Big Ride Pacific Coast

Giro d'onore 

("Lap of Honor")   

       With Fond Memories of 

Carmelo Grassia (and "Nutmeg")

 

MANY THANKS TO PETE BUCK AND THE BUCK LAW GROUP IN SEATTLE FOR GENEROUSLY 

OFFERING TO MATCH DONATIONS AT 50% FROM TODAY UNTIL I REACH MY GOAL! 

Welcome to Stephanie "Sledgehammer" Grassia's Big Ride Pacific Coast 2008 web page!  On September 13, 2008, I will undertake the biggest physical challenge I've ever faced in my life: The Big Ride Pacific Coast. The Big Ride is a fund-raising bicycle ride starting in Seattle and arriving in San Francisco 15 days later. With your help, my fellow bikers and I will pedal 960 miles in 15 days, averaging more than 77 miles per day, with about 45,000' of hill climbing (!!!). I am currently training for the ride and hope that I have what it takes come September. My "personal coach," Steve (my husband), is cracking the whip to make sure I stay focused on my training. Steve is a much better rider than me and has helped me improve my skills greatly.

The Big Ride will be a special event for me. I will be riding my "Giro d'onore" ("lap of honor") in memory of my father-in-law, Carmelo ("Mel") Grassia, who died on March 7, 2007 from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a dreadful, debilitating lung disease that slowly and painfully took his life. There is no known cure for pulmonary fibrosis. My father-in-law was a dear man who always supported me like I was his own child, and I am honored to remember him during the preparation for and during the Big Ride. My favorite things about Dad were his laugh and his insistence on trying to learn the inner workings of the computer (this is what happens when you spend your life as an electrical engineer and have the compulsion to know what makes things tick). It was never good enough to just operate the computer; he was constantly trying to figure out how to reprogram it!

I will also remember the times that we sat around the dinner table, he and Mom laughing at my ridiculous capers as a child (and as an adult!). Those of you who knew him know exactly what I'm talking about. He always thought we were crazy to do so much bicycle riding! I miss him.

I have included a picture of Dad and my cat, Nutmeg, on my personal web page. A funny anecdote: Dad used to always emphatically claim that he "didn't like cats!" but a picture is worth a thousand words (I also caught him once using a piece of string to amuse the cat when he thought no one was looking). This is my favorite picture of Dad. When the going gets tough on the Ride, I will just think of Dad and this picture, and I know it will help get me through.  A sad note:  Nutmeg died on August 2, 2008, leaving another sad, empty place in our lives.

If you want to see how the training is going, click on the two links below.  One takes you to my daily mileage log; the other is my training diary.

Click on the following link to view Stephanie's Geeky Training Stats:  http://sgrassia.googlepages.com/diary  

Click on the following link to view Stephanie's training blog:  Welcome

I also have more stats about the ride below, such as our ride schedule, daily elevation gains, a map, and a link to the American Lung Association's Big Ride website. 

I hope you'll join me in my big adventure and help win the battle against lung disease!

Many thanks,
Stephanie Grassia

Ride Schedule

Last updated September 10, 2008.