TEAM STRONG HEART in the News
Denver Post, June 28, 2010
"Fit Life: Coordinating a team to keep cyclist rolling" by Kristen Browning-Blas
With a minivan, an RV and plenty of duct tape, the support team functions much like a NASCAR pit crew. They spent seven months planning for the race that started June 8 and, for Xu, ended June 20 at the Mississippi River, two-thirds of the way to the finish line.
The first third of the route climbs out of the mountains and by the 50-mile marker drops into the Mojave Desert. The support minivan would pull up alongside Xu and offer drinks, energy bars or packets of nutritional gel to keep her going in the heat of the day and the chill of the night.
To read more, click here.
Channel 12 (serving the Northwest suburbs for the Twin Cities), June 25, 2010
"Biking across America for a cause" by Lisa Furgison
Some might it call a crazy race but Amy Xu, an avid cyclist, took on the ultimate bike ride this month competing in Race Across America.
"A lot of people compare it to climbing it to Mount Everest," Xu said. "It is the toughest race out there."
Xu, a patent attorney by day, was one of only five women to enter the exhausting bike race from coast to coast and she did it all for charity.
To read more, click here. To view the video, click here.
East County Magazine, May 27, 2010
"East county crew gears up for world's toughest bike race: Race Across America soloist seeks sponsors to help kids with heart conditions" by Miriam Raftery
It’s billed as the toughest bike race in the world: 3,000 miles in just 13 days. On June 8th at noon PST, Amy Xu will depart from Oceanside, pedal through San Diego’s eastern regions and ride a grueling 20 hours a day in her quest to become the first solo Asian-American woman to complete the Race Across America (RAAM). She is representing Team Strong Heart—raising funds for Camp Odayin, a special camp for children who have undergone open heart surgery.
To read more, click here.
Pioneer Press/St. Paul, May 27, 2010
"Plymoth's Amy Xu will attempt to cycle nearly nonstop for 300 hours coast to coast" by Richard Chin
Imagine getting on a bicycle and pedaling along at about 10 mph, a fairly leisurely pace, except you have to keep it up nearly nonstop for the next 300 hours.
That's essentially what Min "Amy" Xu is aiming to do next month.
Xu, a 41-year-old Plymouth resident, is a partner at Dorsey & Whitney, one of the state's largest law firms, with a practice that focuses on information technology and intellectual property law.
WCCO Minneapolis/St. Paul, June 28, 2008
"Cyclists bike 3k miles for childhood heart disease" by Heather Brown
After returning from almost two weeks of pedaling across the country, four Minnesotans are already back on their bikes for a short weekend jaunt.
"I didn't think it was as bad for me as it was for other people," said Melinda Silbernick.
For her, the hardest part was sleep. She only got two to three hours of rest per shift.
Silbernick was part of Team Strong Heart, a group of Minnesotans who took part on the Race Across America. They raised $30,000 for Camp Odayin, a charity organization to help kids with cardiovascular disease.
Yellow Scene Magazine, May 2008
"Heart Case" by Jacob Harkins, photos by Ray Rushing
Tim Case rides his bike pretty much everywhere, every day. He owns a home in Idaho Springs, works in Boulder and has a girlfriend in Louisville.
He hasn’t ruled out trying to ride from Louisville to Idaho Springs every once in a while, just for kicks. Knowing this, I figured it would help if I got to know Tim where he is most comfortable, in the seat of his Bianchi.
We meet at Amanti Coffee in North Boulder on a breezy, early spring Saturday morning. The coffee shop is perhaps the capital of Boulder cycling. Most of the java drinkers are dressed in the geeky, barely socially-acceptable cycling gear: super tight spandex shorts, zip-up jerseys pelted with dozens of sponsors, and the always clacking cleats that ensure normally nimble athletes slip across the slick floor.
To read more, click here.
Champlin-Dayton Press, August 1, 2007
"Champlin residents comple cross country cycling race" by Wendy Erlien
3,100 miles. Six days. Fifteen hours. Thirteen minutes.
Imagine biking across the United States, covering 3,100 miles, and completing the journey in less than a week.
Finishing what has been deemed as the "world's toughest race" was a goal for Team Strong Heart, which included two Champlin men, during the Race Across America.
A goal that the team of four men accomplished, along with earning third place in Race Across America and raising donations and awareness for Camp Odayin.
To read more, click here.
Minnesota Trails Magazine
"Riding the Race Across America: Minnesota team takes third place" by Katie Havelin
Six days, fifteen hours, and 13 minutes.
That's how long it took the four bicyclists of Minnesota's Team Strong Heart to race from California to New Jersey this summer. The team place third and raised $50,000 for Camp Odayin, a Cross Lake, MN, camp for children with heart disease. Long before Team Strong Heart began the Race Across America, the cyclists trained hundreds and hundreds of miles on Twin Cities trails. One of their favorites is Elm Creek Regional Park, close to the Champlin homes of team director Bernie Kaeferlein and teammate Neil Eerdmans.
To read more, click here.
Sun Newspapers, March 23, 2007
"Anoka-Hennepin students raise money for Camp Odayin" by Natalie Spray
The hearts of students at Oxbow Creek Elementary grew three sizes the day they heard about how they could help students with heart disease.
As part of a student council fundraiser inspired by a teacher's cycling quest, the school, 6505 109th Ave. N., raised more than $2,500 for Camp Odayin.
Second-grade teacher Neal Eerdmans, 38, is one of four cyclists for Team Strong Heart, a group of bicycle racers, crew and volunteers who are using a 3,100-mile, nationwide, bicycle race to raise awareness of heart disease and $100,000 for Camp Odayin.
