The Wishes

All, The final tally is in on the donations raised for Make a Wish. $34,000 was donated by friends, family, and colleagues. The company matched all donations over $100 and our generous CEO made a personal donation which got us to the 4 wish mark. Over 100 people donated, some of them complete strangers who read articles about my ride in Traders Magazine or other periodicals and generously donated.

Within the next month we will get Make a Wish and some wish families together to grant the wishes and to talk a little bit about the importance of Make a Wish and organizations like it.

It was an incredibly moving experience for me in many ways and i am extremely happy that we will be able to grant 4 wishes to children with life threatening diseases.

Thank you again to everyone who helped me along the way !

P.S. I will continue to blog on this site and will be posting after the wishes are granted and throughout the year as i plan my next ride.

   

This is Not the End

One of the things i did when i was in Paris was go to Jim Morrison's grave in the Pere Lachaise cemetery. As a Doors fan i had to go. I stole the title of the post from something that was written by a fan near his grave. "This is not the end". I'll do another ride next year, i am already researching where. I also have some work to do with Make A Wish to the remaining donations to the foundation and we need to determine which children will get their wishes from the money we raised. There will be a reception in July at the exchange with Make a Wish employees and families.

I recently received an email from Kate Mara's mother. Kate and her family came in to ring the NYSE opening bell back in December. I included her email here as she eloquently explains the parallels that i have attempted to explain several times and may not have gotten across.

Dear Dave :
I understand that you have begun your exciting and challenging journey on behalf of Make-A-Wish.  Our family was so honored to have met you last December.  Your generosity and commitment to helping others were truly inspiring.  As I think about your journey, I think about how it bears some similarities to the journey we faced as a family when our daughter Kate was diagnosed with cancer.  Like you, we found ourselves in unfamiliar, sometimes scary, territory. Like you, we needed courage and determination to see it through, and like you, we knew what we were fighting for was worth every bit of the effort.  Our thoughts are with you, and our gratitude for all you do for children like our Kate. 

Godspeed ...
Lesley Mara, mom of wish child Katherine


I spoke a little bit after the bell ringing in Paris. Not a great speaker but here's the link 

https://exchanges.nyx.com/en/nyse-euronext-paris/dave-weiss-rang-opening-bell-celebrate-make-wish-after-his-bike-ride

here are some more pictures from the ride and Paris after the ride.

The Louvre

With Yves Blanc (Editor in Chief of Le Cycle magazine)

The Opera

The Seine

Cool Street on the Left bank

Notre Dame

View of Paris

Relaxation 

Eiffel at night from my window

Paris Cafe

Hi All, what an incredible ride it was. I saw things i've never seen before, rode through beautiful small villages and towns, pedaled when i felt like stopping, tried to speak french when i have no idea how to speak french, tried to look like i belonged when i obviously didn't, etc.. What all the days pedaling and all the miles traveled on my bike add up to are wishes granted to 4 sick children. And that means a lot to me. I appreciate everyones generous donations and support. 

The first four days of this ride were the most grueling i have ever experienced. The gear on the bike combined with the wind and rain got me. I had friends and family helping me via email and text with their support and it helped. I persevered and made it to Paris. I helmet cam'ed my ride into paris, it should be interesting footage, i will share it when i get it prepared. 

This ride parallels what Make a Wish children go through everyday. Pain, uncertainty, perseverance, drive, determination, and isolation. Also the love, compassion, kindness, and dedication. I certainly cannot compare a bike ride to the battle these children face everyday but i try to feel some of what they feel on these rides. They teach adults like us to keep going, keep pedaling if you will. You'll get there. Some of these children don't win their battles but not for lack of extreme determination and will. I think about the children who didn't get through their battles while i'm riding as well, and i pray for them and their families. 

Right now i am in the courtyard of a hotel in Paris and i have just realized i don't have to pedal tomorrow! I just had dinner at a nice cafe and i will do the bell ringing ceremony at the exchange tomorrow followed by interviews with a few French Bicycling magazines and a daily paper. Hopefully these interviews get more attention on European Make a Wish organizations. Then i will spend the weekend in Paris and head home. 

Thanks again to everyone who donated, sponsored, and helped me coordinate this ride. I'm back for more next year. Not sure where yet. Maybe a ride through Siberia ?

Adele and Kate, I love you both very much.

Some photos from today   

The bike in Chantilly before ride

Reminded me of Beavis, one of my favorite characters

Eiffel Tower from my hotel window

Fountain in the courtyard where i am blogging from now. The dude looks like several guys i know. 

I love Paris

I made it ! I can't do a big blog now as i have to got to our office but i am so happy we were able to do this and so grateful to everyone who donated and helped in so many ways. I will blog more later.

