Kelly Brush Ride draws ski racing cyclists from all over

Participants in the 2013 Kelly Brush Century Ride. KBF

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — The Kelly Brush Century Ride has, as an event, taken on its own life. The ride is a fundraiser for the Kelly Brush Foundation which supports SCI, or spinal cord injured, athletes with the purchase of adaptive equipment and supplies matching funds to ski clubs and areas to help purchase ski racing safety equipment including, but not limited to, fencing and padding.

“It’s amazing how it’s changed and how big it has gotten,” said Brush amid greeting and reacquainting with a handful of ride participants on Saturday morning. It was hard to grab just a minute of her time between folks stopping by to say “hi” and inquire about her well-being.

“This is what my whole day is like,” she said by way of apology. “So many people from all different parts of my life. It’s a lot of fun if nothing else.”

Kelly Brush Davisson before the start of the 2014 event.

Action at the start/finish line at the Middlebury College football stadium starts early and remains steady throughout the day as bikes roll out randomly, tackling various routes with distances from 25-100 miles. There was a spike as the handcyclists, who are invited to participate at no cost, lined up to depart and photographers searched for angles.

When riders start returning to Alumni Field for the finish is when the event kicks into high gear with a barbeque, socializing, and a raffle drawing.

Kelly Brush Davisson, a GMVS graduate who suffered a SCI at the 2006 Williams College Carnival GS while competing for Middlebury College, is now living in Maine and advancing a career in health care. As she said, the Brush Century ride is “A lot of fun if nothing else.” It is a great deal else, but it is also a whole lot of fun.