2007 Bike Philly: A Tour For Everyone

This was the first ever event of this kind and we were there!

Since this event had a 10-mile course, I took the hand-cranked trike, while Nina brought her tadpole.

Arriving an hour early, we registered, then parked the trikes on the grounds in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum and had a snack, which was provided by the organizers. As the riders trickled in, we answered questions about the trikes. One of the Philadelphia TV stations interviewed Nina.

Finally we decided to ride with the “Families” group and got ourselves over to the starting line. We were delighted to find another tadpole rider (Greenspeed) in with us, and I was over the moon when three handicapped women joined us with hand-cranked trikes!

By the time 8 AM rolled around we had heard speeches from the organizers, from the sponsor (Commerce Bank), and from several city officials, all upbeat and positive. 3,000 riders of all ages and physical abilities had gathered by then, and when we started, we filled the streets.

It was a fairly easy ride around City Hall and through most of the downtown area, but I had to shift down for the long upgrade to Girard Avenue, which brought us down to walking speed. Then there was a nice downhill again, and we were back to the finish line near the Art Museum before we knew it.

We will do this ride again next year: it was a lot of fun!

If You'll Sponsor Us, We'll Ride Tricycles 150 Miles to Fight MS!

Well, not exactly this kind. I have many happy memories connected with my little red-and-white tricycle back in the days before kindergarten, but I don’t think I could do 150 miles across New Jersey on it, even for a cause this important.

You probably know that Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, attacks its victims in the prime of life. In a matter of days they can go from living normal, healthy lives to being struck down by a painful and weakening chronic illness.

In recent years, great progress has been made in providing treatment and services to victims. While helping current victims is important, increasing research dollars to find a cure is also vital. Nina and I have made this ride every year since 2001 to help raise contributions for these two important efforts.

Beginning last year, we really have done it on tricycles, too. They’re just a little different from the ones we had so long ago. On these, our knees don’t hit the handlebars!

All kidding aside, we do this every year as part of our commitment to a healthy lifestyle, but more because we want to help friends and loved ones. With us it’s personal: the pictures of Niña’s friends, Mrs. Ivie Flournoy and Laura Tatninov, and of Larry’s sister, Pat, all MS victims, ride with us on our bikes.

Can we count on you to support us in attaining our goal? By making a donation, you can give help and hope to over 400,000 people in the United States who live with MS every day.

There are two easy ways to support us. Please turn the page over for complete information.

Thank you for being one of our sponsors and making a difference!

Nina and Larry

To Sponsor Us with an Online E-Pledge:

Begin by typing http://www.ms150biketour.org/ into the address line of your web browser (or copy and paste it from here) and click on Go. You will be taken to the MS Society’s home page.

Then click on Donate/ePledge. You will be asked to identify the event you are supporting.

Find New Jersey – City to Shore Bike Tour 2007 and click on Donate/ePledge immediately to the right. You will be asked to identify a participant to support.

Click in the circle to the left of Search for a participant. In the appropriate fields, type in either Nina Franco or William Kleinbrook. Then click on Find a Participant.

The name will appear in red print below. Click on it.

You will be taken to Nina’s or my personal page. Below the thermometer, click on Donate to Participant!

You will be taken to a page where you can fill out the particulars of your donation.

Thanks again for taking MS research to the Finish Line!

2007 Cycling Season Recap - So Far ....

I love cycling! I fell in love with the sport when I was a pre-teen. I would watch the evening news replays of the Tour de France and wonder about the riders and their bikes. I really wanted to learn how to ride a bike in 1985 when I watched Bernard Hinault fall, break his nose, get back on the bike, and finish the stage in first place, bloody from head to toe. It was gory, it was great, it was love at first sight!

It wasn't until I was in my early 30's that my wish to learn how to ride a bike came true. My husband taught me the basic physics involved before I mounted a purple (rather cheesy looking) bike I bought from Sears. He then gave me a push and down the road I went. I felt for the first time, truly free.

