On June 28, Michael Staley and Wes Bates started peddling in Astoria, Oregon. 37 days and 3,000 miles later, they’ll be in Birmingham, Ala. on Thursday.
“Ride4Gabe,” as their cross-country trek has become known, is the result of an impromptu meeting in Washington, D.C. last year between Staley, Chief of Staff for Alabama Congressman Spencer Bachus, and Gabe Griffin, a 9-year-old boy who had been diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). DMD Is a rare disease that causes muscle degeneration and often kills its victims by the time they reach their late teens or early 20s.
Gabe and his parents, Scott and Traci, were in Washington to lobby the FDA to approve a drug called Eteplirsen, which researchers say slows down the progression of the disease. There are currently no approved treatments for DMD.
While the Griffins were in Washington, they had stopped in to see Congressman Bachus and ended up spending some time with Staley as well.
“It touches your heart when you hear their story and I’ve fallen in love with the story of Gabe and the fight of the Griffin family to save their son’s life,” Staley said.
Staley was so touched, in fact, that he wanted to personally do something to help the Griffins find a cure for the disease, which is relatively unknown to the public. So Staley, an avid cyclist, decided he would ride his bicycle across the entire country, from Oregon to Alabama, to raise money and awareness for Duchenne research.
This Thursday, Ride4Gabe will inch closer to completion when the team comes through their home area.
Staley and Bates will be joined by cyclist friends and supporters as they ride from Morgan County into Gardendale and spend Thursday night camping with their motorhome and tents outside the Gardendale Civic Center.
On Friday the cyclists will pedal from Gardendale to Calera before driving to the Birmingham Baron’s game where their inspiration, Gabe, will throw out the first pitch. The team will camp overnight Friday and Saturday nights at Oak Mountain State Park.
On Saturday, they are foregoing a planned rest day and taking what they call a short “out and back” ride, about 30 miles, from Oak Mountain State Park.
On Sunday, Ride4Gabe will pedal to Montgomery where Monday meetings are scheduled with Governor Robert Bentley, First Lady Dianne Bentley, and Congressman Spencer Bachus.
“We’ve been on the road since June 23 sharing the message of hope we have for Gabe and other children with Duchenne,” said Scott Griffin. “It feels so good to be home in Alabama.”
“With 3,000 miles in our rear view mirror, we are delighted to be crossing Alabama with Gabe Griffin’s story,” Staley added. “We thank God for this opportunity and we welcome any local cyclists who want to join us along the route.”
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