Team Ochsner Athletes Prepare for a 3,000 Mile Bicycle Ride
NEW ORLEANS - Its extreme bicycling (3,000 miles to be exact) by local New Orleanians to raise awareness of childhood obesity. On June 12, 2010, Team Ochsner will join over 200 international athletes at the competitive cycling event "Race Across America," stretching from Oceanside, California, to Annapolis, Maryland. Team Ochsner will be posting updates along the race route on Twitter.
Search http://www.twitter.com/teamochsner to keep up with the team.
"This will be the biggest challenge of my life, but it's worth it to raise awareness of the need to fight childhood obesity in New Orleans and across America," says Scot Young, a manager at Ochsner's Elmwood Fitness Center. The riding team is comprised of local residents and Ochsner employees who are riding to fight childhood obesity: Gary Borgstede, Perry Braniff, Johnn Chauvin, Doug Connor, Dr. Richard Deichmann, Chip Porter, Marty Springer and Scot Young. The crew team includes Larry Borgstede, Alex Bush, Matt Connor, Gary DeValcourt, Sam Johnson and Willie Maklary.
Team Ochsner is striving to complete the race in 6 days rather than the allotted 12 days by covering more distance each day. Taking turns, each of Team Ochsner's cyclists will spin their wheels for three hours each day and cover 50 to 60 miles each, which equals over 400 miles a day by the entire team. "We've invested the time and training required for this type of event and we're excited to make the journey," says Young.
The 3,000 mile journey is a testament to the benefits of good exercise and proper nutrition. Each rider is anticipated to burn between 2,500 and 3,500 calories each day, and they'll be fueling up on the right foods to keep them going. With the assistance of a crew, the entire team will be traveling in a RV, which allows them to prepare their own meals. The menu will include spaghetti with meat sauce, red beans and rice, and jambalaya. For meals and snacks between rides, healthy fuel will include turkey, ham or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bananas, oranges, apples, nuts and cereals. Each rider will also pack the necessary amounts of liquids to stay hydrated during the entire race.
Team Ochsner is working to raise awareness on the prevention of childhood obesity and funding of educational tools by the Ochsner Change the Kids, Change the Future initiative. Here's how you can donate to the cause:
1) Go to ochsner.org and click on the "Donate & Volunteer" tab at the top of the page.
2) Click on the online icon.
3) Fill out your information on the donation page and put "RAAM" in the "other" field as the designation of your gift.
This year's "Race Across America" consists of 40 teams and 30 solo riders, bringing the total number of racers to 232 individuals from 17 different countries.
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