Some have told us that we would not be able to make Bike4Alz happen this year due to COVID still being a prevalent issue. That wasn’t a diagnosis we were willing to accept without a fight. We couldn’t step aside two years in a row knowing Alzheimer’s still looms over families all across the country. However, ensuring the safety of everyone involved with Bike4Alz, from our lodging hosts to the communities we interact with, has been a daunting obstacle.
Last Friday, we brought the seemingly unsurmountable issue of the pandemic within our reach. All 14 members of the 2021 ride have now received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, and in the coming weeks will be fully vaccinated! Over the last month, everyone on the team volunteered at the Bowling Green Medical Center. We were fortunate enough to receive extra doses at the end of our shifts. We are very grateful to be in this position and do not take it for granted. We didn’t expect anything in return for our service but receiving the vaccine has given us perspective on how fortunate we are and has motivated us to go back and continue to serve.
A fully vaccinated team has incredible implications for this year’s Bike4Alz ride. The health and safety of those we encounter throughout the ride is our number one priority and receiving the vaccination will help us ensure that remains the case. We still intend to follow CDC guidelines at our events throughout the country. We still intend to take any precautions necessary to keep others as well as ourselves safe. Most importantly, we still intend to bike across the country to end Alz.
We have been hard at work confirming lodging for this summer and we hope the news of our vaccination will help our final efforts. This is a huge step in the right direction for the 2021 ride to raise as much money and awareness for Alzheimer’s as possible. Additionally, we secured our first vehicle that will pull the trailer. Our merchandise design is almost finished, and we will be ordering it soon. We’ve devoted extra energy to revamping our website and social media. And our team training has continued with many practice rides. Overall, we have a lot of good news to share and we hope to keep the momentum going. Only two months until we leave for San Francisco!
