Cycling for a Cause with Lot of Assistance

By Kirby Adams

Not long ago I wrote about a man named Bill Turner. Bill's plan was to ride his bicycle from Mexico to Louisville . He dubbed his 1437-mile trek The Tour de Mexico and hoped it would help raise awareness and funds for a disease his wife Lee Anne suffers from multiple sclerosis. If you read that article and wondered what ever happened with that endeavor I am happy to report Bill completed his ride in record time, raised more money for Multiple Sclerosis than he planned and now has a new goal. Bill announced to us during the evening events at the Bike the Bluegrass for MS that his plan is to ride 7 states in 7 days. If you think that sounds like the type of fundraiser you've like to pedal your way through I suggest you check out Bill's Web site www.whyiride.com .

As for me the 150-mile tour was quite long enough, thank you.

But I must say it was made a lot more enjoyable because of three white vans that seemed to be under the command of wizards. These vans would appear and disappear all along the 150-mile course just as you needed them, or wondered if anyone else knew I was out there on a long lonesome stretch of road. It seemed there were a half dozen of these support vans roaming the route, and I was surprised to find out at the end of day one there were only three.

Whether you needed a tube for your tire, a pedal or just some cycling advice, the Schellers mechanics were only a rest or sag stop away. If you have never done much long riding or if you are like me and just lame when it comes to bike repair having this type of help throughout the course is reassuring.

Tom Armstrong, Andy Lanier, and Dan Delph worked long hours, played great music, and generally kept “things rolling”. They were working at 6 thirty in the morning as the ride kicked off in Georgetown and were still fixing bicycles in Danville that night. Tom says he was the fifteenth person in the pancake line the next morning and working on bikes by 7 a.m. and up the next morning and pumping tires by 7 a.m. The hours are long and bad weather can be a bit of a drag, but Tom told me none of that bothers him.

“I do this for several reasons but most importantly I am doing my job that I love, I am promoting cycling, and supporting an important cause.”

Schellers also provides support crews on the Old Kentucky Home Bicycle Tour. And other bicycles shops lend support in other events.

Tom pointed out that he hopes cyclists remember that when they head out to buy equipment.

“Supporting local bicycle stores is incredibly important. You may pay a few dollars more for a part than you would going to a large out of town chain. But it's the local stores you see out taking part in cycling events around the city and out on these multi day tours.” In a way it's like the money you put into the local stores comes back to you if you take part in all the cycling that our community has to offer.

If you are interested in taking up the sport or honing your skills Tom recommends a New Riders Clinic offered by the Louisville Bicycle Club. The clinic meets Monday nights for 8 weeks. The next round begins in July you can check the club's Web site www.Louisvillebicycle.org .

Kirby Adams is the consumer reporter for Kentuckiana's News Channel WHAS-11, Team Captain for Team Crusade and a sports and fitness buff. You can e-mail Kirby at kirby.adams@whas11.com. Kirby is also a member of Kentuckiana HealthFitness' Editorial Advisory Board.

If you know of a little “GEM” or a story, you would like to share it with our readers, drop me a note about it to:

Kirby Adams
WHAS-TV
520 West Chestnut Street
Louisville, KY. 40202