2015 Ride for McBride

Jared is always the star of the show.

20 September 2015

Today was the fifth annual Ride for McBride. We're so accustomed to our roles now that we didn't even need to hold an organizational meeting. 

Little Joe was in charge of us J arrow painters.

As the route designer, I was lazy: I only changed one of them, because of a closed road.  People seem to be happy with the routes we have, so we've kept them the same for the past few years.  Next year might be different, though.

An army of friends and relatives handled the registration tables and the kitchen, serving up cue sheets, T-shirts, and burgers. Some of the food was donated.

Jenna designed the T-shirts (a deep red this year). Judy took charge of all that was paper (mailings, cue sheet printing) and organization.  

Jared is our leader.  He's got a handle on everything.  He also has the most difficult task, which is giving the speech after all of the riders have returned.  After he thanked the organizers and announced this year's scholarship winner, he read from an article he'd written about his father's death.  Every year he reads something written about (and once by) his father.  It's rough for him, but every year he holds it together a little better than the year before.

As for the ride, about a dozen of us started out for the B-paced 50-mile route.  We were down to 10 halfway to New Egypt.  I gave up trying to keep the group together years ago.  This isn't an official PFW ride, and the usual politeness goes out the window pretty quickly.  Still, although the group fractured, I found myself turning into a ride leader. As a result of me hollering, "Hold up!" a lot, we all left the rest stop together, waited for each other, and finished together.  I think that's a first.

the Plumsted Recreation Area rest stop 

On the western side of Hill Road, we were fairly well spread out.  I stopped at the top of the hill that rises from the sharp bend in the road.  There, I made friends with a foal.  Taking a cue from the grass dangling from his mouth, I fed him some from my side of the fence.

It's never too late, by the way, to donate to the Joseph McBride Memorial Award scholarship for second-year students at Penn's Masters program in Social Policy and Practice.  All the information is here.