An Epic Ride to Rid Alzheimer's: 470 Miles in 6 Days

(June 23-29, 2024)

Charles Barkley once said that professional cycling is not a sport because "anyone can pedal a bike."  With all due respect to Sir Charles, bicycle racing is one of the most grueling sporting events in the world.  Take the Tour de France, universally considered the hardest of all bicycle stage races.  Over three weeks each July, the best cyclists on the planet complete over 2000 miles of racing and ascend more than 130,000 vertical feet of leg-burning mountain climbs.  That's about five times the elevation of Mt. Everest.  During the race, the cyclists expend between 3,000 and 4,000 calories per day.  Unable to replace the lost calories, their bodies begin to consume themselves in search of energy sources.  Add in the dangers of descending steep mountain switchbacks at nearly 60 miles per hour while riding in a group of riders known as the peloton, and you have one of the most physically and technically challenging sporting events in all the world.

A couple of years ago, I was re-introduced to the sport of cycling when my buddy, Brad Muranko, texted early one weekend morning asking if I wanted to do a road ride with a local cycling club in Richmond.  "How far?" I texted back.  "No more than 20 miles," I was told.  With no cycling fitness to speak of, I reluctantly agreed and dusted off my road bike that I bought in college.  After what turned out to be a 40 mile ride with my legs cramping and locking up for the last few miles, I was hooked again.

Fast forward two years, I have an indoor bike trainer, as well as a new road bike, and spend between four and six hours a week riding indoors and outdoors as a form of exercise and escape.  I have done rides of up to 80 miles and climbed some of the highest roads in Virginia and West Virginia.  So when that same buddy asked me in February if I wanted to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway and raise money to end Alzheimer's, I felt confident that I could handle whatever challenge it presented.

Little did I know at the time the type of challenge riding the BRP presents.  It spans 470 miles from Waynesboro, VA, to Cherokee, NC, with almost 49,000 feet of vertical climbing as it winds through the Blue Ridge mountains.  That's about the distance I would cover in six or eight weeks of training.  We plan to ride the parkway from start to finish in only six days.  Some days we will cover 100 miles and climb over 10,000 feet.  Flat sections are few and far between.  It will be the hardest and most physically demanding activity I have ever done.  By comparison, it's about the same distance and vertical climbing that cyclists in the Tour de France would cover over the same period of time during the mountain stages.

The logistics for the ride are also challenging.  We will need to ensure that we complete the mileage each day and make it to the campgrounds where we reserved spots that are located throughout the parkway regardless of what the unpredictable parkway weather throws at us.  Just like cyclists competing in a stage race, we will need to fuel, rest and recover so that we are physically prepared for each grueling day.  We have a team of volunteers that will provide support in case we have mechanical issues and assist with preparing the campgrounds for our arrival each day.

The fact that I can raise money for Alzheimer's research and care makes this journey all the more special and motivating.  My grandmother, Julia Brown Turner Whitted (whom I am expertly helping snap beans in the picture), lived with Alzheimer's for a number of years and I personally saw the toll that it took on her and my family members that bore the responsibility of caring for her.  It is a terrible disease that robs a person of many quality years of life.  I hope that you will support me with a financial contribution toward finding a cure and ending this disease (and proving that Charles Barkley is full of hot air).