Frisco – After a 52-mile stretch from Leadville to Frisco, Michaele Johnson crossed the finish line Saturday with 422 miles behind her – and her first Ride the Rockies Tour.
But with the accomplishment, the Denver resident also felt the absence of her father, Donald Johnson, a veteran of Ride the Rockies tours.
“He died suddenly after falling off of Horsetooth Rock” last year on June 29, said Johnson, 41. The 67-year-old had talked with his daughter about riding the tour together one day.
That day never came, but Don Johnson’s spirit was very much alive all week as his daughter and five teammates rode together to celebrate his memory and promote a cause he would have appreciated.
One team member, a physician, had been to Madagascar, where he worked with other physicians, nurses, teachers and church members.
“He discovered that they’re very much in need of bikes,” Johnson said. “They bike for miles and miles just to get from one place to another.”
So the Bikes For Madagascar cause was born.
The bikes cost about $155 each “for a decent bike that can get people over bumpy dirt roads,” said team member Diana Linden, 32. She estimated that the team has raised between $5,000 and $10,000 so far.
That’s a lot of bikes.
“He was just an avid environmentalist and community activist, and he was very active in world hunger issues,” Johnson said of her father.
The other team members are Kevin Mabry, 48, of Fort Collins; William Reents, 61, of Loveland; Vincent Murphy, 63, of Fort Collins; and one of Don Johnson’s closest friends, Jim Linden, 64, of Loveland.
“This is really the best way to remember him, really,” his daughter said. “If you really want to be present with his spirit, it’s doing this.”
If you want to give
Those interested in making a donation can make checks payable to The Rocky Mountain Synod-ELCA, memo line: Seeds of Hope Bikes for Madagascar.
Send to:
The Rocky Mountain Synod
455 Sherman Street, Suite 160
Denver, CO 80203
