HISTORY OF THE CYCLEPATHS
March, 2011
What’s In A Name?
While the original Cyclepaths team members first rode together in the second year of the annual MS Bike Tour in 1990, they did not appear as an official team until 1993, when they won the Best Team Name Award. While the primary purpose of the Cyclepaths has been to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the team members have always enjoyed the friendships and the opportunity to have great training ride companions.
The Captain and the Judge
Captain emeritus and original team member, Dave Holmes, completed his twentieth MS bike tour at age 70 in 2009, before taking his first one year sabbatical. Captain Dave once boasted that he purchased his last road bike with his first Social Security check. Judge Robert W. Bryant, Jr. is another original team member who continues to ride with the Cyclepaths. Bob has ridden in 19 MS bike tours in support of his brother, Larry, who passed away from complications related to MS in 2008. Larry was the inspiration for the formation of the Selma Cyclepaths and continues to be an inspiration for some Cyclepaths today.
Eastern North Carolina MS Chapter Bike Tours
The first annual MS Bike Tour for the Eastern North Carolina Chapter was held in 1989. Most of the early tours prior to 1998, were called “Break Loose to the Neuse,” with riders starting and finishing in Greenville, North Carolina and spending the night at Camp Sea Gull, the YMCA camp near Oriental. The tour was known as “Beach or Bust” from 1998 through 2000 when the riders pedaled from Clayton to Emerald Isle, with an overnight stay in Kinston. Riders and bikes were bused and trucked back to Clayton. Since 2001, the tour has been held in New Bern with consecutive day loops originating and ending on the New Bern waterfront.
Cyclepath Contribution Totals, Final Team Contribution
Ranking and Rider Registration Statistics by Year
|
Year |
Contributions |
Team Ranking |
Rider Registrations |
|
1993 |
$1,520.00 |
- |
6 |
|
1994 |
1,155.00 |
- |
8 |
|
1995 |
3,911.00 |
- |
8 |
|
1996 |
1,961.00 |
- |
6 |
|
1997 |
5,625.00 |
- |
13 |
|
1998 |
4,170.00 |
- |
6 |
|
1999 |
5,835.00 |
- |
7 |
|
2000 |
8,897.00 |
2 |
- |
|
2001 |
11,267.00 |
7 |
8 |
|
2002 |
5,710.00 |
- |
3 |
|
2003 |
57,001.00 |
2 |
64 |
|
2004 |
87,861.00 |
2 |
75 |
|
2005 |
118,547.00 |
1 |
98 |
|
2006 |
110,440.00 |
1 |
100 |
|
2007 |
108,262.00 |
1 |
102 |
|
2008 |
100,033.00 |
1 |
79 |
|
2009 |
104,160.00 |
1 |
77 |
|
2010 |
109,687.00 |
1 |
89 |
|
Total |
$846,042.00 |
||
Since the Cyclepaths became an official team, they have registered as few as 3 riders and as many as 102 in a given year. They have raised as little as $4,265 and as much as $118,547 in a single year. The Cyclepaths have had 3 second place finishes and 6 consecutive first place finishes (2005-2010). Each year in which the team finished in first place, they raised over $100,000 and no other team had raised $100,000 in a single season in the history of the eastern MS Bike Tour until Team CBC did so trying in vain to catch the Cyclepaths in 2010 .
Through the 2010 Tour, the Selma Cyclepaths have raised a total of $846,042 in support of MS research and programs.