4 Wishes ! Yes !

Wind at Back from Saint Quentin to Chantilly

May the wind on the 5th day of a long ride be always at your back. Luckily that happened to me today and i made it down to Chantilly which leaves a half day ride to Paris. I plan to smoke a cuban cigar on the Champs Elysees tomorrow when i arrive.

Today was a rainy day but i didn't care as the wind was at my back. Rode through some beautiful small towns and had more awkward exchanges with people who couldn't communicate with. Thems the breaks, i should have learned some French. I think the most surreal part of the day was i ended up on a mountain bike trail into the hotel which is a very nice resort in Chantilly. Picture below. No encounters with Police, no wipeouts, not bonking, no cramps. Just an all around good day and i look forward to Paris tomorrow. Its been an incredible adventure and i am so happy we have been able to provide wishes to 4 children. Thats what its all about. I'm an emotional guy so i'm sure i will have a moment tomorrow when it hits home. This wasn't just a long ride.

before it ends i wanted to say they are playing 'rock you like a hurricane' by the scorpions in the hotel bar now. And i'm in a VERY nice hotel. Hilarious. Gotta love the contrast.

As the days have gone on my body has adjusted and is not exhausted at the end of the day. it expects this and i wonder what it will do when the repetition stops tomorrow.

I tend to go on and on so i'll stop myself now and will blog tomorrow when i arrive on the Champs Elysees.

Some pics from today 

St Quentin

Well, another long day on the bike. As i ride south the bike friendliness changes. holland was awesome but if you broke the bike lanes rules you got a honk. belgium had semi good ridding conditions and no one gave a hoot. France has bad roads and so far no real lanes for bikes, just a narrow shoulder, but no honks so far in france. Nice people.

I'm in St Quentin now after riding through some great country. There are definitely some rolling hills in this area. Its funny what i notice when i'm riding. In the US you see bud light and miller lite cans on the side of the road. Here you see Chimay and Duvel which are about 10 bucks a bottle in us. anyhow. Just some mild upper back pain but i plan to get half way to Paris tomorrow then finish sometime Thursday. 

I think i am in the hotel room where they filmed the Scarface chainsaw scene. But i could sleep on a bed of nails right now.

pictures from today 

Brussels Ceremony and Ride to Mons

As I was in Amsterdam i was given an extremely warm reception in Brussels. One of the many things i will take away from this adventure is what a great bunch of very nice people we work with. I don't have pictures from the bell ringing yet as my blackberry is on the fritz (again). Duncan, if you read this can we switch to iPhones please ?

I was welcomed with none other than Belgian waffles, coffee and OJ not to mention all the interesting folks i spoke to and rode out of the city with. I was given very nice gifts by the brussels folks as well as the Belgian representative from Make A Wish, Carine Cappelle.

It would be an understatement to say todays ride was very difficult. Many long hills and rain for most of the day. Yes, more complaining from me. I am hoping to ride from Mons Belgium to Saint Quentin tomorrow. Hopefully i will have better weather. Signing off for now.

Dave

Brussels

Made it here today and of course my gps indicated a shorter distance than it was. Beautiful day with light winds and i made it here at 3 pm.

After settling in and a quick nap i went to the square here for dinner. Stunning. Tomorrow i will participate in the Brussels opening ceremony then i will head south into France. More hills, less wind, i'll take the hills. I am riding through a very large forrest in northern France tomorrow and need to get through it to hotels on the other side. Should be challenging.

To keep inline with the songs i've heard since arriving in europe, here is the collection from today in the square.

Bee Gees - Stayin Alive (which may have been a jinx for the group)
Sister Sledge - We are Family
KC and The Sunshine Band - Get Down Tonight

Again, great city and i loved the square. Here are some photos. One is  shout out to my brother who most of us know as Mort (or some variation of Mort)

Sunday AM in Antwerp Departing for Brussels

Beautiful morning in Antwerp ! Sunny and 62 degrees with a soft 5 mph wind all the way to Brussels. As they do in the tour de France, today is a rest day with about 40 miles to Brussels. Instead of posting pictures of cows and the Chef from The Muppets, here are some real pictures from Antwerp's Centraal Station this AM.

The Blog Post when i Arrive in Paris

Uggghhhh

Day 2 Dussen to Antwerp

woke up late after the surreal wedding reception last night. Didn't get to sleep until after 1 pm local time. scored some breakfast then set off for Antwerp. Everything indicated it was 43 miles but it was 56 again into a 15-20 mph wind. All my calculations put Brussels about 30 miles from here. That should be a breeze after the past two days. I have the ceremony at the Brussels exchange on Monday am then Paris by thursday.

The scenery today mostly looked like indiana or ohio. very flat and a ton of cows. beautiful nonetheless and i spoke to many nice people. The cyclists are in incredible shape as they bike in this wind constantly.

Signing off for now. Sack time.

