2025 Ride - October 6-10
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Ride Starts on Monday at 9:00!
We're excited to start our ride, and are motivated by the people of Haiti, who never give up, by the Outreach to Haiti staff and volunteers, and by all the people who have donated to the bike ride and who have expressed their support! Our friends and family have been very generous with donations, and this, along with the great work Outreach to Haiti does to help people help themselves, motivates us to do this ride.
Each day, energy and time permitting, we will post a brief description of the day's ride here.
Also, you can “like” Outreach to Haiti on Facebook to get updates, photos, and live videos.
October 6 - Day 1
First day of the 11th Ride for Haiti! We’re starting with three riders today: Steve Cuddy, Ron Paine, and Tom Campbell, and Jim Hubert will ride with us on Tuesday. Dorothy Paine will provide support for Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. Thank you, Dorothy – we can’t do this without you! This year, we are riding new routes four out of the five days. So, we will be riding on roads and bike trails we haven’t seen before. We’ll see how that goes!
We met at St. Bernard’s Church in Vernon, CT. We were greeted by Fr. Rick Ricard and our friends Dennis Petruzzi and John Bouley (the president of Outreach to Haiti’s Board). St. Bernard is yoked with St. Matthew in Tolland, and St. Matthew is long-time supporter of Outreach. We received a blessing from Fr. Rick and started the ride right on time -- 9 am.
Today's weather was very nice – high in the 80’s. Good weather for short sleeves, although a little cool early on. Our route took us north and west, heading over the Connecticut river, past Bradley Airport, and through tobacco field farms in northern CT. Nice roads, with some traffic, but good sight lines. The cars played nice today!
On the way we stopped at Dan Sullivan Park in Suffield CT (we were thinking about our friend Dan O’Sullivan, who we will see later in the week!). It was just starting to get a bit warm, so the break was welcome.
After the break, we headed west towards the bike trail. We took the Farmington Valley Heritage Trail north, which turns into the Southwick Bike Trail once we hit Massachusetts, and that turns into the Columbia Greenway Trail. The trails are nice this time of year. Lots of shade and there is a bit of color on the leaves. But we had to watch out for the squirrels who love to run out in front of the bikes! The trails took us to Westfield, MA, and a newer section took us over the Westfield River.
After leaving the trails, we went back to riding on roads. This time, there was a little more traffic, and what felt like higher speeds (the cars, not us). But the driver looked out for us, and we felt comfortable with the ride.
We took another break at Hampton Ponds State Park – a very nice spot – at about mile 53 (thanks Dorothy!) and then headed straight north to more trails. The last 11 miles were on the Manhan Trail, the New Haven and Northhampton Canal Greenway, and the Norwottuck Trail into Amherst, MA. These trails were all connected and were in great shape! It’s always nice turning onto a bike trail after spending time riding on the road. It feels a little more relaxing and quieter. I have to say that all the bike trails I’ve had the privilege of riding on are local treasures. I hope we get to see more expansion of current trails and new trails being built.
The trail took us to the hotel a little after 3 - safe and happy. The total for the day was 70.3 miles.
Tomorrow we are riding back to CT - to Glastonbury. Jim will be joining us for the last 28 miles. Stay tuned!
October 7 - Day 2
We started a little early - around 8:30. A nice morning – low 60s and a bit overcast. We started in Amherst, MA and rode Glastonbury CT. The theme of the day was the wind! Unfortunately, it was a headwind – around 12 mph. We (half kidding) ask for prayers for a tail wind because the wind can make a difference between getting an energy lift (tail wind) and draining our energy (head wind).
Ron, Tom, and Steve at the start of the ride
We headed back to the Norwottuck Bike Trail and headed east to the end of that trail. The trail was well in use in the morning - lots of commuters, runners, walkers, and fellow bikers. From there we headed south, through Belchertown, Ludlow, Wilbraham, and East Longmeadow (all in MA).
Photos from Wilbraham, MA
After stopping for a break, we made our way back into CT. At about mile 40, we were joined by Jim Hubert. Jim was planning on joining us Wednesday to ride 50 miles, but because of the expected rain, he rode 25 miles on Monday, and rode the last 28 miles of today ride with us.
For those who follow the ride, you may recall Jim’s effort to ride “80 for Haiti” in honor of his 80th birthday in 2022. You can read about that at outreachtohaiti.org/Ride-2022. We were so happy to ride with him today!
As we rode through the tobacco fields in northern CT and that was when we really felt the head winds, with nothing to block it. That slowed us down a bit, but we preserved. Our last break of the day was in South Windsor.
