Danny’s Ride

We will be finishing our ride with a police escort onto Folly Beach on next Saturday (June 13th).  We have talked with several bikers who are interested in riding with us and we would be thrilled to have you!!

On Friday morning, we will be biking from the Comfort Inn in Walterboro to the Charleston area (approximately 38-40 miles).  The exact time we will leave has yet to be decided but it will probably be around 8:30 or 9:00 a.m.  I will post the exact time within the next day to help you plan in advance.  Comfort Inn is located at 97 Downs Lane in Walterboro.

If you are planning on biking with us, feel free to email us at: Drew@DannysRide.org   If we know you are coming, we will not leave without you.  It is going to be an exciting ride back into the Charleston area.

Saturday – We are in the process of ironing out the details.  We need to be near Folly Beach at 10:00 a.m. for the police escort, so we expect to start biking around 8:15 a.m.  I will post in the next day with the finalized details of this.  Thank you to all those who are interested in biking with us!

1,000 People
$30 Donation
$30,000 Closer To A Cure
Danny’s Ride has set a goal of raising $30,000 for cancer research by June 6th,2009.  This is a big goal but we have a big challenge – finding a cure for cancer.

Sponsors names will be presented on a certificate with the check for the total amount of money raised.

Please be one of 1,000 people who have had enough with the hurt and destruction cancer has caused.  Thank you.

FACT: Cancer is now the leading cause of death in the United States.

Miles: 62.55 Total
Biking Time: 3 Hours, 40 Minutes, 48 Seconds

Total Trip Miles to Date: 2,249.48

Flat Tires: 22
Drew: 18
Danny: 4

Estimated Miles To Folly Beach: 279
Days Until Saturday, June 13th Arrival: 7

After changing a flat tire, we were on the road by 7:15.  It was an overcast morning with a slight mist.  The early start gave us a wide open road to bike on.  At one point during the ride, we even had a bike lane to ride in.

We biked right past a beautiful peach orchard and were tempted for a taste but kept biking.  Although there were hills, they were not as tough as the past couple days.  At one point, we even had a couple consecutive miles of flat road to bike on.  We ended up getting in to Fort Valley just before 11:30 a.m.  It was great to finish so early.

We checked into the Comfort Inn by noon and had the entire afternoon and evening to relax.  Today was Greg’s last day as his flight from Charleston leaves on Monday.  A friend of his came and picked him up.  It was great biking with him.

We will be biking to East Dublin, Georgia tomorrow.  The weather for tomorrow has a 25% chance of rain with highs in the upper 80’s.  We will then take Monday off before beginning the final leg of our trip on Tuesday.  We have updated the schedule (click to view) with where we will be on the final days.  We would love to have bikers join us.  We have talked to several bikers who are planning on it already so we should have quite a crew!

1,000 People
$30 Donation
$30,000 Closer To A Cure
Danny’s Ride has set a goal of raising $30,000 for cancer research by June 6th,2009.  This is a big goal but we have a big challenge – finding a cure for cancer.

Sponsors names will be presented on a certificate with the check for the total amount of money raised.

Please be one of 1,000 people who have had enough with the hurt and destruction cancer has caused.  Thank you.

FACT: Cancer is now the leading cause of death in the United States.

Miles: 78.22 Total
Biking Time: 4 Hours, 27 Minutes, 22 Seconds

Total Trip Miles to Date: 2,186.93

Flat Tires: 21
Drew: 17
Danny: 4

Estimated Miles To Folly Beach: 341
Days Until Saturday, June 13th Arrival: 8

Well, we are back!  Almost.  Actually, we are back in the Eastern Time Zone.  Today, we faced rain from the very beginning.  Although the rain stopped several times throughout the day, we were constantly wet.  At one point, a semi-truck hit a large puddle just as it passed by me headed in the opposite direction.

The water sprayed at me was similar to the one you get while standing on top of the bridge at a water park as the water log comes flying down the hill crashing into the water below.  I only saw it coming at the last second and it almost knocked me clear off my bike.  To say I was soaked is an understatment.  I laughed and muttered my favorite line of the trip, “You can’t make this stuff up.”

At one point, Ken and Danny were ahead of us.  As we turned a corner, we saw the motor home parked on the grass beside the road.  As we approached, we saw both Danny and Ken grinning.  It turns out, the motor home had run out of gas.  We went ahead to see how far the closest gas station was.  As we found it, Danny stepped out of a car.  A generous young individual had stopped to make sure everything was alright and gave him a lift to the gas station.  Thank You!!

The roads were full of challenging hills.  After the large amount of miles we have done over the past five days, our legs were exhausted.  Each time we started a new hill, our legs would burn and our chest would be gasping for air.  As we made it into the Columbus, Georgia area, the traffic quickly increased.  With tight shoulders, we were often closer to cars than we would ever like to be.  Luckily, we made it safely through the Columbus area before making it to our hotel for the night.

