WIMBERLEY — For more than a decade, bike riders across the nation have participated in the annual Ride to Defeat ALS. Now, for the first time, the event is headed to the Texas Hill Country.
The ride is hosted by the ALS Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support for those diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and funding to find a cure for the disease.
According to the nonprofit, ALS is a “progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord … As this area degenerates, it leads to scarring or hardening in the region. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their demise.”
Those diagnosed with the disease lose the ability to initiate control over muscles, leading to loss of the movement, the ability to speak, eat, move and breathe, reads the website.
Since the organization's creation in 1985, it has hosted numerous events to fund further research, one of which is the Ride to Defeat ALS: “It’s a one day cycling event that generates the hope and action needed to create a world without this devastating disease,” said Trisha Ward, developmental manager for the ALS Association San Antonio branch. “We’ve done rides in other states, but not in Texas … We just have such a large amount of bike riders here in Texas and a beautiful country to ride in, especially up in the Wimberley area.”
Ward explained that prior to determining the city, a market analysis was completed to gauge interest and potential outcomes and Willow Lake Water Hole & Mercantile, a new bar and music venue in the heart of Wimberley, was finalized as the event host.
Owners Greg McBride and Chloe Glasscock felt that it was a perfect match: “This is a great call because we’re in downtown Wimberley … My parents have donated to the association before, so it was just kind of a really good feeling.”
Glasscock previously spent 20 years training professional riders in Europe, said music and events coordinator Brandon Massey, so there was also that connection.
McBride and Glasscock donated use of the venue to the ride to aid in its support of the disease.
The event is not only important to McBride because of the community’s involvement and its research, but also because he experienced the cruel nature of the disease three times.
McBride’s own grandparents died when he was young, so Amali Perkins, known as “Nana” to loved ones, became his adoptive grandmother. Only six houses from his, he spent his holidays and summers at her house, stomach full of freshly baked cookies and mind filled with Nana’s knowledge and adoration for Mexican culture.
Perkins was born in 1915 to Mexican parents in Brownsville and made it her mission in life to integrate community members in a time when people were less accepting, said McBride, becoming a supervisor and curriculum specialist in the San Antonio ISD bilingual program.
“She just lived this really cool, creative life,” explained McBride. “She was very healthy and then, just one day, she fell ill. It’s embraced in my head because … her last words were on a whiteboard and it said, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ That’s when I realized, we’ve got to help.”
Recalling some of Perkins' last moments, McBride noted that many people say that someone’s home, but that the lights aren’t on, though seeing someone with ALS was the complete opposite — their lights are on: “It’s heartbreaking to see such a brilliant woman knowing and being cognizant of what’s going on, but not being able to control anything … You notice the lights are on and you look at their eyes and they have so much to say, but they can’t speak. So, it changes you. You realize the cruelness of this disease, that someone you’ve talked to a million times, can’t talk now.”
In addition to Perkins, two family friends were also diagnosed with ALS.
“You start realizing just how cruel it is. It’s one thing to see it on TV, but the demise, unfortunately, is just not good,” he said. “When you see someone and they’re chatting just like you and I are right now and then, three months later, they’re in a wheelchair wondering when they’re getting a trach[eostomy].”
This devastating experience is what encouraged Willow Lake to donate and be part of this event McBride emphasized.
Currently, there are more than 20 teams registered, though some have signed up as a single member, said Ward.
“Each ride brings together a diverse group of individuals and teams who are dedicated to taking the challenge for those who bravely fight ALS,” Ward said.
As part of registering, each individual agrees to raise a minimum of $180 prior to the event to participate in the bike ride, which begins at Willow Lake and ranges from 10 to 60 miles.
The initial goal was $50,000, then $75,000, she said, but the community has since surpassed this, so the goal has increased to $100,000. As of press time March 11, $92,936.33 has been donated.
Riders also get a lunch ticket to the event at Willow Lake, which, according to McBride, will consist of food, live entertainment and donation and educational opportunities from the ALS Association. A portion of proceeds from the bar will also be donated to the nonprofit.
Those interested in supporting the event can attend by purchasing a lunch ticket for $10, or $15 the day of, without registering for the bike ride, said McBride.
“We want the whole community to come up and learn more about this. There’s exciting breakthroughs; there’s different technology now, where they’re learning about genes and regrowing [them],” expressed the co-owner. “With public funding constantly being cut, the only way to cure stuff like this is, unfortunately, money … Even if someone gives $0.25, it still helps.”
“This is a caring community, whether you’ve been here 100 years or 100 days, people embrace you and care and work together here. So, it’s just good people … We’re hoping to [reach our goal] and eventually go further that way, this will have the medical support and stuff, where people can have a good quality of life for as long as possible, with the best medical treatment [and] spend as much time with their families as they can and have hope,” concluded McBride.
Ride to Defeat ALS will be hosted at Willow Lake, located at 110 Old Kyle Road, Wimberley, Saturday, March 22. Community members can still sign up for the ride and can continue to do so until the event.
For more information on Ride to Defeat ALS, visit bit.ly/3Xr9E2q.
