September 19, 2019
Purpose. I wanted this adventure to have greater meaning beyond just riding down the coast to have a good time for myself.
This story begins during the summer of 2018 when my life mate Jenny and I signed up for challenging and beautiful long single-day group ride in Colorado called the Copper Triangle. This particular ride starts in the bustling ski resort of Copper Mountain and heads up and over three major passes (Fremont, Tennessee and Vail) all above 10,000ft while going through the towns of Leadville, Mintern and Vail. The distanced of the ride is about 79 miles and it started at 7 AM on a crisp August morning. On the ride, Jenny had introduced me to an industry friend, Duane, whose name I had known and whose wife I knew, but who I had never met until then. As luck (or fate) would have it, our worlds came together on this beautiful day. Duane had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and was starting to come to grips with his new reality and the impact this would have on his life, family, activities, passions, etc. Duane had been a long-time cyclist and and a very strong one at that!
Fast forward one year and I went with Jenny (and her dad Jimmy) to ride RAGBRAI, which is always the last full week of July. RAGBRAI is acronym for (Des Moines) Register’s Annual Great Ride Across Iowa and is the largest group riding event in the world with an estimated attendance of about 25,000 people. In its 45th year running, it is a week-long ride across Iowa with a festival kind of vibe. Jenny, her dad and I have done it 9, 8, and 7 times respectively. In fact, RAGBRAI is where Jenny and I originally met. We learned that Duane would be going and so we soon made plans to connect with each other. Each one of the seven day rides is officially dedicated to one cause or another and this year one of the days was dedicated to the Davis Finney Foundation which is an amazing 501(c)3 public charity supporting awareness and education in the fight against Parkinson’s disease based out of Boulder Colorado. The Foundation functions without an endowment and depends on donations from individuals, foundations and corporations. It reaches an international audience through its programs and online programming.
Davis Phinney IS an amazing athlete! He was born in Boulder, Colorado in 1959. During his racing career he racked up, a record for an American, 328 race victories in the 1980s and 90s including 2 Tour de France stages! In many circles Davis is considered the best cyclist of his generation, if not ever. At age 40 Davis was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and then started his nonprofit organization (DPF) in 2004.
Duane invited the three of us to join in the ceremony benefiting the Davis Phinney Foundation on the morning of the fourth day of RAGBRAI. It was as much a moving experience as it was inspirational to see all these athletes afflicted by this debilitating condition of various degrees, but still getting out there on their bikes to support each other as well as the foundation. I had the distinct honor of meeting Davis and got a chance to spend a little time with him. Throughout the day, I mostly rode with Duane and got to know him much better. It was amazing to see all the participants throughout the day wearing their DPF jerseys and making such a statement creating awareness around this issue.
As I was preparing in the months ahead of this bike trip, I had been contemplating dedicating this trip to some important cause, but no one particular idea was capturing me. Then a few days before my departure Jenny suggested that I dedicate my ride to the Davis Finney foundation! voilà! Why hadn’t I thought of this? But of course this was the perfect idea and solution and I immediately became so excited! My ride now had the greater purpose I was seeking and this was a perfect fit! On my behalf Jenny quickly reached out to Duane to let him know about this idea and asked if could create a facebook fundraiser on the foundation’s behalf. One day later I received an official DPF jersey and set up a fundraiser link on Facebook and off I went to the airport to start my journey! I am happy and fulfilled with each petal stroke I make in honor of DPF. Additionally, I take every opportunity with the many people I meet to explain and educate about this great cause I am riding for.
If you would like to donate to this amazing organization please follow this link through Facebook and for anyone who isn’t in this social media community you can venmo or PayPal me and I’ll make the contribution on your behalf.
Freddy's Adventure Travel 