Name: Dave Wood
Age: 67
Home: Hallowell, Maine
Occupation:
Retired Mechanical
Engineer
An alumnus
of the University of New Hampshire, Dave has been cycling 27 years and has two
children. His partner, Maggie Warren, and he are avid supporters of bicycling
in Maine. Dave is interested in the East Coast Greenway project because he
believes the ECG will provide a safe multi-use trail for people of all ages and
abilities. He wanted to help spread the word to get people excited about
trails, and he thinks multi-use trails are needed for safe cycling routes,
especially with today’s traffic. He’s participating in the First
ECG Maine to
Florida Tour because he wanted to do a long-distance bike ride and be an
ambassador for the East Coast Greenway. When he’s not cycling on local
greenways, Dave enjoys hiking, canoeing, volunteering for trails organizations,
cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, and fly fishing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Anne Kruimer
Age: 50
Home: Edison, New Jersey
Occupation:
Homemaker
Growing up
in Kingston and Somerset, New Jersey, Anne Kruimer has been cycling for 45
years and is one of the tour’s more remarkable riders. While cycling with
her husband, Mike, in 1992 she was involved in a cycling accident that left her
paralyzed from the waist down. Today she and Mike ride a specially designed
semi-recumbent tandem bicycle fitted with a hand crank that allows Anne to “pedal”
in the front while Mike commandeers the rear. She is interested in the East
Coast Greenway because she thinks people need to be able to bicycle safely down
the East Coast on an off-road route. She is participating in the First East Coast Greenway Maine to
Florida Tour because she wants to get trails connected so her granddaughter can
go from Maine to Florida and travel down the East Coast without competing with
traffic. In addition to taking 2,800-mile bicycle trips with her husband, Mike,
Anne enjoys spending time with her granddaughter and bird watching.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mike Kruimer
Age: 50
Home: Edison, New Jersey
Occupation:
Forklift Operator
and Wrecker Driver
Mike
Kruimer grew up in Edison and Somerset, New Jersey and has be riding a bike for
over 45 years. He and his wife, Anne, have two children and a granddaughter
named Mackenzie. Mike has been actively involved in the Greenway project for a
number of years now and wants to build the Greenway to provide safe travel for
transport and recreation. He’s participating in the inaugural end-to-end
tour so his one-year-old granddaughter can ride the Greenway safely in 15 years
and see and experience all that the East Coast has to offer. Aside from
cycling, Mike enjoys woodworking, gardening, and playing with his
granddaughter.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Jack Kurrle
Age: 74
Home: Sun City West, Arizona
Occupation:
Retired Tool
Designer
The
tour’s oldest end-to-end cyclist, Jack Kurrle grew up in Owosso, Michigan
and has been cycling since 1975. Over the past 20 years Jack has taken numerous
long distance bicycle trips and has ridden across the United States twice. In
June 2002, while cycling down the East Coast, he was struck by an automobile,
leaving him with a broken neck, back, and hip. Since climbing back on his bike
again last summer he has ridden nearly 5,000 miles despite lingering physical
problems. Jack is interested in the East Coast Greenway project because he
believes cyclists need a way to travel without competing with traffic.
He’s riding the First East Coast Greenway Maine to Florida Tour because he wants
to conquer the East Coast by bicycle once and for all. When he’s not
cycling on his recumbent he enjoys woodworking and spending time with his wife,
Coralynn.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Myron Skott
Age: 55
Home: Alpharetta, Georgia
Occupation:
Installs Computer
Aided Manufacturing Systems for Plastics Industry
An alumnus
of the University of Georgia, Myron is a native of Atlanta and lives with his
wife Cathy in nearby Alpharetta, Georgia. He is a big fan of greenways and
frequently rides his recumbent on the very popular Alpharetta Greenway, where
he enjoys meeting interesting people. An avid cyclist, Myron makes a point to
ride year round and has ridden some 60,000 miles since 1991. He’s ridden
the Bike Ride across Georgia nine times now and has taken several long trips
including a cross-country journey from San Diego to St. Augustine and two rides
from Mexico to Santa Barbara. Myron sees the Greenway as a tremendous asset to people
living on the East Coast and an efficient way to do something good for the
country because the trail is located in the nation’s most densely
populated and offers people the chance to participate in an active lifestyle.
Aside from cycling Myron is interested in computers, home improvement,
woodworking, and bicycle history.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Hilge Hurford
Age: 59
Home: New York, New York
Occupation:
Design
Originally
from Germany, Hilge now lives in New York City’s Upper East Side and uses
her bicycle as her primary form of transportation. She has been cycling for 10
year and think the East Coast Greenway would be a nice way to get people out of
cities. “It’s a great idea to connect the cities of the East Coast
with one another,” she says.
“It’s nice to get to know different parts of the
country.” Hilge thinks the Greenway is a good cause and is participating
in the First
East Coast Greenway Maine to Florida Tour because, she comments, it’s
nice to do something different, and it’s an adventure to be part of
something new. When she isn’t braving the streets of New York on her
bicycle, Hilge enjoys learning new languages, playing tennis, skiing, and
gardening.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mac Sexton
Age: 60
Home: South Portland, Maine
Occupation:
Retired Attorney
Mac Sexton,
the tour leader for the First East Coast Greenway Maine to Florida Tour, cycles about
1,000 miles annually and is an advocate of trails and greenways as a means of
improving the quality of life for Maine residents. In 1998 he completed the
American Lung Association’s Big Ride Across America, a 48-day journey
from Seattle to Washington, D.C. Sexton sees this tour not only as a way to
help raise money for a worthy cause but also as a way to fulfill his own
personal goals. “Participating in this is an opportunity I simply
couldn’t pass up. After
doing the 1998 Big Ride I was eager to do another long ride because it was so
much fun,” Mac says. “This tour is going to be good exercise for
both the body and the mind--and I hope to meet a lot of people and see a lot of
sights--but even more than that it will make more people aware of the Greenway
and help spur its continuation. Of
course, it will never be entirely finished. Like the Appalachian Trail, there will always be something
to do.”