3 Chances to Ride on August 1
It is obviously in our own self-interest to remind you that this Saturday, August 1, is our Henry Ford Birthday Tour led by Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance's Todd Scott. (BTW, his blog M-Bike is really, truly a must-read.) It's going to be really interesting and informative, for sure. But there are two other cycling happenings on the same day we'd like to share with you as well.
In the AM, it's the City to City Kick-Off Ride! Join Kevin and Emily as they head off to Chicago, raising money for Cystic Fibrosis. Join them at Campus Martius and ride them out of town!
From Chicago, Emily will head to Denver. Read this:
Rocking cystic fibrosis so hard that CF will one day stand for "Cure Found" is Emily Schaller's mission in life. In September, 2009, Emily will take her mission on the road. Heading west from Detroit, Emily will ride her bike on a month-long Emily to Ellen for Cystic Fibrosis campaign with the hopes of ending up on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Ellen DeGeneres is Emily's hero and being on The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been her dream for years. "Her show is the perfect vehicle to deliver my story," says Emily, founder of the Rock CF Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to finding a cure for CF. "I want to educate as many people as I can about cystic fibrosis and emphasize how the never ending fight of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has made it possible for me to live my life to the fullest."
Emily will ride her bike 1,400 miles from Detroit, MI to Denver, CO. The first 300 miles from Detroit to Chicago will be part of her Rock CF Foundation's City to City Ride with six other riders. From Chicago, she will head west to Denver. Because Emily and her CF doctor decided that riding through the desert is not a great idea, her modes of transportation from Denver to Burbank, California will be adventuresome. A canoe trip down the Colorado river? A donkey ride through the Grand Canyon? A moped along Route 66?
Swallowing forty pills a day, taking breathing treatments and undergoing chest physical therapy are all part of her daily routine. And because her body can't absorb nutrients normally, she expects her daily intake of 3,000 calories to almost double on the ride. Exercise has improved Emily's lung function and has allowed her to complete two half marathons in one year. Riding across the country, she hopes to shine a light on what the future holds for the cure of cystic fibrosis.
Emily, you rock!
Read more about City to City and register for the send-off ride here.
Then, in the afternoon, you can hit up The Hub's Safe Streets Youth Ride Fundraiser. It's a 2:30 p.m. start time, and you'll be riding with graduates of The Hub's Earn-A-Bike program. The ride ends at the U-M Detroit Center for refreshments and snacks. Register online at http://safestreetsyouthride.eventbrite.com/.
