Alzhiemer's Memory Ride 100 mile group
“So what’s it like to ride 100 miles with 4400 feet of vertical climb on a really hot, humid day in July?”
That’s the question I heard most often following Saturday’s Alzheimer’s Memory Ride. And I’d like to answer it here: like many athletic challenges, the key to success is psychological – you have to be crazy! Fortunately, I was the right man for the job, and was joined by more than 50 similarly-minded folks. I’m not a skilled cyclist – Concord has dozens of people who ride faster and farther and more challenging routes than I do – but I do it enough that I knew I’d be fine, and I really enjoyed the ride.
The best part of the day was simply being with so many other people who were happy to be helping others. There’s something about the spirit of working together to help that is enlivening for me. I am so naturally self-absorbed that I can easily focus on my own circumstances, but when I do something to help out, the spirit of gratitude and service that I see in other people infects me. So that made the entire event a joy – especially since so many friends had donated generously. THANK YOU to all of you!
In fact, it was so much fun that Debbie Bier (the Concord office director, Dr. Deborah Bier) and I will form a team for the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk in September. That’s not a physical challenge – about 3 miles. The point is to raise awareness and money to help fight a disease that’s hurting a lot of people. If you’re interested in joining the team, let us know. You will have a lot of fun with lots of great people.
We got off to a 6:30AM start. That was smart because we got in several hours of riding before the sun really got bad. As we pulled out of the parking lot, another rider recognized me from the Concord Journal article. I was glad to see that; much of the challenge we face now is awareness, and knowing that others saw the article helped to confirm the effort.
The first leg included lots of collegial chatting among cyclists – swapping notes about where we’re from, where we enjoy riding, other fund-raising rides. Really a nice leg of the trip. We circled down around the Wachusett Reservoir, and from that point I was on routes new to me. The scenery was gorgeous and I was struck again by New England’s beauty. As a native Floridian, I love the change of seasons and the variety of landscape here. But man – it was muggy! Even at 22 – 25 mph, the sweat didn’t seem to evaporate. But at least it was overcast to that point. I knew that wouldn’t last, so I counted my blessings and looked at the farms and rolling hills.
At the rest stops I wrote a Facebook post for any donors or others who’d expressed support. That was fun, but I tended to stiffen because of the long stops and the first 5 – 10 minutes after re-starting made me groan a bit.
Then the sun came out. About that time, I got lost. I had fun laughing at myself – who else would go on an Alzhiemer’s ride and get lost?! You guys will be riding for me before long (and joking aside, 10 million baby boomers will get Alzheimer’s – this is serious business). Local cyclists pointed me the right direction and I got back on track, 4 miles later. Oh well. You just pedal ’til you get there. But it was sure getting hot!
By the last legs the riding conditions were not pleasant anymore, but the people were still great and we’d been riding together now for 5 hours. You’d encounter the same folks at different points, depending on how long someone stopped or who went faster on a given leg (or who got lost). I made some friends and was enjoying the day. Whoever said, “It’s not the heat – it’s the humidity” wasn’t a cyclist. Some of us formed a pace line on the last two legs, which helped both physically and psychologically.
By the end I was a happy camper and looking forward to some ice cream. My wife Diana and my kids Julia and Liam were really kind and came out on a hot Saturday for the finish line. Debbie Bier also came with her husband Rich Stevenson. I really appreciated all that support, and after a lunch of Red Bones barbeque (a local favorite, for readers who may not be from around here) and a 5 minute massage, we headed off to Bedford Farms for ice cream.
All in all, a wonderful day. And again – THANK YOU to all who donated, and to those who help spread the word. The cure for this disease does not appear to be around the corner, so we have a lot of work to do — and a lot of people to support while it is found. Working together, we can do it. And at the end of this day, having worked together with all who rode, or volunteered, or donated, or spread the word felt just great.
