Thank you for visiting my RATPOD fundraising page! RATPOD is a one-day cycling event taking place on June 27, 2026 that raises money for Camp Mak-A-Dream. This year RATPOD is celebrating it's 25th Anniversary and FINAL event!
This year I will be riding with the strength of my old buddy, Karen Cooley Sebahar, aka Cools. She has courageously and gracefully battled stage 4 breast cancer for 13 years. She inspires us all. Team Cools is strong because of her! I will also be riding with the strength of Julie's uncle Max who recently passed away due to pancreatic cancer. Max served in Vietnam. He kept us always laughing with his wonderful sense of humor.
When we started organizing RATPOD, Mabel and Lorraine were 1 and Stella was 3. The course was 157 miles long. I remember suffering by the distance, the climbs, the mosquitos, the headwind, the rain and snow, and then being buoyed by friends, riding in the slipstream of a peleton and feeling the relief and support. Suffering together and relishing the beauty of the Big Hole. I remember feeling the love from the volunteers nurturing our bodies, fixing our mechanicals, navigating obstacles, following us home. I remember my Mom and mother and father in law Sandy and Dave. and niece Meredith running foodstops. I remember my sister Lucy taking photos, sister Ginna working the start finish dressed as Elvis. My father-in-law Paul has generously supported the ride every year. I remember the nostalgia of riding with old friends like Weens, Andy G, Will, Karl, Puckett, MJ and Sebby: and new friends like Haller who rode one RATPOD in the midst of battling cancer and being guided home by Wendy with his G-tube still in his abdomen. I remember riding with all three of my brothers Tom, Glenn and George. I remember riding with Julie and then Stella on a tandem singing Mylie Cyrus on the last climb and then solo. I remember riding with Lorraine and also running a food stop with her. I look forward to riding with Mabel and Whitton this year. I remember meeting a wayward puppy on Badger pass who has been an incredible companion named Sage for the past 16 years. I remember riding with JC, Richie and Fast Eddy as they came all the way from New Zealand. I remember riding with Matty, Peter, Skins and the Zachar bros, and my nephews Charlie on the tandem and Cole. And Calvin gutting it out after losing his lunch on the last climb. Last year riding with Darragh and the Beckers. Everytime I finished RATPOD, I felt immense gratitude and a sense of pride. We did this as a team. The inspiration comes from the Campers at Camp Mak A Dream. They have endured and fought cancer and then found the support of peers at Camp. Their eloquence at the after party brought it all home. We can endure hardships together. We are here to love and support each other. What a ride this has been.
