Muddy Angels Ride 2014

Each year Mike Kennard write about the EMS Memorial Bike Ride for EMS World. This is his 2014 journal from the road.

Day 1: Boston, MA to Southbridge, MA

The 2014 edition of the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride, better known as “Muddy Angels,” started in Boston, MA, this year with approximately 75 riders lined up at the starting point. The riders started at the Boston Marathon’s finish line in remembrance of the events that happened at last year’s marathon. There was a short ceremony at Copley Park, reading of the names of the people we were riding for, bagpipes from Boston EMS and taps played by our own Muddy Angel, George Rice. And then we were off. The riders rode out of Boston in parade formation—?two abreast on the marathon route riding the route backward to Hopkinton, MA, the marathon’s starting point. My friend Lisa Tillitson Johnson, aka “Gunny,” and her son, Shawn, were riding a tandem bicycle. Shawn is 14 and autistic. He is a Boy Scout and was riding to gain his cycling merit badge for the Boy Scouts. To achieve that goal, he needed to do a long ride of 50 miles or more. Today he got that, or more, riding a total of 63 miles, the full route for the day. The day started with showers that quickly cleared. The route was a little hilly. Many of the riders gave Lisa a helping hand—or should I say legs—as they took turns riding with Shawn, helping him achieve his goal of 50 miles. By day’s end we were in Southbridge, MA, getting reacquainted with old friends and meeting new ones. Everyone had big smiles on their faces and Shawn’s was the biggest.  

Day 2: Southbridge, MA to Waterbury, CT

Hills, brutal hills, they keep coming one after another, leaving no chance for the riders to get into a rhythm. Today we are in touring format, each rider is finding their pace and getting in a group of riders of their own ability. This is where the talking, visiting and making new friends takes place. Talking to each other about how they came to be on this ride. For most, they are riding for someone they know or a friend of a friend. These are riders with big hearts and a ton of courage. I see this on every hill we climb. The riders have no quit as they struggle up to the top. Huffing and puffing, sweat running into their eyes, showing their heart with every pedal stoke and the courage to tackle the next hill, all riding for a cause. Some, including myself, get off and walk through the toughest section, never giving up. The hills beat me up this day; I ride in the sag wagon for the afternoon and end up helping on traffic duty. There is a bridge that goes over the Connecticut River in Middletown, CT, and has a funky three-way intersection at the end of it. I played crossing guard along with Issac “Skippy” Greenlaw and Carl French. Standing at the first intersection watching traffic and letting the bikers ride through, one of the riders coming through had a flat and was going to sag for the day. Skippy gave him the keys to the vehicle we were using, so he could store his bike. After the bike was stored the sag wagon came along and stopped to pick him up. There went the keys. We waited for two hours sitting on a stone wall for someone to bring the keys back. During that time we met some of the colorful people of Middletown. We were in our biking outfits and some of the homeless were taking pity on us, they kept trying to get us to come with them to the soup kitchen for dinner. “It’s Sunday night and it’s always good.” We respectfully declined, letting the parties know we had dinner waiting and our ride was coming. We ended the day in Waterbury. Tomorrow will be a travel day for me. I will be picked up early in the morning and whisked away to Tazewell, VA, to meet the lone Kentucky rider. From there we will travel north.

Day 3: Waterbury, CT to Tazewell, VA

My fellow riders and support personnel, who are heading to Virginia, picked me up bright and early from the hotel in Waterbury. I’m joining riders Robin Weeks and Lisa Johnson along with their husbands, John and Bob, who will do support along with Michelle Schirers. It’s a 10 hour ride from Connecticut to Tazewell, VA. The drive was going nicely, we had all visited and settled in for the duration, each person reading, listening to music or watching videos. At the seven hour mark I noticed John and Bob were looking at the dash. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Well the battery light is on. We’re going to pull off at the exit to check it out,” John answered back. As we rolled up to the exit the car died. Nothing, the battery was dead. I’m thinking the alternator is shot. We got out of the car, opened the hood and looked. There was no flashing sign as to what was wrong. While we were looking in the engine compartment a Virginia DOT assistance truck pulled up behind us. The young man got out in all his florescent yellow, came up and asked if he could help. We explained the situation of a dead battery and possible alternator problem. He offered to give us a quick charge on the battery and call around to see if one of the local garages could help us. While the battery was charging, he looked us over and asked, “What’s with all the EMS shirts?” That got a giggle from us; like most EMS providers we wear our EMS t-shirts most of the time. Robin explained about the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride and how we are on our way to Virginia to join the Kentucky group. He thought that was interesting and went on to tell us he belonged to one of local fire/rescue squads where he serves as a captain. Our savior was Thomas Anderson; he made the extra effort by calling around the local area and found a garage that could take care of us right away. We got started and headed into town. As we came down the street and sited the garage, the car died again. It slowed and stopped just short of the driveway. Jumping out we were able to push it into the garage. The mechanic made his checks, the boss went to the parts store and got a new alternator and within 45 minutes we were on the road again. The whole process from break down to getting on the road again took two hours. The squad in Tazewell waited for us to arrive before they served dinner. It was great for all of us on the ride to catch up with old friends we have made in Tazewell.

