Blindfold Mommy!

So what do you do? Your Dad's foot is swollen, looks like a grape, no chance for a bike ride....Let's blindfold Mommy, with her own shirt, and play "pin-the-head-on-the-snake." Riley's version of Pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. Mom did ok, by the way...

More importantly, Dad did go for a ride Tuesday! 2 hours and not much complaining. His ankle must be getting better.

Also, the great 3rd Graders and 1st Graders in Mr. Peterson's class at Niwot Elementary got to hear our Blackjack Rider presentation today. Tell the World, we're raising money for dictionaries and every little penny helps!

Collision on the tennis court!

Oh, come on! Kel and I were out for a mixed doubles tennis tournament Sunday, when a nice little lob shot sent both of us racing for the ball at Mach 10. Of course, we are not good enough to remember to call for the shot, so bammo! Kel did a slide across the court, a nice slide actually, Matt Holliday from the Rockies would've been proud. I took my left ankle about 90 degrees in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, a 3rd degree sprain, but no break after x-rays Monday. We'll be off the bike for at least a week, but no more tennis for me for a while. Anybody want to take my spot with Kelly? Maybe a helmet and mouthguard would be a good idea.....never a dull moment with the Ferreros!

Skydiving with Riley and Dylan

Sunday April 13th:

Kel and Hannah had plans and a bit of a cold, so Dylan and Riley agreed to head out for a long day on BlackJack. We left at 11:15 and didn't get back until 3:30. Had to stop at Niwot Cycles for some D-licious Sport Beans, went by the IBM park, headup into Boulder and up Boulder Creek path. Lots of curious looks, everyone was wondering what kind of 'contraption' were we riding...a stop at McDonald's to reward a job well done and on home we went. Unfortunately, we dumped the bike for the first time. Found out that tight right hand turns jackknifes the trailer, so after a few minor bumps and a tear or two, we were ok.

The excitement for the day, was stopping at a park, looking at a strange pole with some ribbons hanging from it, and then looking up to see skydivers coming down right on top of us. Never a dull moment in Boulder County!

Ridin' For Rotary Covered in The Coloradoan

Father, sons to ride 800 miles to supply dictionaries for students - Ryan Ferrero’s years of biking to work from Niwot to Loveland have prepared him for perhaps his greatest challenge: lugging nearly 420 pounds — including his own weight — from Astoria, Ore., to Sun Valley, Idaho, on a three-week bike trip.

Ridin' For Rotary Overview

"Ridin' For Rotary" is a 3-summer, fundraising coast-to-coast bicycle tour that is set to begin June 19th, 2008 by 9-year old Riley Ferrero, 7-year old Dylan Ferrero and crazy dad, Ryan Ferrero (39 for those keeping score).

Route:
Between June 19th and July 3rd, the boys will be dipping the traditional rear-tire in the Pacific in Astoria, Oregon, then the Ferreros will ride a self-supported 800-mile solo tour through the Oregon Cascade Mountain Range, through Boise and completing their first of three legs in Sun Valley, Idaho. Summer 2009 and 2010 will complete the journey in Washington DC where the front wheel will be dipped in the Atlantic.

Purpose:
Every third-grader in the Thompson R2-J School District receives a beautiful color dictionary courtesy of the Loveland Rotary Club. Ridin' for Rotary will be a charitable ride that will seek donations to support this dictionary project, with a goal of more than $5,000. Coordinated through the Loveland Rotary Club ( www.lovelandrotary.org ), we will raise money to ensure that every 3rd Grader receives the New Heritage full-color hard-backed Dictionary.

The Riders:
Riley Ferrero is a third grader, 9 years old, likes skiing, snowboarding, reading, Wii and baseball. Dylan Ferrero is a first grader, 7 years old, likes skiing, reading, basketball and guitar. Ryan Ferrero loves his kids, but will reassess his feelings after 800 miles on their bike together.

The Hardware:
German company Hase, is currently producing a special tandem hybrid bike for this event. The bike is called a Pino Tour. The front child sits in a recumbent fashion (the stoker), while Dad sits in a traditional tour geometry (captain). Tailing along is the Hase Trets recumbent trailer. This bike gives great safety and allows riders to hold easier conversations.

Niwot Cycles, www.NiwotCycles.com, is helping sponsor our event.

We need you!
We need your support and a little bit of luck!

We need to know if your company wants to donate to this great (and test of wills) event. Several newspapers are interested in covering the tour, along with tour photo blogs and blogs written by the boys. We are hoping that 9News will also feature the event as a featured children's fitness story. But who knows, the point is to really ride, survive and support kids, through our dictionaries.

So, no rules here. Call me with any questions or if you have a way to talk me out of this. If you want to support "Ridin' for Rotary" send your donations to:

Ridin' for Rotary
4040 Byrd Drive
Loveland, Colorado 80538