May closes out with lots of Mang Action

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

Mangs Show They're Not Just About Bicycling

Mangs and Alings at the kitchen preparing for the evening

On Friday, April 24, the Mangs and Alings sponsored an event entitled Dinner Dance Against Diabetes to benefit the American Diabetes Association.  Planned by a crack team of Mangs, Alings and their friends under the leadership of Mang Rene and the support of others in the community, the event went off with a few glitches - but none that would derail it from its purpose: to raise awareness of the effects of Diabetes and to raise funds for the organization whose mission it is to find a cure for it.  The team works with the Tour de Cure, a bicycling event that raises funds for the ADA.

Dinner was served on time even as more people were still showing up.  In the meantime, Mang Joe and Mang Eric kept on selling raffle tickets for prizes valued anywhere from $25 (gift cards) to $300 (a carbon handlebar).  There was all manner of fun stuff valued in between (restaurant gift cards, gift baskets, special liquor, even a 12th Man jersey).  Every time a raffle took place, you felt the anticipation from everyone.  Even for the non-winners, it was a great time.

Angela Hill from Tour de Cure
shared her story

After dinner, Angela Hill, the event coordinator for Tour de Cure shared her story and how the Tour de Cure has meant a lot to her.  Our fellow cyclist, Leila, also shared her story about how she is dealing with the disease.  The speakers concluded with Louisa, one of our Alings.  All speakers highlighted the importance of educating ourselves about the issue and thanking the evening's participants for their support.

One of the highlights of the evening was the Dessert Dash where guests got to bid indirectly for their desserts, or rather their placement in the hierarchy of who gets to choose first.  After a few minutes of dashing to their chosen desserts, everyone settled in for their sweets.

Mang Rene takes on the lead
even on the dance floor!

We spent the last couple of hours of the evening dancing and just enjoying each other's company.  As with every Mang get together, everyone had a blast.  Laughter permeated the room.  The evening ended around 11 but most of the team stayed to clean up and get the community center back in order.

Our team would like to thank all our sponsors who provided the food - Gianfranco Italian at Snoqualmie, Inay's Kitchen in Seattle and FilCuisine in Kent.  Several donors both from within and outside the team also contributed prizes for the raffle and we're grateful to them as well.  Our event would not have been successful without their support.

Cycling is fun, but helping people through a cause like Preventing Diabetes is even more fulfilling - hopefully by riding our bikes and doing events like this, people are inspired to put more emphasis on exercise and having a good time while doing it. Go team!

Q1 Update - Mangs get ready for Spring

And just like that, the first quarter of 2015 is now part of history.  The mangs have been busy this past month although a lot of us still remain in hiatus opting to address other things in life aside from cycling - apparently there are other things in life.

Cold rides in winter can't defeat the Mangs

Early in the month, several Mangs renewed their commitment to raising funds for the American Diabetes Association through the Tour de Cure.  Last year, the team put out an awesome effort under Mang Rene's leadership and raised more than $10K for the cause.  This year's team goal is less although at the time of this writing, we've already surpassed it. Watch out for a report on my next post on how our event - a Dinner Dance Against Diabetes - went. It's scheduled for Friday, April 24 at 7PM at the Renton Community Center.  If you haven't already done so, contact one of our Mangs for tickets at $35.  That includes dinner, a dance and the satisfaction of having contributed towards finding a cure for Diabetes.

Mangs and Alings at the TdC KickOff at Chateau Ste Michelle

Mangs' inclusiveness and willingness to work with other groups was showcased again this month as several of us rode and hung out with other teams.  If you haven't already noticed, even though Mangs wear the same kits on community events, they never exclude anyone from their activities and rarely use their team-ness as an excuse to shy away from joining other groups.  This month, Team Mang Putik (mud) rode with United Mountain Bike of Washington, on several occasions - including a field trip to Orcas Island's Moran State Park, foregoing the regular Saturday road ride.  Also, on a typical training ride Saturday, you'll find Mangs riding with H2Velo and United Mountain Bike riders (on road bikes) around the area.  It's all about riding for fun and promoting the sport we all love.

It's not all about cycling, too.  Other sports are starting to creep into our team's weekend activities. For instance, our ladies, the Alings, are starting more activities not involving carbon fiber and aluminum.  On the last weekend of March, Aling Virna organized a hike up to Poo-poo point in Issaquah.  Looks like there will be more variations in activities this summer as we're talking about doing other things such as kayaking, SUP and more hiking.

As the second quarter rolls in, Mangs will begin to diverge in their cycling training efforts.  Those who are aiming for more serious goals will ride harder courses at faster paces to achieve higher fitness levels to tackle the Death Ride and RAMROD in the summer. Some are also aiming to finish community rides like the RSVP and STP and beat their records.  Others who just ride for fun and fitness and who may be aiming to do less training to address other priorities will inevitably train less. We will plan on rides where we all come together at a moderate pace on occasion. It's all good - as long as we keep a positive attitude and keep being encouragers to each other in whatever goals we're working towards.

Happy riding..or better yet, happy exercising, Mangs and Alings, whatever you're doing!