Bicycling

Benefit Bicycle Rides

A Good Cause and a Good Time

by Carter Yepsen

This spring and summer, upstate New York will see a myriad of fund-raising bicycle rides. This is an increasingly popular format to increase awareness for health-related issues, while raising funds in a mass-participation event. Benefit bike rides are a great way to experience a group ride and support a good cause while you’re at it. Some events ask you to pay a registration fee and collect a minimum of pledges, and other events charge a flat registration fee and they donate a portion of the proceeds to a good cause. We’re going to highlight a number of these benefit bicycle rides and add some insight into what makes them so successful.

It’s not unusual for local fund-raising rides to draw several hundred riders or more. In larger metropolitan areas these rides often draw thousands of participants. This is a great way for families, friends, medical workers, and those actually affected by a disease to bond together. The effort required to put together such an event is massive and given that it is often done entirely by volunteers is even more impressive. For example, the American Diabetes Tour de Cure, which attracts 1,000 riders utilizes more than 150 volunteers. So even if you’re not a bicyclist, you can participate by contacting the organizer to volunteer.

It is impossible to participate in one of these rides and not get caught up in the spirit. Many of the riders are participating to support a personal acquaintance’s fight with disease. Occasionally, the rider will be one that’s afflicted and is using sports as a way to fight. To paraphrase Lance Armstrong, these events are really not about bicycling, they’re about setting a goal and denying the disease, even if for just a little while.

One common element all of these rides offer is a great cycling experience. The routes are universally well thought out, clearly marked, and well-stocked with drinks and goodies along the way. Many offer incentives and entertainment, too, to reward your fund-raising and pedaling efforts.

May 22 Billy Grey Ride for Research – “Never Give Up”
The Billy Grey Ride for Research on Sunday, May 22, starts and finishes in downtown Saratoga Springs. This ride offer routes of 10, 25 and 50 miles and is particularly accessible with moderate distances on some of the sweetest cycling roads in Saratoga County. The sign-in is at the Farmer’s Market pavilion at High Rock Park, so the location is perfect for brunching in Saratoga afterwards. That’s if you’ll want to leave the after-ride food from The Ripe Tomato Restaurant or the sounds of the notorious Rust Brothers.

Billy’s Ride is raising money for the Brain Tumor Society, and riders are responsible for raising at least $100 in pledges before the event. Billy died four years ago after a courageous 21-month fight with cancer, just shy of his 13th birthday. The Grey family has led a tireless crusade to fund a research chair in Billy’s name, and more than $250,000 has been raised to date. This ride is the inspiration of Ken Grey, Billy’s father, who will surely be right up front in the 50-mile ride. “Never Give Up” is the slogan Ken uses to sum up Billy’s attitude.

Most Notable: The 50-mile route includes the 10-mile loop around the Saratoga Battlefield. A spirited ride around the historic battlefield with a group of riders is going to be a blast. For information: call (800) 724-0685 ext. 17 or visit www.teambilly.org.

June 10-12 Get Your Guts in Gear – “They Got Guts”
This ride for Crohn’s and colitis is a three-day, 210-mile tour through the Hudson River Valley from New York City to Saratoga Springs. The event benefits the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America by raising awareness, raising funds and finding a cure to empower those affected by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Crohn’s and colitis primarily affects adolescents and young adults between 15 and 35. More than 1-million people suffer from these diseases of the intestinal tract.

Get Your Guts in Gear’s Web site has a plethora of information on how to raise funds and train properly for a multi-day tour. Averaging 70 miles a day, riders will need to prepare and the organizers spell it out for you. Participants must raise $1,850, but don’t be dismayed because the majority of riders raise more than $3,000. For their efforts, riders are fully-supported with a historic route, great food, camping and camaraderie along the way. The organization transports all of your gear, and it even finishes up with a party at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs.

Most Notable: This is an epic tour featuring three days of supported riding in the Hudson River Valley. Starting on Pier 26 in New York City, this ride will give upstate riders a new perspective. For information, call GYGIG at (646) 536-7408 or visit www.ibdride.org.

June 12 Tour de Cure – “Mama, the Italians are coming!” (Breaking Away)
The popular Tour de Cure will be held Sunday, June 12 at the Stillwater High School in Stillwater (15 miles southeast of Saratoga Springs). The Tour de Cure is a series of 80 events that draws 26,000 riders nationwide to benefit the American Diabetes Association to improve the lives of 18-million of people with diabetes.

