update

Earlier this month, avid local cyclist Mark Ortiz was stuck by a motorist while riding his bike. I shared his story here and the local newspaper covered it here. Mark was quite an inspiration in my move away from the automobile. He is recovering at an excellent pace despite multiple fractures to his back, ribs, wrist and pelvis. He remains hospitalized but doctors say it's very likely he'll make a full recovery.

That road to recovery however will be long. To help cover the costs of his medical care the local community has scheduled a bicycle ride in his honor for this coming Friday, November 23 at 10am in downtown Concord, North Carolina. Mark was 15 miles shy of riding 10,000 miles in 2007. We plan to ride those last 15 for him. Come and join us if you can. Many of my readers live too far away to actively participate in such a local event. I do not advertise at this site and tend not to ask for donations. However if you are moved to help Mark please feel free to sponsor me on this ride to help with his recovery. Any donation can be sent to:

Mark Ortiz
c/o Silvers/Newton
280 Post Oak Ave SW
Concord, NC 28025

You can follow Mark's progress here. I'll update on the event early next week.