Danny did another terrific job with interviews.  He interviewed with the ABC-affiliate.  The ABC-affiliate also filmed the local news for the FOX-affiliate.  So, this one interview covered two stations!  He finished the day with an interview with Maria from the NBC-affiliate.

Maria is one the most professional reporters we have met on the trip and did a great job.  We really appreciated her help!  Unfortunately, Maria has a connection to cancer.  Her father passed away from cancer several years ago.  It was really sad to hear her story and reinforced that what we are doing is the right thing and we need to double our efforts as we get close to the finish line.

We will be biking to Fort Valley tomorrow (about 65 miles).  The weather is expected to be partly cloudy with highs in the lower 90’s.

Ever had a dream to do something wild and crazy for a great and important cause? Did you do it? Danny is living his dream now and he needs our help!

Are we up to it? I think so. With one week to go, we can help Danny’s dream come true.

One of our commenters has issued this challenge on Danny’s Wall…

Hello Everyone Who Reads this post here on dannysride.org. Can you do one or more of the the following 4 things: (All 4 if possible)

1. Become a fan. Go to facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dannys-Ride/185135425514?ref=mf
2. Invite your close friends on facebook to become fans.
3. Become One of the 1000 by donating $30.00.
4. Invite 10 of your friends to become One of 1000 by inviting them to donate $30.00.

Let’s see what we can do to help Danny raise funds to fight cancer. God bless each one!

We started the day in Montgomery before driving up to Birmingham to visit a bicycle store and do interviews with the Birmingham CBS and ABC-affiliates.  The interviews will each reach over 1 million people so it was well worth the hour and a half trip.  Despite still being plagued by pneumonia, Danny did a terrific job getting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society message out.

We had a lot of work done to prepare the bikes for one final push to the Atlantic Ocean.  Our bikes were in dire need of the routine maintenance that all bikes must have.  It has been difficult to find time with our busy schedule to provide them with it.  Cahaba Cycles in Pelham, Alabama did just that.  We would like to thank them for all of their help today.

Our itinerary will be updated tonight or tomorrow.  As soon as it is, I will make sure it is noted on the blog. We would love to have bikers of all ages and skill levels bike with us at any time during the next 10 days.  It has been a trip of a lifetime and we would love for you to be a part of it!

Tomorrow we will be entering the Eastern Time Zone!!!  We will be biking approximately 68 miles to Columbus, Georgia.  It should be an exciting day to cross off another state and enter the last time zone.

1,000 People
$30 Donation
$30,000 Closer To A Cure
Danny’s Ride has set a goal of raising $30,000 for cancer research by June 6th,2009.  This is a big goal but we have a big challenge – finding a cure for cancer.

Sponsors names will be presented on a certificate with the check for the total amount of money raised.

Please be one of 1,000 people who have had enough with the hurt and destruction cancer has caused.  Thank you.

FACT: Cancer is now the leading cause of death in the United States.

Miles: 66.83 Total
Biking Time: 3 Hours, 51 Minutes, 19 Seconds

Total Trip Miles to Date: 2,108.71

Flat Tires: 21
Drew: 17
Danny: 4

Estimated Miles To Folly Beach: 422
Days Until Folly Beach: 10 – June 13th Arrival Date

We had another great day on the road.  The weather was fantastic (although a lot of humidity!).  We faced some steep rolling hills unlike ones we had seen before.  These went straight up and straight down.  By the time we would reach the top, we were too tired to bike down, so we would just sit on the seat and let gravity’s magic work.

We had a difficult time biking through Montgomery.  The heavy traffic is never a place a bicyclist wants to be.  Luckily, we made it through safely and should be clear of any major cities before we arrive back in Charleston.  We can’t wait!  As you can see, we have added a mile count down to the big finish!

Danny did a terrific job with two interviews this afternoon.  He interviewed with both the NBC and CBS affiliate.  NBC has an agreement with the local FOX affiliate where they provide them with their footage.  So, Danny had stories aired on NBC, CBS and FOX affiliates in Montgomery, Alabama.  The reach of each of these interviews is over 200,000 people so Danny story stands to reach a lot of people this evening.  We welcome all those who saw Danny on TV tonight.  Thanks for checking us out!

We will be taking tomorrow (Thursday) off.  It is a much needed day off for all of us.  We will be finalizing our itinerary for the rest of the trip tomorrow and posting it.  We would love to have bikers join us along the way and we hope to see everyone who can make it at the big finish on June 13th!

Miles: 104.67 Total
Biking Time: 5 Hours, 50 Minutes, 15 Seconds

Total Trip Miles to Date: 2,041.88

Flat Tires: 21
Drew: 17
Danny: 4

Today was a beautiful June day.  The weather started out in the lower 70’s and climbed to the lower 90’s with high humidity.   We enjoyed crossing off another state and starting a new one.  I had two flat tires during today’s ride – 1 for the front and 1 for the back.  Luckily, both changes were quick and we were able to get back on the road quickly.