More than 1,000 cyclists are expected to participate in the local event, which offers distances of 10, 25, 50 and 100 miles. Riders are asked to raise a minimum of $150 in pledges, and you can register either as an individual or team. The Tour de Cure is very well run with support from start to finish, fuel for the ride and cheering volunteers. The sponsoring TIAA-CREF professional bicycle racing team will even send a few pros to lead-out the century ride and host a post-ride clinic.

This year I’ll be a member of a large group riding in support of the Defruscio family of Cohoes. The family’s three kids have juvenile diabetes but that doesn’t slow them down. They are all active in sports and 7-year-old Julie is a state ambassador for Juvenile Diabetes who has traveled to Washington, DC for the cause. Mark Defruscio, the father, will be riding with his son, Pat, age 13, on the 50-mile route this year.

Most Notable: A recreational ride with flat terrain and views of the Hudson River, which is designed for everyone from the occasional rider to the experienced cyclist. For information: call (888) 342-2383 or visit www.diabetes.org.

July 9-10 MS North Country Bike Tour – “Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.”
This two-day bike tour on the weekend of July 9-10 will begin and end at Moreau Lake State Park near South Glens Falls. The routes will lead you around the foothills of the Adirondacks and historic Saratoga County, and distance options include 75 miles on Saturday and either 30 or 75 miles on Sunday.

Now in its 26th year, the MS Bike Tour is the largest organized cycling series in America. It combines bicycling with fund-raising for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to help those living with multiple sclerosis and bring us closer to a cure. Riders must raise a minimum of $200 and can join individually or as a team. MS usually strikes adults between the ages of 20 and 50, and it’s a chronic disease of the central nervous system affecting the brain and spinal cord.

On August 20-21, the Borg Imaging MS Finger Lakes Bike Tour will feature two days of riding from Canandaigua. Cyclists have the option of seeing five Finger Lakes in two days with Saturday route options of 30 or 85 miles (that “feels like 100”) and 75 or 30 miles on Sunday. The above quote from Lance Armstrong is prominently displayed on their Web site, so train for this ride.

Most Notable: Go to the MS Web site and check out the Spoke Notes newsletter and their Ride Prep book with 27 pages of information on the cause, rides and how to have a successful experience. For information, call (800) 344-4867 or visit www.msupstateny.org.

OTHER GREAT BENEFIT RIDES
July 9-10 Vermont Lakes Region Cycling Weekend – One or two days of bicycling, culture, history and nature in beautiful west central Vermont. All proceeds benefit Poultney community youth and education projects. Riders can choose from self-guided or guided rides of 10-60 miles for all abilities. For information: (802) 287-9987 or www.cyclingvermont.org.

July 10 Second Chance Animal Center Tour de Paws – There will be a scenic, supported 62-mile metric century and a 15-mile ride for families from Recreation Park in Manchester, Vt. All proceeds will benefit the Second Chance Animal Center. For information: (802) 375-2898 or www.bikereg.com.

July 24-30 The Great Big FANY Ride – Bike 500 miles across New York from Niagara Falls to Saratoga Springs on back roads. FANY will contribute at least 5% of registrations to Double “H” Ranch Camp in Lake Luzerne for children facing critical illness. The 5th annual ride is fully-supported with camping or hotel options. For information: (518) 461-9663 or www.fanyride.com.

Aug. 6 Gear Up for Lyme Mt. Equinox Uphill Bike Climb – A challenging 5.2-mile bike race up the scenic Mt. Equinox Skyline Drive in Manchester, Vt. benefits the Lyme Disease Association and Manchester Rotary Club charities. Awards: $5,100 prize list for overall and age groups. For information: (802) 362-3226 or www.gearupforlyme.com.

Sept. 4 Pat Stratton Memorial Half-Century & Century Rides – Starting and ending in Lake Placid, the proceeds from these rides benefit a worthy cause each year. This event is sponsored by Placid Planet Bicycles and several local businesses, and offers two challenging rides along with great food and support. For information: (518) 523-4128 or www.placidplanetbicycles.com.

Sept. 10 Adirondack Spintacular Cycle Ride – These short but challenging rides of 6 and 12 miles along Great Sacandaga Lake start in Mayfield. You can run and/or walk the course, too. The event supports the Lawrence Madeiros Memorial Scholarship and raises awareness of hemophilia and organ donation. For information: (518) 863-2668 or www.adirondackspintacular.com.

Please check out the Calendar of Events for more information on various rides in our area.

Carter Yepsen lives in Saratoga Springs and works for Cisco Systems. He rides 5,000 miles a year, and is a member of the Capital Bicycle Racing Club and Mohawk Hudson Cycling Club.

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