Scottsdale, AZ (March 14, 2011)–After completing week 3 of their journey across the country, we had a chance to catch up with Jimmy Button and the Miles 4 Miracles crew now that they are in Texas.
“At the end of week 2 we were coming into Las Cruses, New Mexico and we were attempting to do 100 miles that day. It was windy and we caught a big gust of wind and it ran me off the road and I had a pretty massive crash at about 20 mph. I cartwheeled over the bars and fortunately walked away with only a bunch of raw skin and bruises. After the crash, which was at mile 88, we rode another 5 miles before my body just could not take it anymore so we called it a day. The following day we had an easy ride down to El Paso and I already planned a trip back to California to see to see my doctor on Sunday so the break came at just the right time. The great news was that I was 100% okay, besides being banged up and I was able to continue on Monday. “
“Monday started out with massive 35-45mph crosswinds the entire day and we were only able to make 80% of our ride because the wind and the sand were so bad and our average speed dropped significantly. It felt like someone was sand blasting us the entire time. With as bad as it was on Monday, Tuesday came with great weather and smooth roads and we were able to finally get in a 100 mile day. This was an important milestone for us as we had planned to do this at some point during the ride. For me personally it is a big checkmark on my bucket list. I definitely paid for it the following day, but it was well worth it.
“On Wednesday we went from Kent, Texas to Fort Davis and had a pretty good ride, but had really bad roads. We have a map that tells us about the mountain ranges and the grades and it was completely off. We thought we had a day of 3%-4% grades to look forward to and we actually were faced with 10-13% grades all day. It was massive!”
“We are making our way. Our biggest obstacle has been the roads and the wind. We either get decent roads or really, really rough roads. Today we had an 18mph headwind the entire day. The views have been great and we just watched the sunset and it is magnificent. As of today we are about 44 miles behind schedule due to the unbelievable bad roads and wind, but we hope to be caught up and back on schedule by Houston.”
Jimmy’s goal is to raise $1 Million dollars for spinal cord research, and he has only reached about 20% of his goal. No donation is too big or small. Please help spread the word so Jimmy can reach his goal. Together we can make a difference in the life of a spinal cord injury patient. This injury is tough to live with, not only for the injured person, but their family and friends as well.
Jimmy is about 45% through his ride!! You can join him on his quest by signing up at Join the Ride and to see when he will coming through your area at the ride on the www.milesformiraclestoday.com website.
You can show your support by sending a donation, purchasing an official M4M t-shirt, wristband, watch, or M4M cycling gear at the official gear store at www.milesformiraclestoday.com. You can also text BIKE to 85944 for a $5 donation and a chance to win a San Manual Yamaha or a Sette Forza road bike.
Check out the first day of Jimmy’s ride here on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_E3h355hFc
Stay connected with Jimmy and his day-to-day updates:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Miles-For-Miracles/298691006369
Twitter: @Miles4Miracles http://twitter.com/#!/Miles4Miracles
@BTNFLY http://twitter.com/#!/BTNFLY
Miles 4 Miracles Blog Spot: http://miles-for-miracles.blogspot.com/
Website: www.milesformiraclestoday.com
Way back in the mid 90’s I was at Budds Creek for the Motocross Nationals. All the greats were there… McGrath, Emig, Carmichael, Dowd, Albertyn, Henry, etc…. Jimmy was teamed up with Jeremy McGrath on YZ 250 Yamaha’s. Jimmy was coming into his own as a rider as well. It was a beautiful, hot summer day & we were sitting on the side of the track waiting for the race to begin. Some of the riders were checking out the track. They were riding around in golf carts. Jimmy was in one with his mechanic or someone & was down at the bottom of the hill directly in front of us. They decided to drive the cart up the hill towards where we were sitting. They got about 1/2 way up when the traction gave out & they sat there spinning their wheels. Everyone was laughing! They refused to get out of the cart hoping the tires might hook up. I got a couple of great pictures of Jimmy in the cart, no shirt on & looking strong, laughing along with the rest of us. They decided downhill was the easiest way to go so they turned & off they went.
I still have those pictures. When Jim had his accident that paralyzed him, it really hit me hard…. not because I knew him…I didn’t. I think it was because I saw him up close & genuinely having fun… it was clear that he loved what he did. It showed in his riding as well…. he had a smooth, effortless riding style. Like the movie says “he could have been a contender”. After his accident & the resulting paralysis, I followed his long, hard recovery…. from what I could find… it didn’t look good for Jim. I remember seeing pictures of him with the halo thing bolted into his skull… that made me cringe. I think I’d rather have died if it was me. But he kept pushing on. I lost touch with his life for a while as mine went on…. until one day here on MotorcycleDaily, I saw the link for Road to Recovery… it was probably 2 or 3 years ago. So that’s what he was up to! I was so happy to know that he had recovered the ability to walk. The thought of being trapped in a broken body is frightening. So I immediately got out me credit card & donated $50… did the same for this ride too. I also sent along a little email basically telling the story above. Jimmy’s Mom saw the email & must have told Jim. Jim replied to me which was not necessary but very nice just the same. Of course he doesn’t remember me, or the incident on the hill in the golf cart…. that doesn’t matter. I was able to briefly experience a moment with a guy that could ride the wheels off a 2 stroke Yamaha… a guy that loved riding just as much as I do… a guy that was nothing like me and just like me at the same time. I’ll have to pull that picture out of the box & let the memory take me back to that hot August day in Budds Creek when all was right with the world.
Keep on Ridin Jim!