After the break, we rode trails to get by I-84 and I-384. Nothing of interest, but very convenient. It was the first time any of us rode these trails. We arrived in Glastonbury a little later than expected due to the winds.
Total distance today – 68.4 miles.
After the ride, we spent a lovely evening at Jim and Mary Ann Hubert's home, with dinner and family and friends. Thanks for you hospitality, Jim and Mary Ann!
Tomorrow we are riding to the Cathedral in Norwich, and then to St. Mark’s in Westbrook CT. We’re expecting rain, so stay tuned!
October 8 - Day 3
For at least the past week, the forecast for today was a high chance of rain for the entire morning. We were ready for rain, but as we experienced in past years, heavy rain doesn’t make for good riding. At 8 am, we were sitting in the Hubert’s living room, watching the rain come down in buckets. Things looked grim, but by 8:30 it slowed down enough that we decided to we would start the ride. We had to get on the road in order to meet Bishop Reidy at the Cathedral in Norwich at 10:30. Ron and Tom started right at 9 am (Steve could not ride the rest of the week due to a family issue). Dan provided support for the day.
Today is my late brother John’s birthday, and he was looking after me. While we rode at times in the rain, it certainly wasn’t a wash out. During the ride to the Cathedral, we had wet roads, but no rain. When we got to the Cathedral we heard from others that it was raining where they were. We had rain when we left the Cathedral, for about 30 miles, but it was manageable. We kept riding and we had a challenging but a great ride!
No rain at the start, but definitely wet roads
At the Cathedral, we were met by the Cathedral school’s 8th grade class, the principal, and the Bishop. Because it was raining, our visit was short but a lot of fun. The students were very polite and complimentary.
Click here to see a report about the visit in Norwich Diocese's newsletter.
We left the Cathedral, and headed towards Westbrook CT by way of Salem, Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Essex (all in CT). The ride included Saybrook Point, one of our favorite places to ride. Note the flag in the background of the photo below - you can see how windy it is!
We ended the ride at St. Mark’s Church in Westbrook, where we were greeted with hot beverages, snacks, and a very generous donation from the parish’s Walk with Haiti ministry.
Total distance today – 68.3 miles.
Tomorrow we are going to ride from Westbrook to Wallingford CT, including a ride on the Farmington Valley Heritage Trail from New Haven to Meriden. Stay tuned!
October 9 - Day 4
The rain is gone, and cooler weather is here. The wind, too. Ron and Tom started the ride at 9, with temperatures in the low 50’s. Dan provided support for the day. You can see that we are dressed for the weather. Luckily the sun is out, which makes things tolerable.
We headed west from Westbrook CT towards New Haven, riding along shore roads (on the Long Island Sound) in Clinton, Madison, Guilford, Branford, and East Haven. We had to back track on one of the shore roads because of a bridge repair. This added over 2 miles to the ride, but they were on flat roads with nice scenery. The wind (coming from the north) challenged us, and made this colder, but we up to the challenge.
Shoreline in Madison Shoreline in East Haven
We arrived in New Haven, and after a flat tire change we rode to the Farmington Valley Heritage Trail. Yes, the same trail we rode earlier this week, but 50 miles south of where we rode on Monday. New Haven added a new trail head, which looks great. We took the trail through Yale University’s campus, and headed north past Quinnipiac University to Cheshire CT. Along the way, we had another tire change, which we were able to take care of during a break.
Trail Head in New Haven Yale University
From the trail, we headed west to Wallingford, encountering a few hills, and a few downhills. A very successful day!
Total distance today – 70.3 miles.
Tomorrow is the final day of this year's ride. We will visit Mercy High School in Middletown and then head to St. Patrick in Farmington to finish the ride. Stay tuned!
October 10 - Day 5
Colder weather today, but sunny! We started the ride with temperature in the 80’s – today it was in the upper 30’s at the start of the ride. So, Ron and Tom bundled up a bit (one of us wisely chose noto cover their legs - it was a bit chuilly in shorts!) and started just before 9. Dorothy was back with us to support the ride.
Our first stop today was at Mercy High School in Middletown, scheduled for early in the day. On the way, we rode by Lyman Orchards and Wadsworth Falls State Park (pictured below). It was a very picturesque ride. Fall has arrived!
On arrival at Mercy High School, we received a very spirited welcome. Here’s a link to a video of the reception - VID_20251010_101624637.mp4.
After a short break and refreshments, we left Mercy, thankful for the wonderful greeting and hospitality. We rode through Middletown, Cromwell, Rocky Hill, and Newington (all in CT), with a break at a park in Rocky Hill (thanks again, Dorothy!).
