Tour de NephCure

Final Blog

2009-11-01T06:50:00.000-08:00

Halloween morning we met the Berni family (Mark, Steve, and Stewart) in Pleasantville, NY for the final ride on the tour into the Bronx. It was a bit drizzly at the start but a warm 61 degrees. Steve was prepared for any weather conditions with his garbage bag, zip log sandwich bag and duck tape. The ride was mainly along a bike path keeping us out of the NY traffic. About half way through the ride, we came across a fence and "path closed" sign. Figuring non of us used up our 9 lives we ventured on ignoring the sign. It turned out to be no big deal just a little bridge construction on an overhead parkway, no falling bricks. We ended the ride at a beautiful park set on a gulf course with sunshine and 70 degrees - a perfect ending!

I'd like to send out a special thank you to the Nephcure Foundation and especially Dan O'Brien. Dan was the grand coordinator for the entire trip. He mapped all the rides, supplied all needed beverages and snacks, and always looked out for everybody's safety. He did an AWESOME job and I know all riders enjoyed meeting Dan and appreciated all his efforts! Together Dan and I drove over 2300 miles in the Van and biked about 400 miles all in 10 days. It was a great beginning for the Tour-de-Nephcure! The highlight was meeting all the families and friends and I appreciate everyones efforts and support, it was a super experience that I will never forget. I know we will all be in touch moving forward. I wish everyone a super holiday season! Over and out - Mike

Connecticut Day 2

2009-10-31T05:07:00.000-07:00

Today we started at Lake Wampanaug and headed south towards Fairfield, CT. It was a nice ride with some real tough hills in the first 10 miles! I'm sure the cummulative miles added to the difficulty but it sure lets you know you are alive and feeling GOOD! Saturday is the grand finale with the Berni family from Pleasantville, NY to the Bronx. Final blog and photos to follow, Happy Hallowen everybody!

New Haven - The BIG Loop

2009-10-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

Today we met the Berni family & friends and Bruce Truax and his friend Joe in New Haven. The weather started out cloudy and cool and quickly cleared to sunny and warm, a classic New England fall day! It was nice meeting everyone and it was great to see such positive energy in the crowd. The entire group of 12 started out for the first 12 miles together and ended up at a beautiful cafe in Branford on the water. At this point we charged our batteries and the final four (Mark Berni, Bruce Truax and his friend Joe and I) headed off to loop New Haven for an additional 50 miles. What an amazing ride, it had some awesome hills and we were able to see Connecticut and all its fall beauty - riding by the coastline, forests, and lakes. We finished at College Street on the Yale campus in New Haven - ready to eat!! Tomorrow is another big ride in Connecticut as we near the end of our journey. I'm looking forward to seeing the Berni family again as they join me for the finale on Saturday.

Cape Cod Rail Trail and Day of Rest!

2009-10-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

I spent Tuesday riding the Cape Cod Rail Trail and was able to see my mother, sister, and brother in law who have all been great supporters of the mission. My sister is an Eastham Police Officer and the department showed their support while we were in town. Before my Cape ride, the bike needed some maintenance and repair and Idle Times Bike Shop in Eastham donated their parts and services for the cause. A big thank you to the owner Pete Noble-Cass. The weather was a bit showery but the ride through the central cape was beautiful . A house we passed had one of the best Halloween displays and I had to grab a snapshot. We were able to spend two comfortable nights in my brother in laws cottage in Wellfleet - Thank you Carl! Today was my rest day as we traveled to New Haven for the first of two long rides in Connecticut. Looking forward to meeting the other riders as meeting the riders and families has, so far, been the highlight of this trip.

60+ miles today!

2009-10-26T15:31:00.001-07:00

Today, October 26 was another fabulous day on the tour. We met John McNaboe and his wife, Marcy at the downtown Worcester Union train station. After maneuvering around some city traffic we were off on our way towards Providence, RI. We worked our way towards the Blackstone River Valley Bike path navigating through a network of many roads and turns. A small mapping error sent us off on a nice 7 mile detour - but then again, what is a small 7 mile detour when you are riding 53 miles anyhow? One apple, banana, power bar, and 61 miles later we ended up in downtown Providence at the train station. What a ride! We truly loved it and brainstormed many great ideas for future Tour de Nephcure rides. It was definitely another good day of meeting new people and building the Nephcure Network!!

