What could be a better time to get excited about bike touring than during the Tour de France? Despite all of the drama associated with the Tour, the racing is still riveting, the strategies complicated, and the athletes are phenomenal. On top of it all though is the energy of the fans. Europe turns out, sometimes weeks in advance to get the best spot on the toughest climbs, to cheer everyone on and even lend a hand if a rider lags behind or needs a quick bike adjustment. This is the spirit of cycling. Even in this intense competition you will see competitors chatting and sharing a laugh together. These are times we can look forward to, sharing and learning from each other while spinning away the miles. We may not have a yellow jersey to give away at the end of the day but we will have gained something much greater while bonding through a sport we love and helping those in need at the same time. Until next time….Cheers, Jesse

After a great ride in 2007, we look towards the future with great hopes. Due to several changes in our lives (Ph.D. school obligations, marriage, etc) we have decided to postpone the DREAM Ride until the summer of 2009. Please understand that the ride is still very much alive. We have already begun planning for a bigger and better ride. We will be announcing the details of the new ride soon and beginning our efforts of promotion.

We very much appreciate your interest in the DREAM Ride. If you have any questions, please email us at questions (at) dream-ride.org

-The DREAM Ride Organizers

11 days, 902 miles, countless memories and a tremendous beginning. The 2007 and inaugural D.R.E.A.M. Ride is now behind us and it is quite safe to say that it was indeed a success. This year, seeds were sowed, laying the beginning for a great annual charity bicycle ride. Thank you to everyone involved – from organizing to support to hosting. We can’t thank you all more for all of your kindness, dedication and generosity.
Looking back on the ride with a week to gather my thoughts, I have thought most about the incredible hospitality of our hosts. Their open generosity was truly amazing. All along the route, people met us with open arms, bountiful food and kindness. It is an incredible thing to spend all day on the bike and arrive at a new location and meet strangers who have spent a good amount of their day preparing food for our arrival. They asked nothing in return but to share in the bond of solidarity. They provided the fuel of our ride – both literally and figuratively. We arrived as strangers but we left as good friends. From me and all the riders, we thank you.
And looking back, especially with all the crazy weather that we have been having this summer in New England, we were quite lucky with the amazing weather we encountered along the route. Other than one day of rain, we had pleasant sunshine throughout. We also faired quite well in the mechanical department, encountering [I believe] only a handful of flat tires for the entire group. It certainly helped, keeping to by-ways and country roads. Most had an ample and clean shoulder where we could let our attention move from the eternal watch for broken glass and pot holes and onto the rustic and idyllic landscapes through which we traveled.
As for a total of our fundraising efforts, we do not currently have a sum as we are still accepting donations. However, the fundraising response has been quite positive and for that we can’t be more appreciative of everyone’s interest and belief in the D.R.E.A.M. Ride’s mission. As I mentioned earlier, we feel very strongly that this ride is about everyone involved – involved at every stop along the way. This year’s ride was a success because we all made it happen. We hope it continues to grow and connect people. Personally, this ride gives me hope. It gives me hope to dream.

On our penultimate ride, a 75 mile day from Delmar (Albany), to Poughkeepsie, NY, we stopped at three interesting buildings. The first was one by Frank Gehry on Bard College’s campus, thanks to a suggestion of one of our generous hosts last night, John Sherman. The second two were the Vanderbilt family’s summer home on the east bank of the Hudson, and close by, FDR’s library and house.

We’ve now made it to Albany, coming from Montreal in just three days, and here are a few photos from the route.

Four more riders, Vince Aloyo, Lindsay Clarke, Michael Duignan, and Andrew Glancy just joined the Dream Ride and we just covered 200 miles in two days. It’s great to have the new riders, some of whom some of us know from last year. In the last two days we crossed from Canada to Vermont, and into New York.