In Newington, we picked up the bike trail along the CT Fasttrack Busway. The busway is a two-lane road that runs from New Britain and Hartford, solely used by commuter buses. When they built it, a bike lane was installed to run along the busway. This took us into New Britain, where they are in the process of extending the trail through the downtown streets. With the construction, the adjacent roads that we had to ride on were narrow, but the motorists largely avoided these roads. Those that did drive by were driving slow and looking out for us.
We then headed through New Britain and Plainville on the trail towards (once again!) the Farmington Valley Heritage Trail. This portion of the trail is where I used to ride when I lived in the area, so it is always fun to be back.
Farmington River from the trail
We arrived at St. Patrick Church in Farmington right at 3:00 – the ETA at the start of the ride – to another wonderful greeting and a reception in the church hall. The greeting was not as loud as the one from Mercy HS, but it was heartfelt and enthusiastic – and it included my 3 year-old grandson! Here is a video of our arrival - 20251010_150800.mp4. We saved the high-fives until we got off our bikes!
Two very tired riders!
Total miles for the day - 59.9; Total for the week - 337.2!
Thank you!
We have a lot to be thankful for. We thank God for our health to be able to do this, our safe passage during the ride, and the fellowship amongst the riders and those we met along the way. We’re also thankful for no major mechanical issues along the way.
There are so many people to thank for the success of the ride. First, the riders - Jim, Ron, Tom, and Steve. A great effort, and it was wonderful spending time together, struggling together, cheering each other on.
Thank you to the donors. While many are repeat donors, there are several new ones. Spreading the word of our mission in Haiti is part of the reason for the ride, and it is great to see new donors, and even better to see repeat donors who learn about the mission and believe in it. In all, there are over 80 people who have donated so far this year - THANK YOU!
What is inspiring to me is when I thank someone who donated to the ride, and the response is "no - thank you for doing this." Responses like these keep us going!
A special thank you to our families – Mary Ann, Jan, Dorothy, Lynn, and Linda, who encouraged us and prayed for us during the week.
We thank the parishes and the school that reached out and met us, giving us great receptions and send-offs - Mercy High School, St Patrick's Cathedral School in Norwich, St. Mark's/St. Pio's in Westbrook, and St. Patrick Church in Farmington. Thank you for your warm welcome!
Finally, a very, very special thanks to Dorothy Paine. Dorothy supported us 3 out of the 5 days (and yay for Dan, who supported the other days), but she was with us the whole week, encouraging us, praying with us, making sure we were hydrated and nourished, and she took most of the videos and the photos in this ride summary (and many more). We wouldn’t have done this year's ride, nor would we have made it to the end without you! Thank you, Dorothy!
What all of you have contributed helps move the mission in Haiti forward and helps to improve the lives of deserving Haitians every day.
Donations are still coming in - it is not too late! Please, please, please - if you haven't donated, do so now - click here!!!
Can't wait for next year's ride!
Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts, and God bless you.
Description of Ride
The 11th Annual Bike Ride for Haiti begins Monday, October 6. The Outreach to Haiti team of riders are once again riding 337 miles, the length of one tip of Haiti to another, over 5 days. We'll be riding in Connecticut and Massachusetts and many of our rides will be routes we are doing for the first time. During the ride, we will visit some of the parishes and schools in Connecticut that are twinned through Outreach to Haiti with parishes, orphanages, and schools in Haiti. This includes a visit to St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral School in Norwich.
The purpose of the ride is to raise awareness and funds to support our mission in Haiti. Outreach to Haiti has been in Haiti for almost 40 years, serving the poor in the Christ Roi (Christ the King) community of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas with a healthcare clinic, food and nutrition programs, education programs, developing and maintaining twinning relationships, cultural immersion trips, and the FAK program, which empowers women to start their own businesses. Our motto is Helping Haitians Help Haitians, and Outreach to Haiti is truly saving and changing lives in Haiti. More information about Outreach to Haiti can be found on other pages of this website.
The people we serve in Haiti ARE IN GREAT NEED OF OUR SUPPORT. Due to the political and social unrest, the demand for our services and the challenges associated with delivering those services have increased significantly. Despite these challenges, and with your help, our staff in Haiti heroically continues to maintain services to their community.
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers for a safe and successful ride (and an occasional continual tail wind would be nice!)
These are the daily rides (subject to change):
Day 1 - Rockville, CT to Amherst, MA - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33543229
Day 2 - Amherst to Glastonbury, CT - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/51830640
Day 3 - Colechester, CT to Westbrook, CT - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49136454
Day 4 - Westbrook to Wallingford, CT - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49661191
Day 5 - Wallingford, CT to Farmington, CT - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50253853
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