Final notes [October 6, 2007]
The unofficial tally of money raised for Red Cedar this year is
$25,000. “It was another successful ride, and everyone stayed safe,”
Jordan Breiner says. “A big thanks goes out to everyone who rode or
generously supported the ride.”
The unofficial Iron Man Award goes to Bob Bly, who took a spill in
the rain near Lebanon shortly after he, Stan Griffin, and Mike Maenle
left Pittsboro Wednesday. Bly suffered a rib injury, but completed the
rest of the ride nonetheless. Bly was set to have his injury diagnosed
Monday.
“I’m not sure if something is cracked, broken, or just badly
bruised,” Bly says. “It didn’t hurt that much on flat ground, but it
was pretty painful on the hills—any time I had to pull up on the handle
bars. But the biggest disappointment was that I wasn’t able to play golf
along the way.”
Although Maenle doesn’t play golf, Griffin still got his game on with
John Leccia and Pete Hamilton of mill-equipment supplier SMS. Leccia
and Hamilton shared the support-van driving duties for the threesome
taking on half of the tour from Pittsboro to Butler.
There was a mishap on Thursday that went unreported. Will Rollings,
one of the tour founders and a talented competitive cyclist, was
checking out something behind him when he turned back to the front and
realized he was riding right into the rest of the group. He applied his
brakes to avoid a collision, and he and his bike flipped over. Rollings
suffered some bruises, but was no worse for the wear.
Day 4 wrap-up [October 6, 2007]
It was another scorcher for October, but about 30 people joined the
riders for the final 42-mile leg from Columbia City to Butler on
Saturday morning. Among the people joining the ride for the final day
was Jeffersonville’s Diana Maynard. A veteran of two entire tours,
Maynard couldn’t participate until the last day because of work
commitments.
After driving the support van for the first three days, Pulver rode
the final leg despite some ailing knees. “I took it easy, but I could
still feel it,” Pulver says. “I’m going to take care of my knee
problems, and I plan to be good to go for next year’s ride.”
Day 3 wrap-up [October 6, 2007]
Despite the unseasonably hot weather nipping at the 90s and three
flat tires, the group taking on the entire Tour de SDI—the Ride for Red
Cedar averaged nearly 19 mph on Friday.
“The heat was extraordinary, but we managed to keep everyone cool and
hydrated, and everyone made it through,” J.D. Pulver says.
For the second straight day, Steve Turner suffered two flat tires.
Jason Smiley also had a blow out. Those slight delays caused the group
to miss its meeting with Bob Bly, Stan Griffin, and Mike Maenle near
Mount Etna, but the two groups finally joined shortly before they
reached corporate headquarters in Fort Wayne.
Bill Kautz had to leave after Thursday’s ride to attend to company
business, but he rejoined the group near Huntington Friday afternoon.
At corporate headquarters, the riders enjoyed a show of support from
fellow employees and the company, which donated $5,500 to the effort.
Day 2 wrap-up [October 5, 2007]
Three flat tires and some unseasonably warm weather didn’t affect the
riders’ schedule on Thursday as they averaged about 17 mph over the
100-plus miles from Nashville to Lebanon.
“It was a beautiful day, but it was extremely hot for this time of
the year,” says J.D. Pulver. “It got up to 88 degrees in the afternoon,
and everyone was definitely noticing the heat. But the guys stayed
hydrated, and overall, everyone was happy with the weather.”
Steve Turner’s bike went flat twice (front and rear) and Will
Rollings suffered a front-tire flat—all within the space of a half an
hour shortly before the riders reached Pittsboro at midday.
After the riders were done for the day north of Lebanon, Barry
Schneider, general manager of the Pittsboro mill, treated them to dinner
in Brownsburg.
A light rain had started falling on the riders as they embarked
today. They’re set to meet with Bob Bly, Stan Griffin, and Mike Maenle
near the small town of Mount Etna at about 1 p.m. before continuing on
to corporate headquarters in Fort Wayne and then the Columbia City mill.
Everyone is encouraged to take on the last leg of the tour from Columbia City to Butler beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Day 1 wrap-up [October 4, 2007]
Riding in some wonderful weather that included a wind at their backs,
the group of nine going the 100 miles from Jeffersonville to Nashville
Wednesday averaged about 18 mph.
“They’re all helping one another out, having a good time, and
enjoying one another’s company,” reports J.D. Pulver, who’s driving the
support van.
One of the tour founders, Pulver had to sit out this year’s ride
because of two very tender knees. “I’ll definitely ride again next year
instead of driving the van,” he says. “I don’t like this much.”
The only casualty on Wednesday was Jason Smiley’s legs on southern
Indiana’s challenging hills. “Jason had some heavy legs after the first
day, so he and Matt Swartz started out ahead of the rest of the group
today,” Pulver says. “It’s not uncommon for someone to have tired legs
after the first day, when we cover about one-half of the most difficult
terrain. Today, we’ll cover the other half of the highest hills on the
tour.”
