Stage 2 Descents

It’s been an honor to ride many thousands of miles with this dude to help fight cancer.

LIOTR Stage 2

Today we’ll double back five miles to cover the ground we had to give up when the road was closed last night due to an accident. We’ll follow RT 26 all the way to John Day Forest 175+ miles away. We should encounter awesome mountain and canyon views along the way including MT Hood.

Stage 2 Dedication

John Maillet Jr. was just a few days shy of his 45th birthday when he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in late February of 2009. Happily married with two teenaged sons—one a senior in high school and the other in junior high—he decided early on that he was not going to let cancer redefine who he was. And, in the two and a half years that followed, he didn’t. He continued to work full time, he spent time with his family and friends, and he faced each day with a positive attitude, good humor, strength, and determination. John was an avid sports fan, and he loved the Boston teams: Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins; watching every game he could. John died on June 18th, 2011, three days after gathering with his family and friends to watch his beloved Bruins win the Stanley Cup. He will always be remembered for his love of family and friend, music, and sports.

First flat of the cross country ride

If you ride on Rt 30 in Portland, you know the nickname “Dirty 30” is well earned. Of course it’s only right then that the first flat of our ride happens here as we approach the PDX metro area.

Stage 1 Is Done

LIOTR Stage 1 ended 5 miles short of the hotel when the road was closed due to a pretty bad accident. We started at the ocean and ended 158 miles and 8054 ft of climbing later. Tomorrow we’ll begin right where we left off.

Stage 1 is off to an awesome start.

112 miles in, we stopped at @rapha_n_america to smash food into our faces before the 50 mile last stretch.

Let’s Roll

The Speedvagen waiting to begin its journey across the US.

The beginning.

LIOTR Stage 1 Overview

June 17, 2013. Stage 1 departs Seaside, OR and meanders on to Portland via Astoria and the Helvetia and Scappoose highways. As we leave the coast we’ll encounter 80+ miles of beautiful rolling woodland hills that eventually lead to downtown Portland. After a brief coffee stop at Rapha HQ, we travel through eastern Portland and begin the long ascent to Government Camp, OR. We’ll stay there at the base of Mt Hood and rest up for another day of climbing.

Stage 1 Dedications

Jim Sunderland got to know Leave It On The Road through our social media outreach. He was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in March of 2011 at the age of 46, despite having no risk factors or family history. He pursued an aggressive treatment plan, and at the end of 10 months of treatment was disease free. The long-term chemo took a tool on his body, but he was back on his bike in January 2012. A routine scan in February 2013 found two very small and slow growing tumors in his right lung. They were removed in April and confirmed to be mets of the original colon cancer. Jim started chemo in May and will end in August. He looks forward to being back on the bike and hopefully racing cyclocross again in the fall. Every bike ride he has done since his diagnosis he views as a celebration of life and sticking his thumb in cancer’s eye.

Amy Melinda Ogmundson, age 26, died Feb. 6th, 2013 after an 8-year long fight with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare bone cancer. Her bout with cancer began just after graduating high school at age 18. Amy was a gifted musician and athlete, and had a great love for children and all of God’s creatures. She had a beautiful singing voice and sang for many events that were benefits for Children’s Regional Medical Center in Seattle, where she received treatment.

LIOTR Custom Engraved Tudor Fastriders

We’d like to welcome Tudor Watches to the LIOTR family and say a huge thanks for their support of our mission and our fundraising goals. As the Tudor brand returns to the US this year, we’ll be putting these custom engraved Fastrider Chronos to the test on our journey across the country. We are insanely thrilled to be working with them to reach new audiences for the LIOTR message, thanks for all of your support!

Hotel coffee sucks!

Thanks to @grimpeurbros and Baratza we’re are PRO when it comes to mobile coffee. Inside this bad boy we’ve got a Baratza Virtuoso grinder, Bona Vita thermal 1800 coffee maker, scale & filters. And 5 lbs of special edition LIOTR coffee, which you can ORDER RIGHT NOW and help fight colon cancer with your purchase. Details at grimpeurbros.com.