We were so stoked the response to the Revenge Run was and all the friends we made that we’ve been counting the days till next year….. but why wait till next year? The Revenge Run started the year off with a bang so why not go out the same way?
The Ride for Lightning (October 15th and 16th)
Initially Ralph and I decided we were gonna do a small ride and camp jam (no sponsors and very little organization) to get back together with all the cool people we met on the RR. But recently, we both caught wind of Lee Bender and his fight against Multiple Sclerosis…… And while neither Ralph nor I know Lee personally, we figured why not help out in whatever way we can. So, we decided to do another proper run and raise as much cash to help Lee out as we can.
I got into bikes for the same reason I got into skateboards...the brotherhood. And while I don’t know Lee personally I dig what he is doing and feel a certain kinship……….. Lee was a sponsored skater (OJ, Nike, Indy…) who was diagnosed with MS in ’07…. What started as slight numbness in his hands and feet quickly became numbness from chest to toes….. his balance has been affected making skating impossible…although he can still ride a bike (some of you have probably seen his blog – onesickrace.com)…... but the real fear is that MS is a degenerative disease – so, it will likely only progress from here………. but there is hope…….. Lee has found an experimental treatment that has shown real promise in relieving the symptoms of MS and returning those who undergo the treatment to a more “normal” life………… to undergo this treatment Lee has to trek to Poland (the procedure is not sanctioned to be performed in the US)…… To do this Lee needs $11,000…….. he has raised a little over $4,000…….. so, there’s still quite a ways to go……………. And we can all help.
As for the run route, well, the two coolest things North Carolina’s past has to offer are pirates and moonshine (well, maybe not all in the past). So, it only made sense to pay tribute to NC’s deep moonshine history this time around!
The Ride for Lightning will follow some old moonshine roads through the mountains of North Carolina. The run will start somewhere near Winston-Salem, go up to Cherokee where we’ll camp for the night and then head down to Pendleton, SC for a blow-out after-party (same as last time – bands, booze, bitches…)…… same recipe as the RR except the first day will be a little shorter………… We will be riding through the Blue Ridge Mountains just as the trees are changing….. no better roads nor view in the country………….
We are gonna sell some swag and have a few raffles with all profits going to help fund Lee’s fight…………. There is also gonna be a small entry fee to go on the run which will also go to Lee………….. so, you spend a couple bucks and get to go on the run or buy some rad shit and all the while get to help Lee………… how could that suck?
Next week we’ll have all the details up on the route along with shots of the run.
For now, here's a general idea.... BUT the final route will be on small 2-lane roads and not on I-40.......
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