Cow

Antwerpen

The reception ended at 1 am and we all know what song it ended with "Shout". Which didn't help. Dutch folks yelling shout at 1 am. uggghhh

On my way to Antwerpen. The long ride i did yesterday makes the rest of the daily rides shorter. But they say wind in your face essentially doubles the mileage. But i won't use that ;) i'm one day in and its been quite an adventure. 

First Day on the Road

It was a great day starting with the Gong at the beautiful Amsterdam office with a bunch of really great people. Including folks from The Netherlands chapter of Make a Wish. Thanks to everyone in the Amsterdam office for making me feel so welcome and for the gifts and the generous donation. And a big thanks to Rene Geskes and Hendrik Koppe for joining me on my way out of Amsterdam. It really was a special day for me.

Holland is a beautiful country but i have to say the wind kicked my butt. 25-30 mph directly out of the south (which of course is the direction i'm headed). I did about 80 miles today and am in Dussen, Holland staying at a place called Hotel De Koppelpaarden. And i am not kidding when i say this, right now there is a wedding reception going on under my room. These folks are crazy ! So far i've heard "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", assorted Sinatra and even the ageless Billy Idol's "White Wedding". Anyway, some Advil PM should get the songs out of my head. 

I have some video footage from today but i can say its very boring. I forgot to record when a police officer who looked like the Chef from The Muppets pulled me over for being on a street i shouldn't have been on. He then proceeded to escort me to this insane hotel i'm in now. I digress

Thank You Kim Smith from Make a Wish for all the text message from the children and from you and your crew. It put a huge smile on my face.

A reporter from a Financial newspaper in The Netherlands asked me today why i do this. He seemed perplexed with the whole idea. How i came up with the idea, why i put myself through such grueling rides, and why alone. My answer to him in General was... These are sick kids who want to smile and forget about there illnesses for a short period of time. I would ask how one can not understand that. The alone part of it gives me time to reflect and think about the kids and without someone else telling me i'm lost :) I also have two daughters whom i love very much and i think about them while i'm out here and how lucky i am. 

ok. enough of the sentimental stuff. Tomorrow i'm headed south and will end up somewhere. Hopefully not a hotel with a horrid DJ. Right now he's playing a hopped up version of "She'll be com in Round the Mountain"

Thanks again everyone for helping me get this ride together and all of your well wishes and of course, donations. 

Amster Damn this is a Beautiful City

I arrived yesterday morning, got the bike together in the room then when out to check out the town. The canals, old buildings, streets, cafes' etc.. are simply beautiful. This is a great city from which to start my ride. I anded up in a place called Cafe De Dokter which is a small pub that has been owned by the same family since it opened in the mid 1800s. It hasn't been dusted in 100 years which you can see from my pictures. Nice jazz in the background and a cheese plate for dinner. The people were very nice. I meet some greek folks who left Greece to live here just before the economy ran into a wall in Greece and some English tourists who were having A LOT of fun.

Everything is packed and ready to go. I meet everyone at the Amsterdam office in the am and ring the gong and do an interview with a Financial newspaper here. Then its off to Brussels !

i posted some photos on flickr. take a look

http://www.flickr.com/photos/71067201@N03/sets/72157630011044957/

This is a pic of my helmet with cam installed. And yes, i am supporting Japan :)

Dave

Off to Amsterdam

I'm off to Amsterdam today. Two nights there then i depart on my ride. Looking forward to getting it underway. It took a lot of preparation and coordination to get to this point. Follow the link below to see the route i will be taking. Technology is cool, i was able to download this route to my cycling GPS so it will give me turn by turn directions. There will be various deviations off this route but this is the general direction in which i will travel.

http://www.bikemap.net/route/264848#lat=50.632162895098&lng=3.738115&zoom=6&maptype=ts_terrain

Kennedy airport ! Fun !

Bon Voyage

Social Media experiment

Hi All, I haven't been overly involved in the social media revolution but i have found through preparing for my my ride that it can be very useful for events like the adventure i am departing on tomorrow. I have a blog, i have a you tube channel for my video clips while on the ride, i have a twitter account for the ride, and i'm posting stuff on Facebook.It may be overkill but I decided this will be a good place experiment with social media. Here are the links to my various sites:

• Make A Wish Page- http://friends.wish.org/054-000/page/David-Weiss/Riding-for-Wishes.htm
• Blog - http://davemawride.blogspot.com
• Youtube channel - www.youtube.com/daveweiss68
• Facebook - www.facebook.com/daveweiss68
• Twitter - @DaveMawRide

So as you can see, i will be posting stuff all over the place. Mostly you can look at the blog and i will link you to the other sites for stuff. 

I have a helmet cam, a still camera, a GPS which can upload routes to the web, an Ipad with keyboard, etc.. now i just need to ride !!

Contour Video Cam

Just received the Contour video cam that i will be using on my ride next week. I promise i will capture the ride into Champs Ellysees. Hopefully i will get some good footage. Here is the first video. Just a test run in the backyard really