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Cycling Through Three States in Two Days for One Cure
By Edie Hofstatter, Norfolk
 | | Edie Hofstatter |
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There are bike rides for charity … and then there are bike rides for charity. On July 20-21, I will once again be participating in the Memory Ride New England—a 2-day, 150-mile bicycle ride from Brattleboro, through the "corner" of New Hampshire, into Boston. What makes the Memory Ride unique is that 100% of all money raised goes directly to research. The staff is all-volunteer and overhead fees are donated by corporate sponsors.
The Memory Ride is small and personal, founded and organized each year by the Noonan family after they watched their mother, her twin sister, and two of their siblings fall victim to early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Last year I rode in memory of my mother, Frances Hochberg, and my uncle, Jack Lakin, both of whom lost their lives to Alzheimer’s Disease, and in honor of my good friend, Sylvia Posner of Goshen, who continues to suffer with it.
This year I will ride again. I have pledged to raise at least $1,000. Last year, at the ripe old age of 49, more than a little bit overweight, and riding a 24-year-old ten-speed bicycle, I managed to train well enough to bike across 85 miles of hills the first day and 62 miles of somewhat easier terrain the second day. I figure it was the least I could do. There are over 4 million people with Alzheimer’s in the United States. Over 14 million people in America are expected to have this disease by the year 2050. Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that robs people of their memory and their dignity and robs families of their loved ones, even while the person is still with us physically.
If you or anyone you know has been touched by this disease, you will understand the suffering it causes. Please consider making a donation to the Memory Ride to help in our quest for a cure. You can make a donation to sponsor my ride by going to <www.memoryride.org> on the Internet and clicking on "donations" (be sure to include my name—Edie Hofstatter—as the person you are sponsoring). Or you can make out a check to "Memory Ride, Inc." and mail it to me at: Edie Hofstatter, Greenwoods Rd. W., Norfolk, CT 06058; I will fill out the form and forward it to the Memory Ride office for you. All donations are tax-deductible. Or, you can take the challenge and join the ride yourself!
 | | Participants in last year's Memory Ride gathered in the State House in Boston at the end of the ride. |
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Last year 45 riders (and nearly as many crew members) raised $100,000. Ninety percent went to a specific, carefully chosen research project through the Foundation for Neurological Diseases. The remaining 10% went to research through the Alzheimer’s Association. The following is my "diary" of last year’s ride:
Dave (my husband) drove me up to Vermont, had a quick dinner with me, and left me off at Fort Dummer (no, not "Dumber") State Park to check in and spend the night in a lean-to with a group of my fellow riders.
Day 1 (Saturday): A mass start at 7:15 a.m., riding as a group through Brattleboro and then spreading out as the hills got steeper and longer. We rode a total of anywhere from 80.8 to 87 miles on Saturday, depending on whose mileage gauge you choose to believe—personally, I choose to believe "87." I thought I had trained well for hills, but by mile 55 or so I was definitely starting to get tired. There were many long, steep hills on day 1. Pit stops were every 10 to 15 miles. The support crew was wonderful and the route was well marked. People kept telling me what a great job I was doing as they rode past me—of course, the key phrase here is "as they rode past me." The final three miles were mostly a gradual downhill, much to my relief, and I pulled into the parking area at Fitchburg High School (our night’s "camp") around 3:45 p.m.
Day 2 (Sunday): Much easier (relatively speaking, of course!). Only a handful of truly difficult hills, 62 miles total riding, and a really pretty 3-mile descent through Willard Brook State Forest right at the start (plus, several folks took it upon themselves to slow down to keep me company during much of today’s ride!). We gathered for lunch at our "staging area" at Beaver Brook Recreation Area. From there we rode as a group—with police escort—down Memorial Drive (along the Cambridge side of the Charles River), across a long bridge into Boston, and down through the very busy Copley Square (in our own lane of traffic!) to the Boston Commons and then to the State House. Most inspiring!! I got my only flat tire coming across the bridge, but four people quickly descended on my bike and had that tire changed in less than three minutes. Remarkable! A wonderful reception in the Great Hall of the State House made a fitting ending to an incredible journey.
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