4th Annual Kelly Brush Century Ride
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT

Hosted by Middlebury Skiing

Thank you to all who participated, donated, or volunteered in last year's ride. We had a record breaking 366 riders, including 6 hand-cyclists, and our fundraising total was at $135,000!

A RECAP FROM LAST YEAR'S RIDE:

Click here to view the photo gallery from last year's ride

A record breaking 366 riders participated in this year's ride! Thankfully, there is no rain to report this time around. The weather began cloudy, but once again transformed into a beautiful fall day! Six hand-cyclists led the pack out of the football stadium, closely trailed by the Middlebury Ski Team. Thanks to our Event sponsor, Keurig Brewed, everyone was able to enjoy a quick coffee boost of caffeine before heading out for the hilly 50 mile loop. Vermont Bicycle Touring and Earl's Cyclery were on hand to help out with tire pump ups and chain lube at the start, as well as fixing the flat tires that unfortunately occurred during the ride.

It was incredible to see all the people who participated- varying from those who decided to start biking just for this ride, to bikers who simply love to ride for a good cause, to people who are connected to the ski industry, to local avid bikers looking for a good 100-mile bike ride, to 13 year-old ski racers…old, young, has-beens, you name it. For many, the ride was a reunion of sorts- running into old friends from all over the skiing world map! The ski academies showed up in force – GMVS, Burke, and Stratton to name a few. This event's initiator, Forest Carey, came back and managed to complete a few miles in flip-flops despite a recent knee surgery.

Kelly and Charlie rode the same 29 mile leg to the water stop at Button Bay, as they had last year. Thankfully, Lauren and Julie Butze were once again able to keep the tunes blasting and the spirit up in the support car behind them. Kelly was able to do the majority of the ride on her own, but Lauren was there to give her a slight push up the steeper hills when she needed it. The duo shaved a clean 40 minutes off their time from last year, completing the ride in 2 hr and 50 min. They were extremely psyched with their progress!

Stever Bartlett and the Middlebury Ski Team again put on a fabulous barbecue for the hungry riders. The first group, led by the Middlebury Nordic team, blazed thru the 100-mile course, barely stopping for food at the Shearer Honda Water Stop. By the time the rest of us slow folks rolled in, the BBQ was in full force with tunes provided by local radio station 95 Triple X. The raffle did not disappoint this year, and many lucky winners walked away with great prizes from – Reliable Racing Supply, Trek, Peak Performance Ski Shop, Tecnica, Spyder, Oakley, Ski Rack, and a handful of restaurants including Fire and Ice and The Shed.

As of now, the ride has generated over $135,000 in funds for the Kelly Brush Foundation. We thought last year's total of over $90,000 was good and this year has surpassed all of our expectations. We couldn't have asked for a better turn-out and are excited to put this money to good use! We hope to put this money towards:

• Grant requests by multiple ski clubs from around the country for extensive renovations to their race trails and safety measures.
• Individual grant requests for adaptive sporting equipment, including a mono-ski.
• Continuing to spread the word about ski racing safety- specifically to keep safety in the forefront of the minds of Head coaches and Program directors alike.
• And of course, to get Kelly walking again, by continuing to support research in the spinal cord injury field.

Thanks again to all of the volunteers, particularly Lou Reed and Stacey Morrissey, who really made the Century Ride happen. We can't thank you enough! We appreciate the constructive feed back and will work to make changes for an even better 4th Annual Kelly Brush Century Ride.

Please keep in mind that we are always accepting grant requests for both, Ski Racing Safety, as well as for those in need of adaptive sporting equipment!

With Love and Thanks,

Kelly, Lindsay, Mary, and Charlie

   

Read the recap from the 2007 Century Ride.

To view pictures from the 2007 ride, click here.

To view 2007 Brochure, please click here.

To see pictures from the 2006 Century Ride, please click here.

Read the recap from the 2006 Century Ride.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Friends of the Kelly Brush Foundation:   Bond Auto Parts Brueggers Bagels Catering by Dale Citizens Bank Clif Bars Earl's Cyclery and Fitness The Essex Agency Fire & Ice Restaurant First Supply Flex-Power Goldman, Sachs & Co. Goldsmith architects Hannaford Supermarket Hauke Building Supply Holmberg Properties Homestead Design Hudson Housing Capital Ice House Restaurant Ken's Golf Shop Key Bank Lake Champlain Chocolates Lane Press Lintilhac Foundation Mascoma Savings Bank The Medical Store Middlebury College Snow Bowl Northeast Information Systems Oakley Otis Atwell Peak Performance Ski Shop Pomerleau Real Estate Ralph Myhre Golf Course Reliable Racing Supply Rhino Foods The Shed Restaurant Shelburne Apple Orchards Shelburne Health and Fitness Spyder Tele Atlas Tecnica USA Trek Vermont Pure Spring Water VT Tent Company World Cup Supply Wright & Morrissey