Today was a very enjoyable ride, although, we were certainly tired after biking 95 miles yesterday.  The reason we biked so far was there were no hotels on Highway 80 for 50 miles!  So, it gave us an excuse to put some miles behind us.

Thank you to all of those who have been supporting us on Danny’s Ride and through emails.  We check the wall every day and it is one of the highlights of our day.  We are going to make a big media push tomorrow in Montgomery and Birmingham, Alabama.  The plan is to bike 65 miles and take Thursday off.

Danny is resting to try to get himself ready for the final push next week.

Here is our itinerary for the next couple days.  We would LOVE to see any family, friends and followers that are in the cities and towns that we will be riding through or stopping in.

June 2nd – Tues.               Meridian, MS – Selma, AL                 104 Miles
June 3rd – Wed.                Selma, AL – Montgomery, AL             48 Miles
June 4th – Thurs.              OFF – In Birmingham, AL
June 5th – Fri.                    Montgomery, AL – Columbus, GA    82.2 Miles
June 6th – Sat.                   Columbus, GA – Fort Valley, GA        72 Miles
June 7th – Sun.                  Fort Valley, GA – Dublin, GA              59 Miles
June 8th – Mon.                OFF – Atlanta, GA

We are confident about June 2nd – 5th.  We WILL be in Birmingham on this Thursday, June 4th.  The others are subject to change but we feel like they are a good estimate of where we will be.  Please do not hestitate to contact us with any questions – Drew@DannysRide.org

We left around 7:00 this morning.  Before leaving, I called a country music radio station, MISS 103, which Danny had been told was looking for the cyclists that shut down the interstate.  It turns out that the station was based in Jackson, Mississippi rather than Vicksburg (which is where we stopped traffic) but after hearing about Danny’s Ride and how we completely shut down Interstate 20 during rush hour for nearly a half hour on Friday evening, they put us on.

We talked for 7-10 minutes about trip and the need for funds for cancer research.  It was a terrific, unexpected interview in which we were able to reach a large audience during a morning radio show.  What a great start to the day!

Greg and I biked 94 miles to Meridian, Mississippi.  We met up with Ken and Danny just outside of Meridian where we decided to stay at La Quinta.  Danny used today to rest.  From having pneumonia before, I know it completely takes your energy.  Danny is doing the best thing for his body right now – rest.  When he feels better, he will be back on the bike plans not to rush it and come back to early.

When Ken and Danny arrived in Meridian, they interviewed with the local newspaper – The Meridian Star.  The Meridian Star focuses on local news rather than national news and because of this, is a thriving newspaper.  We are excited to read the article when it is published.

We will be heading to Selma, Alabama tomorrow.  The weather tomorrow should be very similar to today’s – High in the lower 90’s with high humidity and plenty of sun.  Perfect Biking Weather!

1,000 People
$30 Donation
$30,000 Closer To A Cure
Danny’s Ride has set a goal of raising $30,000 for cancer research by June 6th,2009.  This is a big goal but we have a big challenge – finding a cure for cancer.

Sponsors names will be presented on a certificate with the check for the total amount of money raised.

Please be one of 1,000 people who have had enough with the hurt and destruction cancer has caused.  Thank you.

FACT: Cancer is now the leading cause of death in the United States.

Miles: 50.90 Total
Biking Time: 2 Hours, 58 Minutes, 09 Seconds

Total Trip Miles to Date: 1,843.03

Flat Tires: 19
Drew: 15

Danny: 4

We started the day with Danny paying a visit to the hospital.  He has not been feeling well the past couple days and wanted to have some precautionary tests.  From these tests, doctors discovered Danny has pneumonia and fluid in his lungs.  Although we were glad to find the cause of Danny’s symptoms, to say we were disappointed Danny would not be able to ride for a couple days was a huge understatement.  But, as we have said all along, taking care of our health is the most important thing on this trip.

Since Danny was at the hospital, I grabbed a cab over to join  him and found I had a sinus infection.  I was given a shot of penicillin and a sucker and we were good to go.  I had the same nurse that Danny had.  I know because he was wearing a limited edition Danny’s Ride t-shirt!  Danny and he had traded shirts.  At one point, Danny grabbed a chart and asked the doctor who was next!

By 1:00 p.m. we were back at the hotel.  The plan was for Greg and me to bike on to Jackson, Mississippi or the area around there while Danny got some rest and drove with Ken in the motor home.  Despite the difficult blow and feeling sick, Danny maintained a positive attitude.  He is an incredible person and all of us have learned so much for him.  Our respect for him has grown with each day.  We all are wishing him a speedy recovery.  Please feel free to leave supportive comments on Danny’s Wall for him.

We biked 50 miles to Brandon, Mississippi – about 10 miles past Jackson, Mississippi.  We met Ken and Danny in the motor home and drove 5 miles to La Quinta.  We enjoyed a quiet, relaxing night.  One that all of us, especially Danny, desperately needed.

Danny has said he wants Greg and myself to bike on while he recovers.  Danny will listen to his body and when he is ready to start biking again, we will be thrilled.