Day 4: Tazewell, VA to Christiansburg, VA

We rode from Tazewell to Bluefield for the first leg. Within the first four miles I started to have some throat discomfort. Stop, take a nitro and start again. The discomfort went away but I had nothing in the tank. I just couldn’t pedal. I got in the sag wagon and rode for a bit. Actually took a 15 minute power nap. About five miles outside Bluefield I was feeling better. I got on the bike again and rode the rest of the way with Robin. The next leg was into Princeton, WV. When I rode this leg two years ago I road for Sara Fox, a local fire/paramedic from New Hampshire who succumbed to cancer. I was feeling better and I quickly pulled away from the rest of the group. What a change from a couple of hours ago. This is an 18 mile stretch and lunch was waiting at the end. I pushed harder; I was maintaining a 20–22 mph pace. At mile nine Patrick Mendalson caught up with me. We rode hard together for the rest of the way into Princeton and had lunch. From Princeton we proceeded onto Christiansburg, VA, our end point for the day. The afternoon went well except for one long climb just outside of Blacksburg; I rode the sag wagon to the top, and then hopped out to finish the last 10 miles. Dinner was in Blacksburg this evening. This is where we met Rob. He was a member of Blacksburg rescue who had died suddenly. His girlfriend met with us and asked if we could spread his ashes along the route and at the finish of the ride in Alexandra, VA. We agreed to do this for her and felt honored that she would ask.

So what happened to my throat discomfort from earlier in the day? Well, I acquired a little touch of angina two years ago while on one of my hikes along the AT. I take a nitro tab and everything gets better.

Day 5: Christiansburg, VA to Lexington, VA

Today is a perfect day for bike riding, bright sunny skies, and warm with a light breeze. Three miles into the ride we have a major downhill run. Almost four miles long, a thousand foot drop in elevation, speeds over 45 mph. From there it is rolling hills, no major stops today. We are riding on route 11, Lee Highway, through the Shenandoah Valley, rolling farmland. We are just north of Buchannan, VA. This is a beautiful part of the state and I love riding through this section. We were at an impromptu rest stop in a shaded section along the highway. A pullout with grass along the sides and small babbling brook on the edge. This was our first stop for Rob. We said a little prayer and spread some of his ashes along the grass. Feeling good we finished out the ride for the day ending in Lexington, VA, home of Virginia Military Institute.

Day 6: Lexington, VA to Harrisonburg, VA

Today is a bittersweet day; it’s the last day of the ride for many of us. Lisa, Robin, their husbands, and Michelle and I, we have to go home. Work and family responsibilities await us. The ending of the ride is always a letdown. From the new friendships that we all make along the way and the renewal of old friendships that deepen with time, it is always hard to say goodbye. For me the body is tired; there is never enough training time before the ride and the Northeast weather doesn't cooperate with me whenI try to get out on the bike. Add this to my being another year older, and I'm starting to deal with coronary artery disease and angina that's begun to slow me down. The temperature rises during the day into the low 90s, as does the humidity, which in turn starts to drain me of my energy. On our final rest stop on the edge of Harrisonburg I notice it is also affecting the other riders. With the daily miles the riders are starting to wear down, but we all know “that it’s all about the journey.” We are met by Harrisonburg rescue for an escort through the city to their quarters. Once at their station, which is a large, nicely equipped station with large, open drive-through bays, a dispatch center, day room with shower and crew quarters. We had lunch and then used their showers to clean up. After we loaded the bikes on the car and started our homeward journey, Bryan and Patrick continued on to meet the East Coast riders in Maryland for the final day of their ride. Patrick will ride into Alexander for the final ceremony after leaving a piece of Rob at Camden Park, home of the Baltimore Orioles.

The 22nd Annual National EMS Memorial Service will take place on June 28, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. MDT (GMT -6:00) at the Pikes Peak Center in Colorado Springs, CO. For more information, visit www.nemsms.org.

Mike Kennard, EMT-P, has been in EMS for more than 33 years. He currently works as a paramedic at Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NH, and is a program coordinator for the New Hampshire Bureau of EMS. Mike is a retired assistant chief from the Nottingham (NH) Fire and Rescue Department. He writes about the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride each year. Contact him at grumpy1medic@gmail.com.