To read more, click here.
"Fit Life: Coordinating a team to keep cyclist rolling" by Kristen Browning-Blas
With a minivan, an RV and plenty of duct tape, the support team functions much like a NASCAR pit crew. They spent seven months planning for the race that started June 8 and, for Xu, ended June 20 at the Mississippi River, two-thirds of the way to the finish line.
The first third of the route climbs out of the mountains and by the 50-mile marker drops into the Mojave Desert. The support minivan would pull up alongside Xu and offer drinks, energy bars or packets of nutritional gel to keep her going in the heat of the day and the chill of the night.
To read more, click here.
Channel 12 (serving the Northwest suburbs for the Twin Cities), June 25, 2010
"Biking across America for a cause" by Lisa Furgison
Some might it call a crazy race but Amy Xu, an avid cyclist, took on the ultimate bike ride this month competing in Race Across America.
"A lot of people compare it to climbing it to Mount Everest," Xu said. "It is the toughest race out there."
Xu, a patent attorney by day, was one of only five women to enter the exhausting bike race from coast to coast and she did it all for charity.
To read more, click here. To view the video, click here.
East County Magazine, May 27, 2010
"East county crew gears up for world's toughest bike race: Race Across America soloist seeks sponsors to help kids with heart conditions" by Miriam Raftery
It’s billed as the toughest bike race in the world: 3,000 miles in just 13 days. On June 8th at noon PST, Amy Xu will depart from Oceanside, pedal through San Diego’s eastern regions and ride a grueling 20 hours a day in her quest to become the first solo Asian-American woman to complete the Race Across America (RAAM). She is representing Team Strong Heart—raising funds for Camp Odayin, a special camp for children who have undergone open heart surgery.
To read more, click here.
Pioneer Press/St. Paul, May 27, 2010
"Plymoth's Amy Xu will attempt to cycle nearly nonstop for 300 hours coast to coast" by Richard Chin
Imagine getting on a bicycle and pedaling along at about 10 mph, a fairly leisurely pace, except you have to keep it up nearly nonstop for the next 300 hours.
That's essentially what Min "Amy" Xu is aiming to do next month.
Xu, a 41-year-old Plymouth resident, is a partner at Dorsey & Whitney, one of the state's largest law firms, with a practice that focuses on information technology and intellectual property law.
WCCO Minneapolis/St. Paul, June 28, 2008
"Cyclists bike 3k miles for childhood heart disease" by Heather Brown
After returning from almost two weeks of pedaling across the country, four Minnesotans are already back on their bikes for a short weekend jaunt.
"I didn't think it was as bad for me as it was for other people," said Melinda Silbernick.
For her, the hardest part was sleep. She only got two to three hours of rest per shift.
Silbernick was part of Team Strong Heart, a group of Minnesotans who took part on the Race Across America. They raised $30,000 for Camp Odayin, a charity organization to help kids with cardiovascular disease.
Yellow Scene Magazine, May 2008
"Heart Case" by Jacob Harkins, photos by Ray Rushing
Tim Case rides his bike pretty much everywhere, every day. He owns a home in Idaho Springs, works in Boulder and has a girlfriend in Louisville.
He hasn’t ruled out trying to ride from Louisville to Idaho Springs every once in a while, just for kicks. Knowing this, I figured it would help if I got to know Tim where he is most comfortable, in the seat of his Bianchi.
We meet at Amanti Coffee in North Boulder on a breezy, early spring Saturday morning. The coffee shop is perhaps the capital of Boulder cycling. Most of the java drinkers are dressed in the geeky, barely socially-acceptable cycling gear: super tight spandex shorts, zip-up jerseys pelted with dozens of sponsors, and the always clacking cleats that ensure normally nimble athletes slip across the slick floor.
To read more, click here.
Champlin-Dayton Press, August 1, 2007
"Champlin residents comple cross country cycling race" by Wendy Erlien
3,100 miles. Six days. Fifteen hours. Thirteen minutes.
Imagine biking across the United States, covering 3,100 miles, and completing the journey in less than a week.
Finishing what has been deemed as the "world's toughest race" was a goal for Team Strong Heart, which included two Champlin men, during the Race Across America.
A goal that the team of four men accomplished, along with earning third place in Race Across America and raising donations and awareness for Camp Odayin.
To read more, click here.
Minnesota Trails Magazine
"Riding the Race Across America: Minnesota team takes third place" by Katie Havelin
Six days, fifteen hours, and 13 minutes.
That's how long it took the four bicyclists of Minnesota's Team Strong Heart to race from California to New Jersey this summer. The team place third and raised $50,000 for Camp Odayin, a Cross Lake, MN, camp for children with heart disease. Long before Team Strong Heart began the Race Across America, the cyclists trained hundreds and hundreds of miles on Twin Cities trails. One of their favorites is Elm Creek Regional Park, close to the Champlin homes of team director Bernie Kaeferlein and teammate Neil Eerdmans.
To read more, click here.
Sun Newspapers, March 23, 2007
"Anoka-Hennepin students raise money for Camp Odayin" by Natalie Spray
The hearts of students at Oxbow Creek Elementary grew three sizes the day they heard about how they could help students with heart disease.
As part of a student council fundraiser inspired by a teacher's cycling quest, the school, 6505 109th Ave. N., raised more than $2,500 for Camp Odayin.
Second-grade teacher Neal Eerdmans, 38, is one of four cyclists for Team Strong Heart, a group of bicycle racers, crew and volunteers who are using a 3,100-mile, nationwide, bicycle race to raise awareness of heart disease and $100,000 for Camp Odayin.
To read more, click here.
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