The Braveheart Charity Ride on July 13 will mark the fulfillment of a goal set back in January when Braveheart—Friends of Dylan Connelly was officially organized. It was then that the group started planning a major event to raise money for their 30-year-old friend and fellow biker Dylan Connelly, who had been diagnosed with brain cancer. The ride will begin and end at Fruitlands, with registration from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and the ride finishing up around 2 p.m. The course follows a 25-mile loop through Harvard, and riders may choose to go around the loop a second time. There is also a loop for kids, who ride free. In addition to the Braveheart riders and other friends and supporters, US Olympic cyclist Shelley Olds, a special childhood friend, will be coming to Harvard to ride for Dylan.
A journal of a brave heart
Dylan Connelly with his son Rowan. (Courtesy photo)
Dylan was hospitalized last December and, in addition to the cancer, he was beset by a series of illnesses, infections, and reactions to medications. He and his family rode a roller-coaster of emotion as one complication after another postponed treatment and brought increasing problems for Dylan. Pat Connelly of Lovers Lane began a journal on CaringBridge, in which he wrote about his son’s brave heart in the midst of this pain and confusion, calling Dylan a “Celtic warrior,” “ever the fighter,” “gladiator strong.”
It was this image that Dylan’s mountain-biking friends and others picked up on when they organized into a fundraising group. The Press talked to Bruce Ringwall, who became the spokesperson for the group and liaison between Dylan’s family and his large group of friends. According to Ringwall, “There were a lot of guys who cared and wanted to do something.” Ringwall contacted Dylan’s father, as well as his brother, Jude, and they, along with another family member and a few longtime friends, became the core of a group for fundraising for medical and living expenses for Dylan and his family. The name for the group was obvious: Braveheart, each member a Celtic warrior for Dylan.
From mountain bike to road race
At first the group envisioned its culminating fundraiser to be a mountain bike ride, since that is what they do, but they realized it would be more appropriate and better for numbers to do a road race. For the July 13 event, each rider will pay an entrance fee, and each rider is asked to get pledges from sponsors. There will be prizes for entrants who gather the most sponsors. The Braveheart web site will provide a link for registered riders to track their donations. Ringwall says that on the day of the race, registered or not, people should just “come in.”
Ringwall describes the young man who has inspired the group: “Dylan is such an outgoing, likeable guy. He’s athletic and caring and puts his heart and soul into everything he does.” Ringwall tells the story of how he met Dylan. It was a cold November evening four years ago when he and a biking friend were riding a trail in Groton. Their headlights caught two other bikers, one of whom turned out to be Dylan. Right then it was, “Hey, do you want to start riding with us on Tuesdays?”
Pat Connelly writes that there was never a defining moment when Dylan learned to ride a two-wheeler—he just always could. In describing Dylan’s first mountain bike race at the age of 13, he says that Dylan took off “with a confident bolt” up the muddy slope. “It was with the same verve, confidence, and drive that he approached other races, recreational activities, and life’s pursuits more generally—a spirit with which he pursued light-hearted kindred competition with friends and with which he zestfully infected others, befriending them in the process.”
Childhood friends to join ride
In another entry Connelly recalls how Dylan cheered his childhood friend Shelley Olds as she competed as a strong contender in the 2012 London Olympics. He relates that the Connellys lived next door to the Olds family in Groton, and as kids, Dylan and Jude used to play whiffle ball and football with Shelley and her brother Jake. Olds is currently training in Europe, but she and Jake will be in Harvard on July 13.
Dylan is currently at home in Still River with his wife, Nadine, and their three young children. On July 13, those riding in the Braveheart Charity race, or those sponsoring someone who is, can hold Pat Connelly’s image of his son Dylan in their hearts: “. . as we hope to retain all that we hold dear in life against the natural inevitable reality of loss and change, Dylan rides like the wind across the country under a sea of silver stars—over mountains, through fields and across great plains.”
For more details and to register for the ride, visit: Braveheartcharityride.eventbrite.com