That bike got stolen when I was visiting the local library. Go figure, thieves that are library users too!!

My heart was broken, but I bought another bike just like it (why mess with a good thing, right?) -- and then life got in the way. The bike was put away for a very long time.

Then along came the summer of 2001!! I bought a Bike E RX, a recumbent bicycle. My husband bought a Rans Rocket that same summer and we both fell in love all over again with cycling. We started watching the Tour de France and really got hooked.

Both bikes now have new homes because last year we bought the trikes. The Bike E RX lives at LBI, NJ and the Rans lives at VB, VA. Odd isn't it? They both ended living on the beach.

The trikes are the best! This summer has been our greatest season ever. Here is a recap so far:

May 12: Pinelands Triple Loop, Batso Village, NJ - This must be the third or fourth time that we have participated in this ride. The organizers are the Shore Cycle Club. I kept asking Larry, " Where did the hill go?"

June 2: Get Ready Metric Century, Fort Mott, NJ - Our first time riding this event. We had a great time on this one and we will ride it again next year. The organizers are the South Jersey Wheelmen and they have the coolest looking cycling jerseys in the State! This ride also had the most recumbent riders (trikes and bikes) that we have ever seen outside of a recumbent rally.

June 17: Bike Freedom Valley, Philadelphia, PA: Another first time event for us. The event started right in front of Boathouse Row and went in front of the Art Museum. I kept hearing the song Eye of the Tiger in my head! The organizer for this event is the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. Larry and I will probably ride this one again next year. Having Kelly Drive all to ourselves was pretty cool!

June 24: French Creek Iron Tour, Downington, PA: This had to be the most challenging, brutal, and grueling event we have ever participated in. It is also the best kept secret in road biking. It is breathtakingly beautiful because of the scenic routes and the restored colonial homes, where deer poke their noses out of the bushes to watch the riders pass. It is sponsored by the French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust. The theme at the start of the day was "Do you feel as cold as I do?" and for the rest of the ride it was "Hills! They've got hills!" All the same, we were happy to finish it with smiles on our faces and look forward to repeating it next year. I'll be bringing the parkas along, though!

July 1: Double Cross Metric, Middletown, DE - This was our first time at this ride, a really fun event except for the headwinds. They really slowed us down: I felt like I was riding my bike through molasses. Apart from the wind, though, this had to be the most rider-friendly event we have ever been to. The organizers are the White Clay Bicycle Club of Delaware and their participant gifts are pretty nice too!

August 4: The Princeton Event, Princeton, NJ - The organizers are the Princeton Free Wheelers. This had to have been the hottest and muggiest day of the summer. The clearest memory is Larry saying, "Ahem! I don't think we are going in the right direction!!!" All in all, it was a fun ride and the lunch was really good. This event gets first prize for having the cleanest and best stocked Port-A-Potties in the whole world! They even had anti-bacterial wipes! God is in the details, people!

August 11: Bridgeton Zoo Ride, Centerdon, NJ - If we thought that the French Iron Creek ride was cold, we had a surprise with this one. In a month of hot weather, this morning dawned overcast, windy, and cold. We have participated in this ride before and it was never this cold.

It was a good ride, though, and it motivated us to keep a 13+ mph average, a new Personal Best for us. At the end of the ride we got some food into us and we were glad to head home. Will we do this one again? You betcha! I will bring my Nanook of the North jacket with me just in case ... This ride is sponsored by the South Jersey Wheelmen.

Upcoming rides: I will blog about these as they occur and hopefully, I will be able to upload some pictures for you to enjoy.

September 8: Schuylkill Century
September 9: Bike Philly
September 15: The Jersey Devil Century
September 29-30: MS 150 City to Shore Ride (Benefit ride for Multiple Sclerosis. And yes folks, we ride 150 miles in two days!)

Keep riding!
Nina