You know how a lot of us inevitably turn into our parents? It's in my blood to be a cyclist. My dad was an avid cyclist. Growing up, the family lore included stories of him photographed in the Madison newspaper biking through mounds of snow, honing and perfecting his apple pie recipe through making 3 pies a week while he was riding and racing, and showing up on bike in Long Island for his summer breaks from MIT. And while I didn't get to bike with him much due to his illness, I still got his love for cycling.

Besides the adventure and grind (accelerating at the base of a hill to race up it), one of my favorite things about biking is the connection to the community (and showing up sweaty to places). I get to feel the city around me as the seasons change, see buildings and new stores pop up, bike lanes get constructed, and stop at local stores, especially for ice cream. I pretty much use my bike to get to anywhere I'm going.

Which brings us to Bikes Not Bombs and this ride. Bikes Not Bombs supports communities in Boston through their youth apprentice program teaching bike building and maintenance skills as well as building leadership opportunities. They repair and build bikes that would have gone into the trash and distribute them to people around Boston and overseas to economic development projects. If you have the time, please watch this video to learn about their apprenticeship program https://youtu.be/sQOt2mgCrF4.

I'm planning to ride 105 miles and fundraise to support this worthwhile organization and encourage you to support me. I will also be accomplishing a feat just as monumental as riding 105 miles, waking up at 6am in order to start ride on time.