Team Stockbridge Update
We are 2/3 of the way through the bike ride across the continent and there is incredible news to share! The past week has been a whirlwind. It started with very bad news: Brian Stockbridge sustained an injury in his effort to ride across America to raise money for neurocutaneous melanocytosis (NCM). He called, resting comfortably at his home in Connecticut, to let us know. He was miserable, we were devastated.
Brian Stockbridge in Idaho in early July
We thought about his son David and pulled ourselves together.
Let's bring this into the first person. PacTour is an organization that has run Pacific-Atlantic Cycling tours since 1981. Friday I piled my daughter Megan into the car and set out for Mena, Arkansas, where I was planning to meet up with Brian anyway. Instead, I knew I would meet the whole group of PacTour riders, who are deserving of admiration, respect, and yes, praise, for what they are doing together. I thought "maybe we can get one of them to pick up where Brian left off, and maybe we can convince all the people who pledged to Brian, to allow another rider to finish what he started."
When Megan and I arrived, riders were rolling in, one by one, at the end of the day. We arranged to take any rider to dinner who would be willing to hear us out. Fifteen riders took us up on it, including some, it turned out, whom Brian had already been talking with about the same thing. (Great minds think alike?)
Sue Reed with Megan Stewart
I finished my brief appeal, describing Brian's passion and motivation, talking about his son David and introducing my daughter Megan, and asked that anyone who wanted to talk more about it see me afterward.
It was not five seconds before they all spoke up together that they wanted to take this on as a group, and they would ALL like to pick up where Brian left off and ride this thing on to the Atlantic for Nevus Outreach.
Wow. The birth of Team Stockbridge!
Team Stockbridge - Seated L-R: Lori Cherry, Doug Shanks, Jay Reeks, Jason Mahar, Greg Langer, Sue Reed, Alan Stokes, Rebecca Haldeman, Brian Hofstra, Dan Hofstra, Jeanene Spence. Standing L-R: Walt Chapman, Chris Stegeman, Megan Stewart, Lon Haldeman, Jonathan Jahant.
After dinner, we were all invited back down to the fleet of vans and trailers that accompanied this group across the country with food, water, spare parts, etc. for dessert. Dessert that evening was a HUGE care-package of delicious delectables from none other than Stockbridge's Cheesecakes of Shelton Connecticut, personally shipped by a man with a huge heart! Thank you Brian!
Oh my gosh, what are they all eating?
"FRAGILE - Stockbridge's Gourmet Cheesecakes and Delectables" - pretty much says it all.
I spoke to Brian after seeing the group off on Saturday, and he continues to recover from an injured Achilles tendon. He was quite taken by the news of "Team Stockbridge."
If you have been sitting on the fence on this one, now is the time, while there are still riders on the road, to pitch in and help us beat NCM. Just click here and pledge a penny a mile ($35), or whatever you can.
Huge thanks to PacTour for their dedication to our cause. You guys are awesome.
And off goes Team Stockbridge into the Arkansas sunrise. Georgia is 1000 miles to go.
