Biking for Betty: A 340 mile mash to end Parkinsons

Hey everyone,

In May, I'm going to ride my bike from Pittsburgh all the way to Washington D.C., totaling 340 miles from my launch point in Pittsburgh to Brooke and my front door in D.C.

I am asking for donations to pass along to The Michael J Fox Foundation to help fund research into Parkinson's Disease in honor of my Nannie, Betty Vaughn, who passed away from Parkinson's several years ago.

My Nannie was diagnosed back when I was in high school, and she fought for a long time to maintain her mobility, self-reliance, and, probably most importantly, her ability to cook for her grandchildren. In the end, it was a long fight, bitterly fought, losing ground at an ever-increasing rate, but when I think of my Nannie I feel immensely proud. She often said, 'We've just got to beat this Parkinson's", but I could never tell if that was for my benefit or hers. Parkinson's is brutal, and treatments are still really limited. That is why I have decided to do this ride for my Nannie and for everyone who has been affected by this disease.

A little about the ride:

333 miles of the 340 miles of riding happens on two rail-trails that connect in Cumberland, MD. The first, the Great Allegheny Passage , starts at Point State Park in Pittsburgh, PA, and runs up over the eastern continental divide to Cumberland, MD. It then joins the C&O Towpath that runs from Cumberland, all the way to the Georgetown Waterfront in Washington D.C. The last 7 miles will be a beautiful ride across the National Mall, a lung-buster last hurrah up Capital Hill , and an easy pedal down Maryland Ave, before arriving home to my wife, my dog, and an ice-cold beer.

I currently plan to make the trip in 3 days, requiring riding 100+ miles every day (that's 3-century rides in a row, plus a little extra!), this will be a big challenge, so I thought giving people the option to double their donations if I can make it would be a fun little wager for a good cause.

Please consider giving if you can. 88 cents of every dollar donated goes to researching Parkinson's.

Wish me luck, it's gonna be a killer trek!