RIDE TO END ALZ. Two locals are working to build a team of bicyclists to participate in the "RIDE TO END ALZ®" later this year. The event doubles as a fundraiser to benefit Alzheimer's research, with Team Eau Claire looking to raise $50,000. (Photo via act.alz.org)

Eau Claire bicyclists Mark Tomasi, a retired emergency room physician, and Jeff Thielen, a retired conservation officer, are aiming for a moonshot – or “that idea or plan on a scale that is so large it is almost impossible to achieve.”

By Wednesday, July 1, they envision a team of 50 or more Chippewa Valley bicyclists of various ages, abilities and bikes – fat bike, gravel, mountain, road and more – signed up to pedal in the Minnesota Alzheimer’s Association “RIDE TO END ALZ®” in Stillwater, Minn.

The ride in Minnesota is one of only six in the nation and provides cyclists with a chance to help support Alzheimer’s research for a cure. 

By Saturday, Sept. 19, said area bicyclists will be ready to pedal in the RIDE TO END ALZ®. Cyclists can choose from 10-, 25-, 45-, or 70-mile distances, all beginning and ending in Lowell Park in Stillwater.

“Who hasn’t known someone with Alzheimer’s disease?” Tomasi said. “Who hasn’t cared for someone with dementia? Who hasn’t lost someone to this devastating disease?”

Tomasi and Thielen, too, have been impacted by Alzheimer's disease, having lost family members of their own to it.

“Someone develops Alzheimer’s every 65 seconds,” Tomasi said. “Worldwide, 55 million people are living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.”

These figures, he shared, include seven million Americans – 111,000 of whom live in Wisconsin – and 11 million unpaid family caregivers, with over 200,000 of them residing in Wisconsin alone.

"WHO HASN'T KNOWN SOMEONE WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE? WHO HASN'T CARED FOR SOMEONE WITH DEMENTIA? WHO HASN'T LOST SOMEONE TO THIS DEVASTATING DISEASE?"

MARK TOMASI

RETIRED EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN, TEAM EAU CLAIRE CO-ORGANIZER

“In addition to my personal experience, as an emergency physician I saw almost daily the devastating effects that Alzheimer's disease had on many of my patients and their families,” Thielen shared. “This is truly one of the saddest and most challenging diseases confronting us today.”

With the support of local businesses and individuals, the duo aims to pump up a total of $50,000, pledged to fund Alzheimer’s research.

“When we approach the businesses, we’re also asking them to promote this event with their employees,” Thielen said. “Perhaps even a business would be willing to sponsor a team of their employees.

“We’re also appealing to individual donors,” he continued. “No donation is too small. A thousand people each giving $10 is just as successful as a company donating $10,000 to the cause.”

In addition to these efforts, the duo are working to gain sponsorship toward Team Eau Claire jerseys with the brand and logos of supporting businesses proudly displayed.

Donations can be made online to individual riders or to Team Eau Claire; these funds will be split between team members and put towards the $500 each team member is required to raise.

To sign up for the ride with Team Eau Claire or to donate to a team or an individual, visit the group's individual webpage online.

For more info about the Minnesota Ride to End ALZ, visit act.alz.org. Connect with Mark Tomasi and Jeff Thielen about joining “Team Eau Claire” via email:  tomasi.mark@gmail.com or jefferythielen@gmail.com.