Minneapolis
to
Chicago
AIDS Ride 2001
June Training Report
Mon., July 9
to
Sat., July 14

Editor's Note: The SJA Website will be providing daily reports from the road as we did last year. Webteam members Edie Kalweit, Michael Reinbold, Vickie Hepler, Ray Tanis and Rick Spaulding are also Team Oz members and will be sending back their accounts and images of the experience. This is assuming we get a reliable internet connection from base camps each evening. We hope to improve on last year's coverage with 4 reporters. Last year, Edie did it all! View her reports from last year's ride.
Thanks Edie, Michael, Vickie, Ray and Rick!

On June 10th, crew and riders met at REI to discuss in detail the six-day trip ahead. A map of the route was set out for everyone to review, as well as a description of the trip, each day, in writing. I'll include that description at the end of this article. A slide show presented previous year's campsites, facilities and general camp camaraderie. Kay Sailer injected much humor as she narrated. Many of the more athletic members of Team Oz have mastered our "Team Stretch!" As you read about Team Oz, (in the future), see if you can identify what that stretch is!

We are well past the midway point in our training regiment. Of late we have taken on challenging hills and very long gradual inclines. Our rides get longer each week until almost the end of June. A few weeks prior to the actual ride we taper down to allow our muscles to recover and prepare for the marathon effort needed on the ride.

There are 4 major AIDS Rides this summer: The Washington DC Ride, the California Ride, the Northeast Ride, and our own Heartland Ride from Minneapolis to Chicago- 500 miles in 6 days. Total participants this summer: over 10,000!

With added training ride distance we are blessed to have "sag-mobiles" manned by many loving parishioners. In particular Pat Murphy and Craig Wilson have been along almost every weekend. Lunch crews have provided us with homemade bars, Subway sandwiches, homemade drinks, pickles, trail mix etc.... Many thanks go out to everyone who worked those stops. A special Thank You to Charlene Kapp for organizing it all. And again we all appreciate the continual efforts of our ride leaders and mechanics, Paul Lipetzky and Tom Renner.

The notebook of AIDS Ride Reflections was passed, once again, so that folks not present at the last meeting would be given a chance to add their thoughts and prayers. Those reflections follow:


The Daily Schedule
Day 1
Start at Concordia College
  • Pit 1. Oakdale;
  • Pit 2. Burkhardt, WIS;
  • Lunch pit. Hammond;
  • Pit 3. Wilson, WIS;
  • Pit 4. Knapp, WIS;
  • Camp. Menominie HS. Total mileage 82.9
Day 2
  • Pit 1. Dunville;
  • Pit 2. Rock Falls;
  • Lunch pit. Strum;
  • Pit 3. Cleghorn;
  • Pit 4. Whitehall;
  • Pit 5 Blair;
  • Camp Black River Falls HS. Total mileage 101.9
Day 3
  • Pit 1. Millston;
  • Pit 2. Warrens;
  • Pit 3. Sprague;
  • Lunch pit. Necedah;
  • Pit 4. Friendship;
  • Pit 5. Grand Marsh;
  • Camp Pioneer Westfield HS. Total mileage 100.5
Click on the each individual days camp to view a more detailed map.

Day 4
  • Pit 1. Montello;
  • Pit 2. Pardeeville;
  • Lunch pit. Doylestown;
  • Pit 3. Columbus;
  • Pit 4. Waterloo;
  • Pit 5. Lake Mills;
  • Camp Jefferson Co. Fairgrounds. Total mileage 101.6
Day 5
  • Pit 1. Fort Atkinson;
  • Pit 2. Whitewater;
  • Lunch pit. Elkhorn;
  • Pit 3. Lake Geneva;
  • Pit 4. Genoa City, WIS;
  • Camp Knox Park in McHenry, Illinois. Total mileage 74.2
Day 6
  • Pit 1. Wauconda;
  • Pit 2. Libertyville;
  • Pit 3. Highland Park;
  • Pit 4. Evanston.
  • Closing ceremonies will be held at Montrose Harbor, (due to downtown road construction). Total mileage 57.5
Edie Kalweit has been a St. Joan of Arcer for 24 years now. Now that her children are grown, there is time to participate more fully in activities taking place at St. Joan's.
This is the 8th year of the AIDSRide program sponsored by Tanqueray. Since 1994, 64,000 riders have raised a total of 83.9 million dollars.



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