such a facility; before this I didn't know how radiation and chemotherapy really worked. We were updated on the latest radiation technology, e.g. Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) or an even newer one called "Immuno-radiation." While we learned a lot, we didn't get to interact with patients due to doc-patient confidentiality. At this center, my eyes were opened to the reality of the amount of time and strain those affect by cancer really endure. The site administrator, Jan, was actually a cancer survivor herself, and she shared with us in more detail what chemotherapy is really like and the toll it took on her body personally. We then heard a brief talk by one of the radiation oncologists and he shared with us some of the historical advances of radiation treatment and also some of the side effects of radiation treatment ranging from loss of taste, dry mouth, infertility to uncontrollable bowel movements. Willing to endure that in hopes of fighting cancer really showed me the true colors of the beast we're riding against this summer. Truly mind-blowing.

Day 3: New Braunfels to Austin (50 mi)

This was the last day of our road trip. We were feeling good, excited to be heading home, and ready to ride the straight shot back to Austin. The day turned out to be absolutely gorgeous and we got to watch the sun rise in the distance over the yellow plains. The horizon had colors I rarely see in the city, a perfect blend of blue from the dawn with red from the sun, with hints of orange and purple in between. There was little wind today which made the ride all the more enjoyable, and before we knew it, we had biked 20 miles and reached the first rest stop. To our pleasant surprise, the later groups also came rolling in soon after. It's exciting to see that we didn't spread out that far between groups, we were all improving as individual cyclists and as a team. For the last stretch, we conquered roads from the Buda Taco Ride, which then seemed so daunting, with much greater ease this time. The hills we remembered as daunting were pushed through with greater ease than we had expected. Truly, our improvement is measurable. Alas, we reached Austin safely and celebrated with an all-you-can-eat buffet of leftover luncheon meat, granola bars, muffins, pretzels, and PB&J from the days before.

Recap:

All in all, these past few days were great. I definitely feel more confident as a cyclist and our team has definitely grown closer. I look forward to our future "road" trips together and the laughs and cries we'll share as we come together, united under one cause. Thanks for reading, and until next time... take care and remember to wear your sunblock. : )

Ride dedication: Tonight I ride for Mr. James Yin. I knew him as an optimistic and thoughtful man, father in the truest sense of the word to a joyful daughter, and a loving and gentle husband.

I just heard news that someone close to our family passed tonight of stomach cancer. I can sincerely say he was a bright, goofy, loving guy. It's so weird to use the past tense like this. I'll confess, I am pretty nervous about my 3-day ride starting tomorrow-- it's the longest we will have ridden as a team (totaling 150+ miles). Is it strange that upon hearing this news I am more ready to ride? In some ways, it's saddening that all I CAN do is ride a bicycle... nevertheless, I'll do what I can. These next three days, our team will be biking from Austin to San Marcos to New Braunfels and back. We'll be sleeping at a school gym one night and a gracious host's home the next. I'll try to post some pictures when I get the chance.

In the mean time, please be praying for Mr. Yin and his family.

Looks like cancer really does affect us all at some point in our lives.

So it's been a few weeks since my last post, but from the video you can see that I've actually physically received my new bike! If you haven't watched it yet, check it out--I'm not very bike savvy, but it'll do :).

Since then, I've been riding about 30-40 miles per week, definitely starting off slower but I'm sure it will pick up faster soon. The weather in Austin has been great, and I've been loving going out on afternoon rides with some of the team... getting some exercise in... and getting mentally and physically prepped for what's ahead.

This past week, Dr. Matt Harding, a oncological surgeon from MD Anderson and T4k board member, visited UT and shared some common and not so common facts about cancer. DID YOU KNOW that the current rate for malignant melanoma (one of the worst forms of skin cancer) is 1 in every 68 people? STILL MORE SHOCKING is that using tanning beds increases this risk 9-fold to 1 of every 7-8. We will definitely be applying generous amounts of suncreen this summer... and suddenly having a nice tan doesn't seem like such a priority.

