1000 Miles For Charity

On Thanksgiving Day, November 24, at approximately 2PM, I rode my thousandth mile for charity as part of the Second Annual Bobby Mac Century Charity Ride to benefit the Foundation Fighting Blindness. It was, admittedly, a bit chilly when we started out at 8, and I found myself initially wishing for heavier gloves, my quilted shoe covers, and even my balaclava, which I normally don't break out if it's above 30. But it warmed up nicely and by 10 I was perfectly comfortable if still somewhat in the weeds after not having eaten well all week ("in the weeds" = "sluggish and tired on the charity ride"). I remain eternally thankful for the existence of caffeinated gu. We were following my Garmin, which baffled us by taking us on a route we had never seen before, but we figured the blue line had to lead somewhere, and we made it home after 102 total miles. We raised over $3,000 for the FFB, in honor of our leader Bobby Mac, and charity season ended in a blaze of glory. I wouldn't spend Thanksgiving any other way.

The Bobby Mac Century Approaches!

Bobby Mac runs my group ride. Every Saturday and Sunday, he's out there doing a 60-mile loop, encouraging--and feeding--new riders, steering us around potholes, instructing us on riding over ice, snow, fallen leaves and wet roads. Dozens if not hundreds of regular riders owe their start to him, myself included. When I began riding with Quad, Bobby encouraged me to challenge myself beyond what I would have thought possible, taught me how to eat and how to sneak up on and then pass other riders, convinced me to race, and introduced me to charity rides.

He does all this despite being legally blind.

Bobby once described macular degeneration for me like this: "Imagine smearing your glasses with Vaseline and then blacking out the centers with magic marker." He rides when it's dark. He rides when it's raining. Sometimes he rides when he can't even see the roads.

To give back, just a little, I am doing THE BOBBY MAC CENTURY CHARITY RIDE on Thanksgiving day, proceeds to benefit the Foundation Fighting Blindness. The FFB contributes to research which will one day lead to a cure for macular degeneration.

Please consider donating! If you click on the link to the right, please indicate that you are donating in honor of Bobby Mac, and notify me at 80 Everett St., Arlington, MA 02474.

The Dempsey Challenge!

On Sunday, October 9, I completed 101 miles in the Dempsey Challenge in Maine (averaging 16 MPH for a ride time of six hours and eighteen minutes), bringing me to 925 charity miles.

The ride was FANTASTIC. Lots of charity rides are my favorites, but this one is my favorite because of the spectators. All along the route, people set up camp chairs outside their houses to cheer riders on. When I passed through one town center, they had a fire truck with the sirens going and cheering spectators lining the road. It was such a high-energy ride that I was at mile 48 before I felt the need to stop. Plus I'd been drinking Perpetuem (a high-calorie energy supplement; imagine slowing sipping 20 ounces of melted strawberry milkshake and you'll get the idea), and that stuff can keep me going for hours.

Two firsts: This was my first "solo" century...there were probably 2000 riders, but no one I knew. I worried I'd be lonely or bored, but I had a great time. Also, on a particularly steep descent I hit 49 MPH!! Previously, the fastest I'd ever gone was 41. It was amazing. Of course, I didn't fully realize it had happened until I downloaded the ride data from my Garmin; at the time I was moving too fast to risk looking down.

Next month will be my final charity ride of the year: the Bobby Mac Century!

Harbor to the Bay

On Saturday, September 17 I did Harbor to the Bay, a 120-mile ride from Boston to Provincetown to raise money for AIDS organizations in Massachusetts. It was a GREAT time. We had perfect weather--a little cool when I left my house at 4:45 (sigh...), but by Mile 30 it had warmed up nicely and I shed my extra layers to ride in my shorts and jersey. Things I love about this ride:

• 100% of the money raised goes to charity.
• The ride is marshaled by an all-female biker club called the Moving Violations, who ride alongside us on their Harleys and stop traffic at intersections. They don't have a permit to do this. It's just that no one in their right minds would mess with them.
• We are cheered on by elaborately dressed drag queens in convertibles.
• 120 miles makes all food--cold pizza, PB&J, whatever--taste good.

There were five of us in my group and we set a nice, leisurely pace; we averaged 15.4 and lingered at a lot of the pit stops, so we left Copley Square at 6:30 and arrived in Provincetown at 5:30, which included a ride time of 7:51. I felt great, if a bit sleepy; I got home at 11:30 and then got up the next morning for a slow 50-mile recovery ride. Total charity miles to date: 824.

