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!