Carola Paganini, Tax Senior Associate-Samford
I am originally from Argentina and have been in Stamford, CT since 2005. I work for KPMG where I assist with the US tax compliance and advisory for expatriates. My interests include: dancing, mountain biking, road biking, hiking, snowboarding, tennis, traveling, exploring new places, wine tasting, eating ice-cream, yoga and kayaking. This year I am transitioning from mountain biking to road biking and so far, it has been a great experience. My training regimen includes going to the gym, riding over 100 miles per week, indoor spinning classes, yoga and swimming combined with good nutrition. Participating in the “Chasing Daylight” bike tour will be a great new experience that will allow me to see parts of the US I have never seen, as well as, Vancouver, Canada; meet other people from KPMG, and push myself to achieve a difficult personal goal that most people would never even attempt, all while supporting the American Cancer Society cause
Robb Shutt, Audit Senior Manager-New York
Originally from our Kansas City office audit practice. Now on rotation in New York City DPP having had a 2-year layover in-between in our Sydney Australia office. I'm a huge fan of adventure and travel. I've done a number of marathons and decided it was time to try another discipline and figure out why all those people are spinning around in those spandex pants. Although my training has not been the best due to all my work travel, I've started to really enjoy this biking thing. And the spandex pants are not so bad after all. I got involved in the Chasing Daylights ride not only because it is a great adventure bike ride, but because it is for a very important cause that really hits home to me. I lost a friend this past year to brain cancer. My mom is a breast cancer survivor. One of my best friends had surgery last year to remove thyroid cancer. I have a friend my age going through chemotherapy in Houston for rectal cancer. So it seems like this cancer disease is everywhere and I’m sure many others could list all the love ones that have been affected by it. This event allows me to raise money for the American Cancer Society to help people deal with their disease and hopefully help fund research to eliminate it. I read Gene O’Kelly’s book this year and it really motivated me to chase daylight on this bike ride. I can't wait to see the Pacific Northwest by bike. I hear it is beautiful country. Looking forward to getting amongst it!!!!
In my sophomore year with the ride, I am even more excited this year! To see the ride triple in size from last year is amazing and the enthusiasm with the riders (as well as supporters) is very motivating. Even though I’ve been fortunate to not have anyone in my immediate family battle Cancer, I lost a friend in my senior year of college to an aggressive form of stomach cancer just weeks before he was supposed to graduate. Both Jason and Gene’s memory will serve as more than enough motivation to keep the pedals cranking up the climbs. Coming from a triathlon and hockey background, cycling has been an important part of my exercise routine for as long as I can remember. Since moving to Marin County early in the ‘08, I have no shortage of great weekend riding at my disposal. Lately, I’ve gained a bit of a reputation as being a mountain goat after attempting (and completing) a five mountain pass ride in Northern California which covered 129 miles and 15,000 feet of climbing in one day.
Mark Yawman, IES Associate-Stamford
Let me start off enlightening everyone that I am 24 years old living in Stamford, CT and am brand new to the sport of cycling. My desire to ride long distances on a regular basis has been the most important training method for me to fully prepare myself for this lengthy event. I anticipate this tour through the Pacific Northwest will test my strength of character, provide me with some amazing scenery, give me the opportunity to hang out and enjoy some cold beers with my fellow colleagues coming from all over the US, and most of all allow me to raise funds for the American Cancer Society in order to make progress in the fight against cancer.
Dan DeYoung, Audit Partner-Seattle
I’m excited, and candidly a bit nervous, about riding for eight days on the Chasing Daylight Tour. One day this past May, I pulled my trusty old road bike down out of the rafters of my garage (for the first time in more than ten years) pumped up the tires and rode it a few miles down the hill to watch my son’s soccer practice. I enjoyed the ride, until the chain derailed on the hill going home. So I considered whether to fix up the bike I’d had since I was 17, and finally decided to buy a new one. After receiving much advice on new bikes, supplemented by a little of my own research, I bought a new bike on June 1. On June 2, I received the e-mail announcing the Chasing Daylight Tour. I signed up that same day, because I like the American Cancer Society mission, the comraderie, the adventure, and because it seemed appropriate in light of the message Gene left us in his book. Since then, I’ve been training at every opportunity and think I’m ready. I think that I’ll be fine with leg and lung strength, since I play soccer fairly regularly, but the seat and body position is more of a challenge. I expect the ride will be particularly challenging for me in light of my limited experience on a bike, but it will give me a lot of time to reflect on what is really important to me, while at the same time raising a meaningful amount of contributions to the American Cancer Society.
Kevin Coleman, Advisory Partner-San Francisco
I am really excited about this years Chasing Daylight Tour because we are reaching critical mass with 24 riders this year. Also, we will be touring through Washington and Oregon which has some great scenery to ride through. I have been riding long distance rides for about 6 years now and while I am not the fastest rider, I can ride a long time. I am involved in the Chasing Daylight tour because it’s a great event that supports an important cause in honor of a great partner, Gene O’Kelly. Not a lot of people know that the reason I ended up in IT Advisory is because of Gene O’Kelly. My training regimen for the ride consists of a structured training program on indoor spin bikes and rowers along with random rides on the weekend. The coach that instructs the class places a heavy emphasis on the meditative aspects of endurance training and I am looking forward to applying this to the CDT.
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