Friday August 10, 2007

We are finally in Montreal, safe and sound. It has been a great week on and off the bike. We have met some crazy people stayed in some beautiful churches and eaten way too much food!!!! (oh yeah, and biked a ton). The weather has been quite cooperative, though it seems like Eamon has gotten the shorter end of the stick by coincidentally biking on days when it decides to rain. (Eamon and I, Chris, takes turns driving the support van.) The route has been continually amazing with everything from urban congestion to pine forests to the marshlands and coastline of Maine and New Hampshire to the mountains of the White Mountains National Park in NH to the farmlands and rivers of Quebec.
Each day has been quite different. That is one of the aspects of this trip that I have found the most enjoyable. We have different accommodations each night from small parishes to large, burgeoning mega-churches and now in Montreal - host families. Our hosts have all been so welcoming and gracious, and people we have run into along the way have often been overly eager to talk to us about our ride and adventure through their towns and cities. If any of you have are reading this now, let me take the opportunity to thank you again for your hospitality for we could not be doing what we are without your help. Thanks you.
As for the cycling, we have our top cartographer and organizer Dan Healy working on the route. He has kept us on comfortable back roads, mostly free from dangerous traffic and choppy roads. Knock on wood, we have only had a few flats and very little bike problems. The daily mileage has been manageable due to the stops along the route and the sufficient food consumed whenever possible.
On a personal note I am greatly enjoying Montreal. Quebec, upon entering didn’t feel too different from the States but now that we are in the city and are immersed in French Canadian culture, this does really feel like a different country. Its wonderful. This morning we are exploring the Old City of Montreal and walking along the river’s promenade.
And very excitingly, we have 5 more riders joining us tomorrow for the trek down to NYC. Eamon’s Dad –Vince Aloyo, my fiancée – Lindsay Clarke, a doctor from Boulder – Wes Tate, and two riders from last years ride – Andrew Glancy and Michael Duignan. I’m keen to see how the dynamic of the ride will change with 5 more people on board.
Please see the pictures section of our website.

July 1st, 2007

(By Chris Wells)

We hope you find this website interesting and its content inspiring. The organizers and I have worked very hard to put the D.R.E.A.M. Ride together. We have tried to make is mission appeal to the greatest amount of people be selecting beneficiaries from a variety of deserving areas of development work. We tried to select organizations with impressive resumes and critical praise. We tried to select a route that was inspiring in its vistas and challenging in its terrain. This ride is meant to appeal to everyone, not just seasoned cyclists. Please do not let the daily distances turn you away. As is mentioned on other parts of this website, we really do want this ride to become an example that shows that the impossible is possible - that anyone can ride 900 miles in 11 days. Our plan to do so is simple: we’re going to do it by riding in increments that each of the riders feels comfortable, be it 20 miles or more. By taking it little by little, the miles will add up and after a few days, 80 miles a day will seem like a walk in the park (no joke, I witnessed it happen last year). Soon you will see that you can complete any distance, it just depends on the time spent on the bike.
So we sincerely invite anyone one has an interest to join us – all you need is a concern for the unjust reality of the developing world, the interest to do positive something about it, and a bicycle. Do understand that this is not a race in any way. We invite you all to take this opportunity to show yourself and others that you CAN DO IT! If you have any questions whatsoever, you can send me an email at chris.wells(at)dream-ride(dot)org.
Thank you for your time!

July 1st, 2007

Calling all interested riders!!!
Don’t have 2 weeks free in your schedule this August to devote to the entire ride but still interested in joining us for the D.R.E.A.M. Ride? Well you still can. We welcome any and all of you to join us along the route for however many days you can. Attached below is our daily itinerary. We would be happy to coordinate and organize out-and-back rides from any of these stops. The only thing we ask is a donation to the D.R.E.A.M. Ride. Our beneficiaries are doing incredible and invaluable world in some of the world’s neediest areas. We ask for your help and generosity. Hope to see you in August!

Day - Date - DOW - Dist. - Daily Start Town - Daily End Town

1 - 8/3/2007 - Fri - 0 - Boston, MA - Boston, MA
2 - 8/4/2007 - Sat - 90 - Boston, MA - Greenland, NH
3 - 8/5/2007 - Sun - 75 - Greenland, NH - Portland, ME
4 - 8/6/2007 - Mon - 65 - Portland, ME - North Conway, NH
5 - 8/7/2007 - Tue - 75 - North Conway, NH - St Johnsbury, VT
6 - 8/8/2007 - Wed - 85 - St Johnsbury, VT - Newport, VT
7 - 8/9/2007 - Thu - ~115 - Newport, VT - Montreal,QC,Canada
8 - 8/10/2007 - Fri - 0 - Montreal,QC,Canada - Montreal,QC,Canada
9 - 8/11/2007 - Sat - 0 - Montreal,QC,Canada - Montreal,QC,Canada
10 - 8/12/2007 - Sun - 84 - Montreal,QC,Canada - Burlington, VT
11 - 8/13/2007 - Mon - 72 - Burlington, VT - Hudson Falls, NY
12 - 8/14/2007 - Tue - 89 - Hudson Falls, NY - Albany, NY
13 - 8/15/2007 - Wed - 80 - Albany, NY - Poughkeepsie, NY
14 - 8/16/2007 - Thu - 80 - Poughkeepsie, NY - NYC, NY