The 2nd Annual Century Ride
Took place September 15th, 2007

Over $80,000 Raised!

On behalf of Kelly, her Foundation, and our entire family, we want to express our sincere thanks and appreciation for making the 2nd Annual Kelly Brush Century Ride a huge success. Whether you donated your time, goods and services, or money, the collective result was a wonderful day, and we couldn't be happier with the outcome.

Despite the rainy start, 165 riders braved the weather. The Middlebury Ski Team led the riders out of the football stadium parking lot at 9:15 am and by noon the sun was shining. It was incredible to see all the people who participated - friends who are bikers, those who decided to start biking just for this ride, bikers who simply love to ride for a good cause, people who are connected to the ski industry, and ski racers... old, young, has-beens, you name it. 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 finish the 100 with no major leg cramps this time. Next year he just might show up with Bode.

Kelly and Charlie rode 29 miles to the water stop at Button Bay. Lauren and Julie Butze rode in a car behind them with Lauren giving Kel a helping hand on some of the steeper inclines, and blasting music that kept Kelly and Charlie entertained. Last year Kelly rode 9 miles before she tired. This year there was never a doubt that she would get to that water stop, 29 miles and 3 1/2 hours later. For those of you who don't know Kelly, despite her soft voice and sweet demeanor, she is still a very tough athlete.

Stever Bartlett and the Middlebury Ski Team put on a fabulous barbecue for the hungry riders. We are so thankful that Middlebury College allowed us to use the football stadium area as it was a perfect setting and had all the facilities we needed. We had a great raffle with items donated by friends, mostly in the ski industry - Reliable Racing Supply, Poulin Performance, Trek, Atomic, Head, Tecnica, Swix, Spyder, Oakley, and the Ski Rack.

To date, the 2nd Annual Kelly Brush Century Ride has raised over $80,000 for the Kelly Brush Foundation. Wow. The word 'inspiration' gets used a lot on Kelly, but we, the Brush family, can tell you that we are the ones who are inspired by that show of support for what we are about to start with this Foundation. The areas of focus at this point are:

To make the sport of ski racing safe for all who compete by spreading the word to all ski clubs that safety measures are essential, whether for racing or training.
To support the US Disabled Ski Team.
To help any individual who has suffered a spinal cord injury and can't afford to purchase adaptive sports equipment - to help them get outdoors and be active.
To support the on-going research necessary to one day, by hook or by crook, get people like Kelly up and walking again. She is convinced that this will happen in her lifetime.

Thanks again to all of the volunteers who really made the Century Ride happen. We can't thank you enough. We plan to do this all again next year and from the great feedback we've received, the Kelly Brush Century Ride will get better every year.

So get the word out - and get your biking legs ready to ride come next September with Kelly, her family, and friends!

With Love and Thanks,
Kelly, Lindsay, Mary, and Charlie