The forecast for today’s 110-mile ride calls for plenty of sunshine
and temperatures in the high 80s. The group should arrive at the
Pittsboro mill shortly after noon before continuing northward.
Although the riders will spend the night in Lebanon, they’ll ride
about 20 miles beyond the town and return to their accommodations in the
van. “The third day is pretty much on flat terrain, but it’s still a
lot of miles to cover,” Pulver says. “By getting in an extra 20 miles
today, we’ll have a little less to ride on Friday.”
On Friday, the group from Jeffersonville will rendezvous near Huntington with the trio that left Pittsboro Wednesday.
Although he was driving the van, Pulver got passed up by the cycling
group toward the end of Wednesday’s leg. He’d driven ahead to catch a
cup of coffee at a small cafe he’d visited before in Story, a small town
on SR 135 about 10 miles from Nashville. Thoroughly enjoying his java,
Pulver didn’t notice with the riders whizzed past the cafe and actually
beat him to their lodgings in Nashville.
“I knew they were moving at a pretty good clip, but I didn’t know they were that quick,” Pulver says.
The group of nine are en route to Nashville, Indiana.
Come rain or shine [October 3, 2007]
Both groups started out on schedule this morning, albeit under different
circumstances. At Jeffersonville, the sun was shining and the
temperature was in the mid-80s. At Pittsboro, however, the riders
embarked in cooler temperatures, under angry-looking gray skies, and
amid intermittent rain.
From left to right, the nine riders leaving
Jeffersonville Wednesday are Ricky Rollins, Steve Turner, Roy Perala,
Jared Hoff, Bill Kautz, Jason Smiley, Matt Swartz, Jordan Breiner, and
Will Rollings.
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Riders taking on the entire Tour de SDI get ready to roll at the Jeffersonville plant. |
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Pittsboro’s Bryan Sheets chats with tour rider Bob Bly.
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A contingent of supporters at Pittsboro came out
Wednesday morning to see off tour riders Mike Maenle, Stan Griffin, and
Bob Bly. From left to right are Bill Brown, Maenle, Jill Robinson,
Griffin, Jami Gaither, Leon Waninger, Bly, Angie Price, and Lynn Cox.
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Overview [October 2, 2007]
 Nine
riders are taking on the full four-day, nearly 400-mile Tour de SDI—the
Ride for Red Cedar, which began this morning at the company’s
Jeffersonville facility near the Ohio River in southeastern Indiana.
The Tour de SDI is a challenging ride connecting the company’s
facilities in Indiana. Through donations from SDI and its suppliers,
fellow employees, and friends and family members, the riders generate
money for Red Cedar, a Fort Wayne-area facility that provides outdoor
recreational activities for people with and without disabilities. Red
Cedar is a division of AWS, a nonprofit organization working on behalf
of people with disabilities. In its first four years, the tour raised
$55,000 for Red Cedar.
The group heading north from Jeffersonville is led by tour founders
Will Rollings and Jordan Breiner of the flat roll mill at Butler. J.D.
Pulver, another founder and Butler employee, is nursing injured knees
and will drive the support vehicle. Also representing the flat-roll mill
are Jason Smiley (second full tour), Matt Swarz (third full ride), and
Ricky Rollins (second complete tour).
Representing the Columbia City mill are Bill Kautz, who’s back for
his second full tour, and Roy Perala, who’s signed on for his first full
ride after taking on one-half of the tour last year.
There are also a couple of firsts. In his intial ride, Steve Turner
will also be the first Pittsboro employee to take on the entire tour.
Jared Hoff of Essix Resources will be the first non-SDI person to take
on the full ride. Essix is serving as a corporate sponsor for the event,
and Jared is the son of Dave Hoff, meltshop supervisor at Butler.
At the same time, an additional three riders have embarked from
Pittsboro. Going at a more leisurely pace—and perhaps taking in some
golf along the way—that group will join the contingent coming from
Jeffersonville on Friday near Salamonie Reservoir. Riding north from
Pittsboro are Stan Griffin, Mike Maenle, and Bob Bly, all from the
Butler mill.
The daily increments for this year’s ride include Jeffersonville to
Nashville (about 100 miles) today; on to Lebanon by way of Pittsboro
(110) on Thursday; and on to Columbia City by way of corporate
headquarters in Fort Wayne (135) on Friday.
It’s anticipated that many additional riders—employees, family
members, and friends—will join the group for the final 42 miles from
Columbia City to Butler on Saturday. That larger entourage will leave
the Columbia City mill at about 9 a.m. Everyone is invited to
participate. Food and refreshments will be provided.
In addition to raising funds for Red Cedar, the tour also raises
awareness of the health benefits of cycling and other forms of exercise. |
