The month of
May proved to be another month of action - both in and out of the saddle - for the Mangs and Alings. As summer starts rolling in, everyone gets busier doing outdoor activities, celebrating graduations, playing with and on water, and of course, more cycling! Team Mang continues to do training rides on Saturdays but they've started piling up their other days with more get togethers and fun times.
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| Alings and Mangs having a blast on Lake Union |
Twice, this month, Mangs and Alings tried their hands on
Dragon Boat - this is a team effort sport relying on paddling strength and speed but more importantly, timing. Thanks to some coaching from the Flying Dragons Boat Club, we were able to feel how our upper bodies could actually hurt after an activity that's dependent on core strength and movement. All this time, we've all been using mostly our legs! Our first experience came on a sunny Sunday afternoon where we did very well, racing twice with another boat filled with beginners. We won twice. After nursing a few aching backs with Salonpas and Alieve the day after, we were ready to try our hand at it again. This time, a cold Monday evening provided us an opportunity to race against the actual Flying Dragons team that's practicing for a competition in July. Of course, we lost...but we put up a good fight!
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| Recognize those Mang jerseys? Ready to race! |
In the meantime, Mangs Boni and Alex participated in weekly races at
Pacific Raceway in Auburn. No medals yet but we're confident that that's just a matter of time. Going over 20 mph for 15 miles is pretty hard! We're rooting for you both and we're looking forward to some awards ceremony eventually!
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| Mangs pose at the finish line aftertheir first century ride |
Cascade Club's
Flying Wheels Bicycle Ride is the first official road bike ride that the Mangs and Alings participated in this year. As usual, they didn't go unnoticed. Records were shattered on this ride as our fastest riders, Mang Boni, Alex and Roland, reportedly finished the century in less than 6 hours! For most of our team, this was their first opportunity to ride a full century and they all finished in relatively good time. Usually that's an indication that a rider is ready to do a one day Seattle To Portland ride; the only question being how much faster one can get there. There are a couple more major rides planned in the next month so Mangs and Alings can be even more prepared for the July double century.
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| Representatives of Team Mang at the Champions Dinner |
Also on the 30th, the
American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure put on their
Champions Dinner where they honored TdC fund raisers in the region who have raised more than $1,000 for the cause. Team Mang had the biggest group of champions, thanks to the generous support of friends and family in their fund raising efforts (see April's dinner dance). The Team is making such a presence in this event that they always get special mention and their own team tent at the actual event. We'd like to recognize the leadership that
Mang Rene provided throughout this effort, culminating in Team Mang bringing in more than $22K for the cause - double what we did last year. Thanks, Mang Rene!
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| Mangs and Alings make a good showing at the Tour de Cure |
The actual
Tour de Cure ride was held on Sunday, the 31st, at Chateau Ste Michelle in Woodinville. The team had made the decision not to ride a long ride on this day in order to take advantage of all that was going on at the site. Five Alings rode the 25 mile ride while the rest of the Mangs did the 40 mile route. With more than 20 riders total, Team Mang had the biggest group of riders in the event. No incidents except for the usual rider getting lost in the Snoqualmie Valley (it's what happens when you're going too fast - you miss the turn). The TdC is proving to be one of the causes that this team is solidly in support of and one of those more meaningful rides of the year. Thanks to all of our friends and family who supported all our efforts this month!
So June is coming up and we've got more than a couple of major rides planned getting us ready for StP and the Death Ride. Stay tuned to this blog to see what else Team Mang and Team Aling are going to be up to!
