Misc Training Photos

Here are a few photos from my recent Bike Rides as I train and try to get as much seat time as possible. The most are from the Santa Ana River Trail and the last one is in Chino Hills on Chino Hills Parkway.

Planning the Route

Planning my route is proving to be a real challenge. The most difficult leg of my ride will be figuring out the best way to get from Palmdale to Upland. As of right now, it's looking like I'm going to try and do it all in one day. Trying to get through the Cajon Pass will possibly require a quick ride on I-15 from the 138 to Cleghorn Road. I am hoping to find ways to make this as safe as possible, and the goal would be to ride through early enough to avoid extra congestion. The other option would be to go South on the 2 from Palmdale and travel through Pasadena on my way to Upland. The problem with the second option is that there is an extra 2,000 feet of climbing and depending on my conditioning and weight I may not have what it takes to get that done in one day. On a bright note, it's looking like a may have a couple people interesting in riding with me for the last day. I'm pretty sure I will be exhausted by this point, so having the extra company may be exactly what I need to finish this ride.

Some of my goals for training will be to ride at least one 100 mile bike ride. I also want to have a couple weeks where I ride to work for all 5 days in the week. The biggest key for me is to try and ride as much a possible and build up a tolerance for sitting on my bike. In regards to my weight, I'm looking to lose about 20+ pounds. One way of accomplishing that will be through The Daniel Plan. This will be the 4th year that my wife and I have done the Daniel Plan during the lent season and it has been a wonderful experience of learning how to eat and what to eat. It has a very balanced approach and it has literally changed our lives. We haven't always stuck to the plan as well as we would like, but at least we now know what it takes to have a healthier lifestyle.

Thank you for following me on this journey. Please don't hesitate to pass on any advice or knowledge you may have that would help improve my route. I've currently raised $525 and my goal is to at least raise $1,500. To donate you can go to https://donate.mcc.org/registry/carlos-cardenas-guatemala-livelihoods. All the money donated goes directly to the MCC.

MCC Charity Bike Ride

Hello, My name is Carlos Cardenas and I have been involved with the MCC auctions for the last several years. The MCC is a great relief organization and they are doing great work around the world. After hearing a wide variety of items that receive donations, I had a crazy thought that I would want to raise money by riding my bike. I decided that I would ride from Fresno to Upland, which happens to be the locations of the two California Auctions. I believe in all the work that the MCC does around the world and I'm so excited to help raise funds for their Livelihoods Project in Guatemala. My bike ride will cover a total of 6 days starting in Fresno on May 30th and finishing in Upland on June 4th. This will no doubt be the biggest challenge I have ever had on a bicycle, but I look forward to pushing my body to the limit for a good cause. My goal is to raise $1,500 which breaks down to $250/day. Any donation amount will be greatly appreciated.

To donate, please visit https://donate.mcc.org/registry/carlos-cardenas-guatemala-livelihoods.