Memphis Velo | Smith & Nephew
Cycling was pleased to welcome Samantha Gilley and crew
into Memphis as she completed the final leg of her 400
mile ride form Chattanooga, TN to St. Jude. Samantha
is a multiple cancer survivor who rode across the state
to celebrate her victory over her illness and to raise
money for St. Jude. What is most remarkable is that
Samantha is blind. She was able to complete the entire
ride on a tandem piloted by her Uncle Barry Gilley and
various other members of her Sights Unseen Tour Team.
Samantha is a charming young lady with
an incredible attitude, a sharp witted sense of humor
and a heck of a cyclist.
A pack of about 20 riders joined Sam’s
peleton as we departed from Eads, TN at 10am. Along
with Memphis Velo, represented in the ride were The
Memphis Hightailers, Bike World, RB’s Cyclery
and Alpha Q Cycling. The Memphis Police Department showed
up in force to assist with 5 motorcycle officers and
a squad car. The officers quickly went to work and in
true presidential motorcade style, every intersection
on some of the busiest streets in Memphis were shut
down for us to roll through all the way to St. Jude.
Thanks MPD!!!
After a loop around St, Jude and a
final stop at Overton park we completed the ride at
1pm. It was beautiful day and great ride. Thanks to
all that participated in this memorable event
