July 28, 2004

Cyclist pedals cross country for two causes

Tom Auch plans 1,250 mile ride for Munson Hospice and Alzheimer's

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

       Thanks to Tom Auch, 17 days plus millions of rotations equals some money and plenty of exposure for both Munson Hospice and the fight against Alzheimer's Disease.
      This Sunday, Auch will launch a 1,250-mile solo odyssey from Traverse City to Boulder, Colo., taking his road bike, tent, some clothes and boundless enthusiasm with him.
      And little else besides his biking gloves - the purple one symbolizing hope and renewal - on this multi-state quest to make a difference.
      "With all the Baby Boomers aging, we're going to need Hospice one day," said Auch, a graphics design instructor at Northwestern Michigan College. "There's many little things that the public can do, the Hospice needs volunteers and you can send donations."
      A biker for 15 years, summer time is adventure time for Auch. A previous year's trip led him to Mt. Kilimanjaro in Kenya, Africa.
      He decided to mold his adventures into charity events as a way to give back while getting to do something he loves: complete a long bike ride.
      One year, Auch created the Auch to Auch Biathlon, where he swam Crystal Lake and rode around to go from his father's house to his uncle's. That event raised money for the Zonta Club. While living in Los Angeles, he also participated in the 500-mile California AIDS Ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
      President Ronald Reagan's death from pneumonia on June 5 inspired his current quest. Auch decided to merge Alzheimer's Disease research with helping the Munson Hospice after learning about the Munson Hospice House on a PBS program. Having had two grandmothers die of Alzheimer's Disease, he was sympathetic to the Reagan family's struggle and admired their courage and dignity.
      "I'm not a particular fan of his but I admire his many accomplishments and the way he hung in there with Alzheimer's," Auch noted.
      Auch is an admitted last-minute organizer and is still finalizing details of his trip.
      Once the idea gelled in June, he began pulling together an itinerary, route and supplies. He tapped numerous businesses and friends around the community for help, winding up with donated banners, a guy-friendly mesh saddle bike seat and a free trip on the car ferry across Lake Michigan.
      "Tom persuaded us, he actually came in, had a great proposal, a great idea," said Caleb Smith, bicycle manager at Brick Wheels, who helped with a bike tune-up and saddle. "We always try to help out the local community and with someone as gregarious and as outspoken as Tom, it was an easy answer for me."
      A one-man media blitz, Auch enjoys sharing about his chosen causes and quest with anyone and everyone.
      "I don't usually raise more than a couple thousand dollars but it is the exposure that helps [these causes]," he noted. "It's just been so amazing, the community, everybody wants to get involved with this."
      Auch created a website and plans to hit libraries along his route to update readers with text and digital images of his travels. He will also be an ambassador for Traverse City, taking along samples of dried cherries to distribute along the way.
      Boulder was a natural destination as Auch considers it his second home, having attended college at the University of Colorado there.
      With maps he found on the Internet detailing the best bike routes, he plans to average 70-80 miles per day, camping along the way and eating wherever he can.
      "I just have to get to Denver by the 19th to catch my plane," he noted of his donated plane flight from Northwest Airlines.
      For more information on Tom Auch's ride from Traverse City to Boulder, Colo., and to track his progress, check out his website at www.purpleglove.com.