Two Wheeling West

Riding in honor of Brian Hahl

Posted by Andrew on July 24th, 2009 -   

Update 7/27: I’m up to $1 per mile for my longest day so far. Currently thinking about the Seattle to Portland (STP) route. 200 miles should be enough space!

Update 8/3: I’m up over $3 per mile, thank you all! I managed 202 miles yesterday, Seattle to Portland in a day.  Whoa tired, didn’t think I’d pull that off…  (Note: there are other new posts below this one)

Update 8/6: 202 miles it is - I’ll be in Bend, OR until the 9th without riding very much. Thank you all, and I’ll be in touch via email with donation details.

On July 10th I had breakfast with Alan, Grace, Kevin, and Laurie in Wolf Point just before Kevin split off to head south. We said goodbye, snapped a few pictures, and everyone clipped in to hit the road. I checked my email one last time and received sad word that my friend Brian Hahl had passed away the previous afternoon. Brian had a heart attack while out riding his bike, surely training for his two big charity rides this summer.

I’m fortunate to have met Brian up at Lake Placid a few years ago. I was up to join Dan and try speed skating for the first time - the three of us ended up rooming together at Lysek’s. After dinner, we decided to head out for a few beers downtown; “a few” turned into several and a pretty late night. Brian was a big guy and he handled the fantastic local beer a lot better than Dan or me… skating the next morning was slow. I remember several things about Brian very clearly from that first night out: he loved teaching (clearly gifted at it), he pulled a picture of his 1973 Pinzgauer out of his wallet (I think he had a truck-related t-shirt on too), he often fed change into the jukebox to play Pink Floyd, and he was passionate about the 2 charity bike rides he does every year.

I saw Brian again at Lake Placid several more times during the next few years: skating, bowling, more time at ZigZag’s and the Northwoods Inn, and relaxing at Lysek’s. I’ve got pictures buried on my computer at home of us speedskating, wandering around Placid, and one of him stuffed into a tiny bobsled at the track outside of town. Heading up to Lake Placid is one of the highlights of winter for me, and meeting up with Brian was a big part of the experience. Skating and wandering around Lake Placid won’t be the same without him.

Brian was participating in 2 charity bike rides this summer, the National MS Society’s annual PA Dutch 2009 event and the Pennsylvania Perimeter Ride Against Cancer (PPRAC). He rode both for a long time, and I know they meant a lot to him - he rode the PPRAC in honor of his father who died of cancer.

I’m going to finish my ride in honor of Brian Hahl, a fantastic guy who worked hard on his bike to raise money for 2 worthy charities every summer. If you’ve been following and enjoying my journal, I ask that you please join me in making a donation to PPRAC in honor of Brian. It seems fitting to honor him by donating to a cause that meant so much to him. If you would rather mail a check, please see the bottom of Brian’s fundraising page for an ACS form and information.

Now, to make things a little more interesting: I will donate 50 cents per mile for the longest single day I can ride before August 8th, the day Brian would have finished his PPRAC ride. If you’d like to join in on the challenge, please let me know - leave a comment, send me an email, call, whatever you would like. I’ll get in touch with you after August 8th to let you know how far I managed on my longest day. Of course, if you’d rather make a donation without gambling on my legs, please feel free to do so!

Disclaimer: I have no idea how far I can ride. I rode 120 miles fully loaded back in IL and I did 104 a few days ago then followed it up with 95 (over Sherman Pass).