Category Archives: Charity

First long training ride

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Yesterday I joined a group from Lilyfield Bike Garage on a cycle up into Berowra, If you’re really interested, I created a Google map of the route we took, roughly. The reason being I needed to see what my fitness level was for the ride coming up on the 14th

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All I can say is “whew”!

There was a great group of people with a few very impressive bikes. There were people here who rode a lot and rode far. I was intimidated already. I wheeled in with my humble Cell bike, yanked out an apple, and introduced myself to a few people.

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We set off and I was doing fine till we hit the first major hill In Ryde and I lost the pack. I was so despondent!

But then I though that people with bipolar disorder can’t walk away, they can’t just turn around and leave their challenge. People with serious mental disorders are often left with the feeling there are no options. So I popped open my phone, checked my map and the very vague route details supplied and decided, yep, I can do this. It may take me all day but I can do this.

I have to say it was very tough going. Some hills I was on the lowest gear and guys who looked no fitter than me passed me on the hill back up bobbin head, where I had to pause twice, but I persevered.

It was very hairy getting back as I chose the dumbest route back through Hunters Hill to Drummoyne and lost a good half hour working my way through that. Now I know where bikes can’t go.

But I did it and lived, and the only thing sore is my right hip joint (maybe need to tweak my shoe settings?) and my stressed out lungs. Those 20 years smoking (and 10 years non-) must have something to do with it.

So the training routine from now has to be cranked up a couple of notches, for certain. A 100k ride every weekend and some serious leg work at the gym during the week to build up some strength.

I’ll keep you posted.

fundraising for the Black Dog Institute

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Just sent out a huge batch of emails to friends asking them to part with their hard earned dollars in support of my ride next month. Copy reproduced below. If you are reading this and are of a generous spirit, feel free to forward it to any kind, generous soul you may know.

Thanks in advance.

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Hello friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances

In case I have not yet mentioned it, I will be cycling from Sydney to Dubbo, Oct 14-16, over the Blue Mountains, raising funds for the Black Dog Institute. As I will be cycling 135km, 170km, and 115 km over Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I was hoping you would consider sponsoring me on this ride. I will be financing my own travel, food, accommodation and support so that every dollar you contribute will go directly to the Institute.

The Black Dog Institute is a not-for-profit, educational, research, clinical and community-oriented facility offering specialist expertise in depression and bipolar disorder. The Institute’s mission is to advance the understanding, diagnosis and management of the mood disorders by continuously raising clinical, research, education and training standards. In so doing, the Institute aims to improve the lives of those affected – and in turn – the lives of their families and friends.

One out of every 5 Australians will experience some sort of mental health issue every year, three out of every ten will be seriously affected. Depression alone is predicted to be one of the worlds largest health problems by 2020.

The Institute’s activities include:

  • Supported clinics: Depression Clinic, Bipolar Disorders Clinic and Perinatal Mental Health Clinic
  • Research into mood disorders
  • Professional education and training
  • Community programs

So if you can spare a few dollars, please consider sponsoring my ride or if not, consider forwarding this email to people whom you think might be interested in supporting this very worthwhile cause.

Links:
my blog:
http://typingthevoid.com/

Donations:
http://sh.ortenzi.com/z2z

The Black Dog Institute:
http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/

The route we’re taking:
http://www.zoo2zoo.com/page118442.cfm

Burning for the ride

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Another excellent training completed this morning in preparation for the zoo2zoo ride on oct 14-16, from Sydney to Dubbo, over the Blue Mountains, in support of the Black Dog Institute.

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I was feeling anxious about my training but am now feeling more like I’ll be capable of at least surviving the 420k ride.

Hopefully the daily riding and cross training at the gym will get me ready enough.

Now to get the sponsorship rolling!

Letters going out on Tuesday and will be hitting up some of the bigger players later this week. My fund-raising target looks achievable, even if a little modest.

If you’re interested, you can donate at: http://sh.ortenzi.com/z2z

Thank you in advance!

Zoo2Zoo 2011

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As some of you may have noticed, I am a cyclist. I’m certainly not shaped like a typical cyclist, certainly not like the ones who ride the Tour de France or barrel down bush trails on bouncy bikes at scary speeds, but a cyclist nonetheless.

If you know me well enough no doubt you’ve heard me pontificating on some aspect of city cycling. My motto: “cycle as if everyone is out to kill you” holds true in Sydney even more than it did when cycling in London or Toronto and has kept me relatively unscathed so far. The few close calls I have had are all due to either an adrenaline rush of aggressive action or a temporary forgetfulness of my only cycling rule (see above). In other words, my own fault. Even though work is only a 7 minute cycle I deem to close to bother with, and I regularly have pedal-free months, I still consider myself a cyclist at heart, evidenced by this lovely picture by Allison.

Joe in cycling jersey and lycra, standing astride a bycycle, in the park.

The duration of the overwhelming majority of my cycle journeys have been within an hour; mainly commutes, shopping and recreational rides. To break that pattern, and to make up for those pedal-free months, I am currently training for an exception to that precedent, the Zoo2Zoo Sydney to Dubbo ride in October, raising financial support for The Black Dog Institute. To be honest, it scares me a bit; my last ride of this sort was in 2005, when I rode about 350-400km over 5 days across Cuba, fund-raising for Mind. This time I’ll be riding 420km over three days, starting with an ascent of the Blue Mountains on day one, weighed down by age and a noticeably larger spare tyre stuffed inside my lycra.

This week the training proper will start, including getting back into my regular gym sessions and a good 100km cycle every other weekend, possibly with some company to help keep me challenged and channelled (any Sydney volunteers for a weekend ride?). I’ve also started the fund-raising page at everydayhero.com/zoo2zoo-2011 in case you were so inclined to help support The Black Dog Institute in their most excellent work researching to fighting mood disorders like  Bipolar Disorder and depression.

So please bear with my tediousness these few months while I bore you with my training travails and possibly even a few pics and maps of some of the journeys. All for a good cause, eh?

Corporate Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

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Tuesday June 1st is Corporate Tuesday, according to my chums at the Inspire Foundation. So in order to convince you to part with your lovely waterproof Australian money, I will be wearing a suit for the day.

If you already wear a suit to work you will be aware of Dress Down Fridays, where the normally be-suited wear casuals or jeans and shed some money for a noble cause. Well Corporate Tuesday is both similar and different. Similar in that it is in order to raise funds for a charity, different in that it involves wearing a suit instead of casuals. You probably already know I’m most comfortable with ancient trainers, comfy scruffy jeans and some sort of comedy t-shirt. I don’t even wear ties to interviews! So on 1/6/10 I’ll be wearing:

  • a suit
  • tie
  • polished shoes
  • crisp white shirt
  • starched boxers

BUT: If you want me to wear something more, ahem, embarrassing, (it must still b a “suit”) well that comes down to what you’re willing to part with. There will be no shortage of cameras on the day (no-one at inspire wears suits!). So offer me a challenge and put your money where your mouth is if you want to embarrass me in front of my work colleagues.

The reason I am doing this is because suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among young people aged 15-24, alongside road and traffic accidents, and 75% of mental illness begins before age 25, so helping young people find a way through tough times is one of the best things we can offer the world.

So if you want my attire on Corporate Tuesday to be different to the usual “Whistle and Flute”, please visit my donation page and see what you can offer.