In other news, out team is going on our first training camp this coming weekend to Fayetteville, Texas where we will be trained in the art of safe cycling. I'm excited and definitely a little nervous about our 40 mile rides this coming Saturday and Sunday. Nevertheless, I'm excited to meet our trainers, both of whom have been directly affected by cancer. I still don't think the magnitude and a full understanding of what our team is embarking on has hit me yet. I don't know when it will, or if it ever will. In the meantime, I have to keep reminding myself truly why I'm riding this summer... it's easy to get caught up on training and program planning and lose sight of the core meaning of it all. I thank God I have a team and leaders to constantly remind each other why we ride and serve.

Tonight I ride for one of my friend's mom who recently passed of pancreatic cancer. Mrs. Peggy Liaw, mother of Gene, Faye, Matthew, and Sharon Liaw, passed on February 1, 2009. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers. (http://prayingformom.blogspot.com)

Keep living strong folks. Life is fleeting and unpredictable; I encourage you all to make the most of it and spend your time well. Til next time.

-Eri

Tonight the team celebrated an old friendship and new found partnership with Jack & Adams bike shop. It was an exciting step to take because they've supported us an immeasurable amount in years past yet we've never officially partnered with them. This year however, they have worked with Felt to get us fitted and ready to start logging miles on our bikes.

So yeah, it was a frigid night. But I really did enjoy seeing old faces again and meeting new teammates. There are only 50 of us, but I guess since we have so much to do before the ride, we rarely get a chance to just get to know each other. Tonight was a rare exception.

A lot happened tonight. I met the faces behind Jack & Adams (even Jack himself) and also met Mrs. Kirsten who will be coordinating the ATLAS ride in the late spring. It takes nights like these to remind myself the reality and magnitude of the task at hand. I think Drew, from J&A, put it best when he said that we don't yet grasp just how big of an impact this ride and we as riders will have on the people we meet throughout this journey. I guess when we're in the middle of it all, we don't always "see the forest." But I'm glad people can remind and encourage us. I know for me, these peoples' (and my friends') hopes and expectations will fuel me when the going gets tough. Having people believe in you is indeed a powerful force.

So as the night was coming to an end, we lined up for a team picture... freezing but joyful nonetheless. And to conclude the night, Joe (our equipment coordinator) stepped to the front and informed us that we wouldn't be getting our bikes in February as we had expected. In fact we wouldn't even be getting them in March, he said, cause they're here tonight... And suddenly a trailer pulls out from the side of J&A revealing a tent housing 50 brand new clean white Felt road bikes. (Cue the angel's choir). It was an awesome sight to see. Teammates hugging eachother and realizing perhaps for the first time that this really is the start of something good. Holding the cold frame in my hands and gazing at the slick exterior with a longhorn decal at the frame's base, I felt like a little kid on Christmas. But more than that, I saw myself coasting between mountains and pedaling through the rains, with this bicycle as my trusty companion. Granted it's just an object; but in the fight against cancer, these bikes are our weapons... and alas we are equipped.

In a nutshell, tonight was a night to remember. In my mind, it benchmarked the dawning of the real physical, mental, emotional journey which we will be embarking on together. There's no looking back now-- we'll keep our eye on the prize and hope alongside those whom we ride for.

I am constantly amazed by the generosity of my friends and of strangers. The It's a Grind fundraiser went INCREDIBLY well raising more than $500 for the fight against cancer. I want to give a big shout out to my friends who supported me the whole time that afternoon and not only donated their money but also their time in coming out on that hot Saturday afternoon.

This Friday/Saturday (8/9/08), my friends and I are holding a yard sale out by Davis Library/ Matthews Elementary in Plano. I want to note how thankful I am that my friends, notably those from the CYLC and PCAC, continue to invest their time, effort, sweat, (and donated goods) to helping the cause! Thanks to all of the counselors who have showed up and supported us, whether it's making lemonade one gallon at a time or painting signs-- I want y'all to know that I really appreciate all of you guys' hard work. :) thanks again for supporting the cause.

until next time....

as Pastor Barry always says, "Keep lookin' up!"