2025 ROYALS RIDE

Welcome to the 2025 ROYALS Ride!

Following up on ALSONE ROY-ALS 2024, dedicated to ALS victim and friend of 68 years, Nick Potter:
Nick crossed the bar, on his own terms, Dec. 2, 2024 -- a great soul has passed. Also, on my medical front, April Fools’ Eve played a joke on me, Stroke II, the sequel. For a billion bucks, I could not form or write a single word. Ambulance > St. Vincent’s ICU > removal of a clot. Both of these events emphasize the thin line between OK and chaos, a line all those with ALS cross upon diagnosis. My aphasia and dysgraphia were temporary; for ALS sufferers, the losses become permanent.

The good news: the band is back together and on Sept 6, will join in the 12th annual Back Road ROY-ALS mostly-dirt 32-mile LOOP. Kathy Marchant will once again wheel the sag wagon and tag team with Susan Gobel, our ROY-ALS medico from N Haven; Boston’s Ashley Corbin, ALSONE nerve center, will oversee all with enthusiasm; Vermonter Dave Brown (in Dickies and safety vest) will spot wildlife for us; ace pedalers Will Hodgman and Robbie Price (creator of the name ROY-ALS), will travel from Utah and Missouri, respectively, to dazzle us with their prowess. Rookie rider Elliot Ferwerda will parachute in from wherever he happens to be. Once again, we will partner with Paul Roy and his Boston-biker crew to generate funds for care & research, aiming to exceed last year’s record of $54, 000. Once again, I will place on my helmet the names of ALS victims that sponsors want to honor.

My inspiration for the event remains the sight of the entire 1999 baseball squad, huddled against a cold April drizzle, waiting to attend the nearby funeral of teammate Paul Roy’s father, who had died of ALS. It remains an honor to play on the ALSONE team with Paul. I use play in the sense of Frost’s line, “the work is play for mortal stakes,” since every ride could be my last. Meanwhile, here’s to LIFE, and to easing the lives of those afflicted with ALS, a cause I hope you will consider supporting. One final note: a fortnight after Nick Potter crossed the bar, a former student and friend Kelsey Libner, did so also. A perennial sponsor of ALS, in his last email to me Kelsey extolled the 2024 wrap-up: “The map is extraordinary! It works well as a PDF because I can zoom in. It gives me a feeling of following the ride. Love the mix of map, drawings and photos. And a stats panel!” Kelsey’s enthusiasm for the -ROYALS went far beyond words, as he left a substantial gift to ALSONE. I will honor Kelsey by placing his name of the front of my helmet and by dedicating the 2025 event to him.

~ Geoff