Erin Fredrichs

viewfinder: Team in Training

In the end, I was happy and tired. It was over, I had just spent the last 10 hours and 3 minutes on my bike.There are many reasons I did it.To get in shape.To honor the memory of my grandpa. Because wearing spandex is cool. To make new friends. Because I love the smell of Gatorade at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning. To raise more than $3000 for blood-cancer research. To do something for charity. To see New Mexico from the saddle of my bike. I did it because it was time to make a difference.I rode with 19 other people from New Mexico as part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. We raised more than $60,000. That money, combined with funds generated by teams from around the country raised more than $2 million.We rode 109 miles around Tucson, AZ in the El Tour de Tucson. Four months of training prepared us for the several steep climbs, the dry river bed crossings (pictured above) and satisfying coasts down the hills. As far as causes go, I picked this one to participate in because my grandpa, Buddy, died of leukemia four years ago. Whenever I got tired or overwhelmed, I thought of him. He kept me going.To find out more information about Team in Training visit www.teamintraining.org.
Team in Training

In the end, I was happy and tired. It was over, I had just spent the last 10 hours and 3 minutes on my bike.

There are many reasons I did it.

To get in shape.To honor the memory of my grandpa. Because wearing spandex is cool. To make new friends. Because I love the smell of Gatorade at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning. To raise more than $3000 for blood-cancer research. To do something for charity. To see New Mexico from the saddle of my bike. I did it because it was time to make a difference.

I rode with 19 other people from New Mexico as part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. We raised more than $60,000. That money, combined with funds generated by teams from around the country raised more than $2 million.

We rode 109 miles around Tucson, AZ in the El Tour de Tucson. Four months of training prepared us for the several steep climbs, the dry river bed crossings (pictured above) and satisfying coasts down the hills.

As far as causes go, I picked this one to participate in because my grandpa, Buddy, died of leukemia four years ago. Whenever I got tired or overwhelmed, I thought of him. He kept me going.

To find out more information about Team in Training visit www.teamintraining.org.