704 Miles Down!

Since school let out at the end of June, I've done the MS ride (2 days, 183 miles, mostly raining), Seacoast Safari (2 days, 177 miles including my FASTEST CENTURY EVER at 5 hours 26 minutes) to benefit Cystic Fibrosis, and the Mass Bike Century, to benefit the MA Bike Coalition. Each was a fantastic experience for a great cause (though I do wish Mass Bike would take the dirt road out of next year's route).

I've got three more rides to reach my goal of 1000 miles! Click on the links to the right to learn more about each charity.

HARBOR TO THE BAY (1 day, 125 miles) to benefit four local AIDS organizations. Paradoxically, Massachusetts has done such a great job with AIDS prevention that now funding has been cut as the federal government diverts money to areas with "greater need." Incredibly successful programs are shutting down or cutting back on their services. They need your donation now more than ever.

THE DEMPSEY CHALLENGE (1 day, 100 miles, 6000 feet of climbing) to benefit the Patrick Dempsey Cancer Care Center. This provides education, support services, and case management for cancer patients and their families.

THE BOBBY MAC CENTURY (Thanksgiving Day, 100 miles) to benefit the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Bobby Mac runs my weekly group ride and has trained literally hundreds of charity riders while inspiring us all to greatness. He suffers from macular degeneration and rides his bike 200 - 300 miles per week despite being legally blind. The FFB seeks a cure for this condition as well as providing services to patients.

Best Buddies Ride

On June 4 I rode 100 miles, from the Kennedy Library to the Kennedy compound in Hyannis, to raise money for the Best Buddies organization. It was a fantastic ride, incredibly well organized, and I acheived the perfect sugar/caffeine balance. This let me go reasonably fast all day and gave me this wild burst of energy about fifteen miles from the finish line, so I was shouting and cheering and attacking the hills. The ride raised over 4 million dollars (!!), and I shook Tom Brady's hand. He's quite tall. 240 miles down, 760 to go.

Preparing For The Best Buddies Ride!

This Saturday, June 4, will be my first intentional century ride. I did a ride to benefit Cycle Kids a week and a half ago that became a century when we got lost somewhere in the wilds of Sudbury. Anyway, a million thanks to PATRIOT PEDDLERS, who are very generously sponsoring my Best Buddies ride. Best Buddies matches intellectually disabled kids with friends and mentors; I work with a number of such kids and have seen how much they can suffer from the lack of social acceptance. It's a great program and I'm proud to do this ride. To prepare, I rode 180 miles over the holiday weekend and got a great bike tan. Now beginning my third season of charity riding, I reflected on things that would have horrified me three years ago that are now second nature. These include: using port-a-potties, blowing my nose on the bike, and asking strangers for money. Thanks so much for your support!

My Charity Rides

Click on links to the right to get to fundraising pages!

The Best Buddies Challenge (June 4, fundraising minimum $1,350): A 100-mile ride to benefit the Best Buddies Foundation, which provides friends and mentors to children and young adults with intellectual disabilities. A number of my students have intellectual disabilities, and I've seen how devastatingly socially isolating this can be.

Multiple Sclerosis (June 25 and 26, fundraising minimum $500): A two-day, 180-mile ride to benefit MS research.

Seacoast Safari (July 16 and 17, fundraising minimum $300): A two-day, 175-mile ride to benefit cystic fibrosis research. This will be my third year doing this ride; some of the recent medical advances are amazing and it's an honor to help to fund them.

Harbor to the Bay (sometime in September, fundraising minimum $500): An epic one-day, 125-mile ride to benefit four local AIDS foundations. This will be my third year doing this ride as well!

The Dempsey Challenge (sometime in October, fundraising minimum $150): A 100-mile ride (with TONS of climbing) to benefit cancer research.

Riding 1000 Miles For Charity

If I learned anything from 3 rounds of knee surgery, it's that I'm unbelievably lucky to be able to do what I can do. (Actually, I learned that after the first round; the rest was just pointless suffering.) Bobby Mac, who runs my group ride, says THE GREATEST SIN IS INDIFFERENCE, and the goal of riding 1,000 miles for charity has given meaning and purpose to rehab. Thank you for supporting me!