Day 4

2009-10-25T16:02:00.000-07:00

Today, October 25th we spent in Rhode Island. The sun was out and it hit a warm 70 degrees! The day started with a morning loop on ocean drive in Newport, one of my favorite training routes. We then headed to Barrington to join my daughter Bridget and other family and friends on the East Bay Bike path. Linda McDermott came down from Cumberland, RI representing her family. Her daughter, Hayley was attending theater practice for Fiddler on the Roof (good luck Hayley!). We all could not have had a better ride - all angles of the spirit of the tour came together - family, friendship, support, and a strong desire to keep the mission of Nephcure alive! We were lucky enough to have a Barrigton Newspaper reporter come by to hear our story. At the half way point, we stopped and enjoyed the view on the water in beautiful Bristol and had a great spontaneous Tai Chi show by one of our support riders - Paul Brown - thank you Paul! Now its off to Worcester, MA to ride the Black Stone River Bikeway into Providence for a big 50+ mile day 5.

Day 3

2009-10-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

Today (OCT24) we are in Stratton, VT. Mark Berni was kind to let us stay in his beautiful mountain home. It’s a chilly 40 degrees and a cool steady rain but we are not going to let that stop the spirit of the mission. We met up with Christopher, Melissa and Coleman Reece in Townshend, VT. The plan was to head to Brattleboro and then for me to continue onto the Massachusetts state line. In the interest of safety and not getting sick we punched out a quick 10 miles and decided to cut the ride short and settled into a great little breakfast café. It was great fun meeting the Reece family, their enthusiasm was inspiring! Tonight its back to my home in Rhode Island for Sunday tour in my state…

Day 2

2009-10-24T16:40:00.000-07:00

Today, October 23 was a beautiful, crisp, fall day – a nice and sunny warm 42 degrees. I polished off my chocolate chip pancakes at the Maine Diner in Kennebunk, Maine and headed to Wells, Maine to continue the Eastern Coast Trial to Portsmouth, NH. It was a great ride, with some fun hills. Had to increase speed to 20 MPH to outmaneuver a couple of back woods Maine canines keeping guard on their property line -sure glad I had those pancakes! The state crossing into New Hampshire was just awesome riding over the Piscataqua River into beautiful Portsmouth for a hot cup of clam chowder. Tonight we head out to Townshend, VT to meet the Reece family to continue the tour.

On to Vermont

2009-10-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

I'm up in the mountains of Vermont with spotty internet service so I'll have a big update on Saturday with pics of the Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont rides. Weather could be a challenge tomorrow so stay tuned.

Day 1

2009-10-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

Today's route was from Portland, Maine to Wells, Maine on the East Coast Greenway bike path. Rolling the bike out at the starting line, I had a front flat tire - thats good luck - right? We fixed it up quickly and then were off. It was a beautful ride along Maine's coast line and rural towns. I logged 51.2 miles with loads of fresh air and calories burned! We'll post some photos this Saturday since I need my USB cable to downlaod the pictures taken. It was a GREAT first day and I'm looking forward to continue the journey and mission of Tour de Nephcure as well as meeting all the participants!!

Mike

About to embark...

2009-10-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

It's the eve of the Tour de NephCure and I am in Portland, Maine about to start my 400+ mile journey across New England. I'm looking forward to meeting new people, enjoying the beautiful sites, but most of all, raising awareness for those living with Nephrotic Syndrome and FSGS. The aim of my mission, along with the families that will be riding with me, is to find a cure for these kidney diseases and this can only be done with more research. It is my hope that this bike ride will bring us that much closer to a cure.
The weather is looking good and all systems are a go-I'll keep you updated with my progress and include some pictures of tomorrow's ride.
See you soon,
Mike