Today was the 14th version of Cory's Ride, a bike ride to commemorate the life of a young man who lost his life on the 1998 Anchor House Ride for Runaways. Cory was just 15 when he lost his life tragically on that Saturday in July 1998, and the tragedy was obviously the worst day I've ever experienced on the ride. I joined the ride planning committee the following winter partly because of Cory's death and because I realized how important the Ride was to the kids of the Anchor House community and that one more similar tragedy would seriously threaten the Ride and the House's existence. I was actively involved in planning the inaugaral version of Cory's Ride in 1999 and planned the debut route.
This year I was asked to come back and redesign the 50 mile route. My route went northeast out of the starting point at the Tall Cedars picnic grove in Crosswicks NJ. After a few warmup miles, the route it its stride with rolling hills through the Central New Jersey horse farms, McMansions and quiet country roads. I designed the loop with an emphasis on quiet roads that would (traffic permitting) allow riders the opportunity to ride two abreast and carry on a conversation. I've found that some of the best conversations occur on a bike ride; subjects tend to run the gamut of human concerns and when possible a planned ride route should allow for that.
Although the sky clouded over somewhat, the event was successful with a (to my eye) large turnout and was a fitting commemoration of a life that though taken tragically, has lived on through the legacy of the event.
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