2010 Cochise County Cycling Classic Support

What an awesome opportunity we had to ride in and support the 2010 Cochise County Cycling Classic. Ray, Nic and I went to Douglas, AZ on a wonderful summer day to setup our IC3 canopy and hand out some delicious and nutritious Recoverite after the racers have finished their rides. Thanks be to Hammer Nutrition for their continued support in this manner.

Jim and Ken raced as Bike Partol in the 45 mile event and if that wasn't enough, afterward they headed over to man the last Ham radio station in support of this event. WOOOHOOO !!! Praises be to our Heavenly Father for such dedicated men. As the word says in James 2:18ff "But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?".

We talked to many riders after their race. The consensus was that the wind was not as bad this year as in previous years. But was it enough to set a new record? Check out the unofficial results posted.

Can We Pedal Our Way Into Heaven ?

That was one of the questions Judy Bowman from WHEEL POWER Christian Cyclists presented to us. The day before Mothers Day, we had a great get-together on that beautiful Saturday in May. The temps just climbed into the high 80's, the best time for a BBQ. Even though that was a blessing in itself, praises be to our Heavenly Father, we had an even greater blessing because of the visit from Judy Bowman. Judy has an incredible gift and blessing from God to spread the good news though her cycling mistry. So can we pedal our way into heaven?

Of course not! And Judy made that very clear. The Bible says:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Eph 2:8

She challenged us to share the Good News and to be a witness for Christ, as Christ instructed his disciples in Acts 1:9 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth". So what do witnesses do? Simple, they don't judge, they don't prosecute, they just tell the truth of what happened to them. Are you ready? What happened to you when Jesus got a hold of you?

Be encouraged, if Jesus if for us, who can be against us?!?

Updated Post: Mt. Lemmon Climb

Our Mt. Lemmon Climb with members from the FCA-E Phoenix Huddle was a success. Many thanks to the organizers and support vehicles for an outstanding day on the roads of Mt. Lemmon.

Praises be to our Heavenly Father !!!

We were not the only once escaping the HEAT of Tucson and Phoenix. We saw many individual riders as well as other teams that were using Mt. Lemmon as an elevation training. That gave us and the support team plenty of opportunity to be a witness for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

There were about 30 riders with all kinds of fitness and skill levels. That was more than we anticipated. But we were well prepared with 4 sag stops and 5 sag vehicles. Each sag stop had more goodies than the next. All riders had a great time and some of them were looking forward to our next training climb up Mt. Lemmon. Check out some of the picture we took.

Mt. Lemmon Climb

We are looking forward to climb to the top of Mt. Lemmon on Aug. 14 with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Endurance (FCA-E).

When: Aug. 14 starting at 6:00am
Where: 9121 East Tanque Verde Road, Tucson, AZ 85749
Meeting at Le Buzz coffee shop near Safeway

I hope you can join us to this wonderful climb. It's going to be an escape from the heat. We will be enjoying riding through the pine forest. It's gonna be quite a transformation from the desert floor. If you have never done this, you should. We will have sag support along the way, so don't be intimidated and ride as far as you can.

"I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable."
Psalm 145

2010 4th of July Ride

Happy 4th of July !

This was the second year for our 4th of July Ride. These early morning rides are a blessing here in Tucson, especially on the 4th of July. With almost no traffic on the road, it was a relaxing bike ride. And afterward at AJ's we had an equally great time of fellowship. It was a time to catch up on what happened so far during the summer and what is going to happen for the remaining summer month. It's a time of sharing and relaxing, encouragement and exhortation.

I hope you had a great 4th of July in 2010. We'll hope to see you at our next years ride. God speed, your IC3 Team in Tucson.

2010 Ride Of Silence

We participated in this years Ride of Silence in Tucson, AZ. This was the first time I rode in it and it was truly amazing. For about 1 hour we rode around Tucson to Honor, to bring Awareness and to Share the Road in a silent way. The silence was truly amazing, especially with so many cyclists participating. Usually at training rides or even races there is some conversation going on at all times. But at this ride all riders were disciplined. WOW!







"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!"
Psalm 46:10






I hope and pray that each rider truly reflected on their lives, and that God who rode with us will make Himself know to each riders and Bless Him or Her and safe them, as it is written, "let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Cochise Classic Preparations

A handful of our IC3 members in Tucson are getting ready to race in the Cochise County Cycling Classic. From the 4 distances (252, 157, 92 and 45 miles) most of us are racing the 92 miles event and the rest the 45 miles event. Having participated in 3 previous Cochise Classic races, it is going to be a challenging race. The goal, as always :-), is the platinum time, which is for the 92 miles 4h:30min. That time used to be 4h:15min which was a tough race considering the pack splits into small groups after Mull Pass in Bisbee. Once the downhill after the pass turns into rolling hills, the wind picks up and it's amazing how it always seems to be a head wind regardless what direction you are going.

In preparation, we did a training ride from Sierra Vista to Bisbee through Mule Pass and back to Sierra Vista in August. Robert Fleckenstein, our Certified USA Cycling Level II Coach and a USA Cycling Certified Power-Based Trainer, is leading 2 rides every week until the race. Those rides are short but furious. One comment from Robert was "Can we suffer like HE did?" And of course we are not able to suffer like our faithful Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we find strength and comfort and through whom we are able to make our petitions know to our Heavenly Father. Praise be to HIM alone !!!

Besides those rides, we have our regular scheduled East, NW and Mid-town Saturday rides. Please join us in preparation for either the Cochise Classic or even El Tour de Tucson. It's going to be here in no time.

"The LORD bless you and keep you
The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace"
Numbers 6:24-26