MS Ride Wrap Up
It’s been a couple of weeks since Team TDWM completed the two-day charity ride Waves to Wine 2014 in support of the National MS Society, and we just wanted to pass on a few thoughts and impressions of a great weekend on bikes and in the company of so many nice people all rallying for a great cause.
The team did a fantastic job both in their fundraising efforts before the event (we raised over $10,000 as a team), and out on the routes each day. It was great fun to ride as part of our own small peloton all sporting the custom MS Ride Topel & DiStasi Wealth Management jerseys we had made; snaking our way through some of the most beautiful scenery California has to offer, over the Golden Gate Bridge, up Highway 1 and through the vineyards of Sonoma wine country.
When we arrived at the team village celebration after 82 miles the first day, Jarrett and Steve had our team tent all set up and many of our families made the trip to meet us there and help celebrate. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening enjoying good food and drink, and getting to know our fellow riders who were there to support the cause. We were slightly disappointed when we did not win the Rookie of the Year team award for fundraising, but were convinced that if they had an award for best team food and drink, we would have taken it easily. Of course we were the only team that brought our own Weber grill to cook the tri-tip and chicken we brought to go with the beer and wine our good friends at Linden Street Brewery and Eno Wines so generously donated.
Day two started off a bit rough at 5am, after camping out for the night, but once we stretched out the weary muscles and had a little food and coffee, we were back in the saddle, joined by three more team members, to pound out the final 52 miles. Even though the ride on Day 2 was shorter, and with less climbing, somehow it felt a lot harder to get through, but get through we did, and in the end, we were all quite energized by the accomplishment.
It was truly inspiring to see some of the riders who were suffering with MS giving such great effort out there each day. It made any feeling of tiredness or pain we were feeling melt away, and put into perspective so many of the things we take for granted each day. That, we gather, is one of the things that makes the effort of coming together to help other people so rewarding and fulfilling. The fight to end MS is a cause that spoke to us here at TDWM, but there are so many worthy causes, it can be overwhelming to decide where to focus your energy. What we have learned is that you just have to start somewhere, and when it comes to philanthropy, you never know when something small might turn into something much bigger.
With that in mind, we want to sincerely thank all of the riders, family members, corporate partners and especially the donors, for helping us support the National MS Society and hopefully turn something small into something bigger.
See you next year!