Today was another one of those days where I am reminded how great the cycling community really is…

Scott Hodge Benefit Ride at Fort Yargo State Park

The scene was set…it was a beautiful sunny and 70 day with the fall colors lighting up the tree side. Today, we all got together to help out a man who has helped out the cycling community more than we will ever truly know…Scott Hodge the owner of Addictive Cycles. As you have seen in a previous post, Hodge broke 7 vertebrae in a horrible motorcycle accident. Like many people in in the industry, he does not have the aid of health insurance to help out with the bills. All of us got together and had a raffle/ride/get together that turned out to be a huge success!

A huge thank you goes out to Cane Creek, Mountain Cycle, JensonUSA for donating to the raffle.

The Cycling Community

Today provided me with a unique look on the true greatness that is the cycling community. We have many different backgrounds, come from all age groups, have different riding abilities and have different riding styles, but when it all comes down to it…we stick together. I would venture to say that there are very few groups that can make that same claim.

When Hodge was addressing the crowd today, he made some incredible points.

• He has the best friends in the world – I am sure you can relate. For the most part, our riding friends are the ones that are always there in a pinch and as our riding group grows…so do our friendships.
• My parents were just blown away by the support – Many of us take for granted or forget how great our community really is. To an outsider…it can be very surprising to see the overwhelming support. This is not the first time I have had a friend go down and get this type of support and it will not be the last time.

There are many things that can jeopardize and split apart friends…most of them not worth it (like arguing online about politics…). As we go through difficult times around the world, remember to help bring your riding buddies up instead of fighting. Through trying times such as these…it is our friends and communities that we need to turn to and appreciate.

I might be biased…but as cyclists…I think we have the rest of them beat. Get out and enjoy the ride!

Here are some shots from the day…I really wish that every ride could have these trail conditions matched with this weather. We had just enough rain yesterday to make the trail tacky and give us a breeze.