Frequently Asked Questions (2008)

1. How far do I have to run or ride?  You can choose to run or walk the 5K or ride 10, 40, 70 or 100 miles depending on your personal goal and ability.
2. What/When/Where?  Lance Armstrong Livestrong Challenge on Sunday, June 29, 2008.  Start and Finish at the Nike World Campus in Beaverton, OR (5 miles west of Portland)
3. What if I don’t own a bike?  Many people have already signed up who do not yet have a bike.  Some are using this event as an excuse to make a long delayed purchase of a new or used bike.  Others are borrowing a bike or renting one for the event.  As Lance’s best selling book is titled “it’s not about the bike”
4. I only ride recreationally, am I going to be too slow?  This is unlike any ride you are probably used to or have heard about.  The course will be lined with signs reminding you to “remember, it’s a ride not a race”.  In fact they prefer everyone take it at a comfortable pace and to take advantage of the numerous rest areas along the route.
5. Do I need to bring food or snacks with me?  You will only need to bring snacks or food on the ride if you plan to pass up the frequent (every 15 miles or so) rest areas which will have fruit, sandwiches, energy bars and drinks; or if you have any special dietary needs.  There will be food for the riders at the finish line (usually free) and booths to purchase lunch for any of your family or friends that will be meeting you at the post ride party.
6. My spouse/friend/child is not riding but wants to cheer me on and/or meet me at the finish line.  Is that allowed?  Absolutely, you can check the LAF site for the latest guidelines but 2 years ago when the event was also hosted at Nike, you were allowed one guest per rider at the post ride party and there were hundreds of people lined up around the course with signs supporting their rider and usually everyone else as well.
7. I only have a Mountain Bike and I see most serious riders on road bikes.  Will I be out of place?  Absolutely not.  Our team alone has more than 60 registered riders who are riding Mountain or Hybrid bikes.  However, if you are riding a Mt. Bike you should carefully consider your distance.  Only the strongest riders could manage the 100 mile course without a road bike but you will fine on the 10 or 40 mile course and OK on the 70 mile course if you train for it.
8. How long will it take to finish the ride?  That greatly depends on how much time you spend at the rest areas catching up with your teammates, the type of bike you ride and your level of conditioning.  A rough guideline is 3-4hrs for the 40 mile ride, 5-6hrs. for the 70 and 6-8 hours for the 100.
9. I want to participate but I’ve never asked people to donate on my behalf before.  What are my options?  When you register and join our team, your own personal fundraising website will be created for you.  Most participants simply send an email to their friends and family that explains the Livestrong Challenge and why they are “putting themselves out there” to raise awareness and money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.  Everyone who has done this so far has quickly reached the $250 minimum required to participate in the ride.  Others have held theme parties, garage sales, sought out a company (or their employer) to sponsor them or sent out personalized hand written letters.  The options are limited by your imagination and free time.
10. I have other friends/family that may want to join the team, are they welcome to join?  Of course.  Literally it is the more the merrier.  Our goal is to have AT LEAST 200 riders/runners on our team and hopefully we exceed our goal.
11. Do you have to be a member of ClubSport to join the team?  No, Clubsport is our largest sponsor but this is not a ClubSport team.
12. What is the deadline to order a jersey?  We need to place our Jersey order on May 1st to meet the long lead times from the factory.  However, we are purchasing a lot of extra jersey’s with the expectation that we will add riders after that date and may need to accommodate some folks that guessed the wrong size.  We expect to be able to accommodate everyone on the team and our sponsors.
13. What if someone registers after May 1st, can they still get a jersey? Yes, assuming we don’t run out as we will not be able to re-order.
14. When is the last time someone can join the team?  You can join our team up until the day of the event.
15. Will there be a way to connect with other team members to go on rides prior to the Livestrong Challenge?  We will be scheduling outdoor team rides throughout the greater SW metro area that will be led by members of our team.   You will be able to check on upcoming rides on the training calendar on our home page.  Check back often for rides.  Please take the initiative to schedule a training ride with yourself and a few fellow riders then communicate it to teamriskybusiness@comcast.net and we will publish it on the calendar.
16. What do I need to bring with me the day of the event?  You will need your rider number (packet pick-up will be on Sat. June 28), bike, helmet, and one or two water bottles to carry on your bike.  Optionally you will probably want to bring a phone, camera and rain jacket in case of rain.  Make sure you have a patch kit and/or spare inner tube in case you get a flat tire.  Even if you don’t know how to change your tire you will be riding with teammates who will be able to help you, and there course volunteers out there to help also.
17. When is the team party?  Saturday, June 21st at ClubSport.  It will be 7pm-11pm and you can bring your family.  Light fare will be provided, and a no-host bar. Individual participation and fundraising prizes will be awarded at this event to our team members. We will have more details later, but lock the date down on your calendar, this will be a fun evening!
18. How do I decide what my fundraising goal should be?  Be optimistic.  Last year my first goal was $500 and I thought that was aggressive.  I had to keep moving it upward and finally raised $4,000.  If you set a goal and exceed it make sure and move your goal higher.  Otherwise, potential donors will see you’ve reached your goal and maybe decide not to donate.
19. What if I change my mind on which distance I want to ride, can I change it?  Yes, just let me know and I’ll have it changed.
20. Can my spouse and I share a fundraising account?  No, each rider must raise $250 separately, including kids.
21. Can my child(ren) participate?  Yes, but they still have to raise $250 in their account prior to the event and all participants must be providing pedal power.  Tandem bikes and trail-a-bikes are OK but no trailers, sidecars or child seats.
22. Last year registration was free, why the change to $50 this year?  The last 2 years the event filled up but some folks later decided to not participate and therefore they took a slot from someone who wanted to participate.  This way no one signs up unless they know they are committed.
23. Do I have to buy a team jersey?  No, however having 200+ riders strong wearing their Risky Business colors will create a lot of team camaraderie and bring a lot of attention to the cause.  Plus, these are very high quality jersey’s that you will be able to wear running and cycling for years to come.
24. Do my donors get a tax receipt?  The LAF does mail out letters acknowledging the donation,  but have them also keep the thank you email that they will receive immediately after they donate to you just in case.
25. Can I buy more than one jersey?  Yes, while supplies last you can buy as many as you would like.  Some folks are rewarding their top donor with a jersey and others are giving them as a souvenir to folks for whom they are riding in honor/support of.
26. What if I receive my jersey and it doesn’t fit?  We will be able to swap you for a different size as long as supplies last.
27. How do I pay for my jersey?  You do not need to pay when you place your order.  We will connect with you once it’s time to pay.
28. I don’t ride outside much, how safe will the course be for beginners?  Lance has a lot of pull in these parts and as such the course will be canvassed with volunteers and law enforcement to ensure that bicyclist rule the road that day so no worries.
29. What is the timing of events the day of the ride?  If they follow form from years past, they will send the 100 milers out first, then the 70’s then the 40’s.  The 10 milers and runners will do their event at some time after that.  When you get back to the campus they will likely have food and live music on the main soccer field in the middle of the campus.  Pray for sun!

LIVESTRONG!