Cyclists to ride 65 miles, raise money for Alzheimer’s Association

WHITESTOWN, Ind. (WISH) — A 65-mile ride to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association is taking place Saturday, June 19 and event organizers are trying to get more participation. 

The ride starts and ends at Moontown Brewery in Whitestown. It’s limited to 100 riders. Thirty people are registered but there’s a push to get more people signed up. 

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness month, which is why the bike ride is so timely. 

The number 65 is significant because every 65 seconds someone in America is diagnosed. Right now, more than 6 million Americans live with the disease. There is a recent breakthrough in research. A medication was approved by the FDA for the first time since 2003. 

“That’s only to serve people in the very early stages of a dementia journey,” organizer Melanie Perry said. “So, there is still much work to be done to really help people that are farther along in their journey or to prevent this from ever happening in the first place.” 

It’s a personal ride for Ned Broadwater, whose father and mother both died from the disease. 

“To watch someone go through this, the way it plays with the mind and deteriorates the mind, you know, one day they’ll be fine and the next they don’t even know where they are or who you are,” he said. “It’s very frustrating for people trying to take care of them because you never know what you’re going to get.” 

The registration fee is $20 to join and an additional $180 in donations or personal contributions by June 19th if you want to participate in the ride. One hundred percent of the registration fee and money raised goes to the Alzheimer’s Association. The ride begins at 7:30 Saturday morning. The route will be through mostly country roads in Boone, Hamilton and Hendricks counties. There are three different speed groups for riders to choose the group with which they are most comfortable.

The goal is to raise $25,000. So far, they’ve raised more than $17,000.