Newburyport Daily News story on Nelson's Ride - 8/23/08

Today's (Sat., Aug. 23) front page, bottom fold, Newburyport Daily News


http://www.newburyportnews.com/archivesearch/local_story_235222754.html


Bikers participating in Nelson’s Ride head through Salisbury Square on their way to Salisbury Beach as they finish their 60-mile ride last year.
Staff file photo Bryan Eaton/ (Click for larger image)
Nelson's Ride fundraiser rumbles through North Shore tomorrow

By Sabrina Cardin
Staff writer


SALISBURY —Tomorrow you may think it is thunder rolling down your street, but the source of the noise is something much more formidable: a pack of hundreds of motorcycle riders with a cause.

For the second year, the fundraiser Nelson's Ride will begin and end in the Salisbury Municipal Parking Lot at Salisbury Beach and rumble through virtually every town in the region between noon and 2:30 p.m.

The ride began nine years ago as a way to help raise money for the family of the late Nelson Selig of Essex, who died in a motorcycle accident in Ipswich in 2000. After three years, Selig's widow, Felicia, said her family was well taken care of and others were in need. Since then, donations have been going toward a program called the Massachusetts Motorcyclists Survivors' Fund, which makes money available to families and bikers across the state in need due to injury or death.

And what began with 700 riders has now swelled to between 1,500 and 2,500 motorcyclists who will take a 66-mile low-speed ride through the streets of the North Shore.

Paul Cote, president of the Board of Directors for Nelson's Ride, said he believes what keeps the ride so successful is that it is a personal cause to each rider.

"Nelson's Ride works to reduce accidents and pain," Cote said. "Even if you don't feel it or experience it yourself, you still have to help."

This year marked a first for Nelson's Ride, which expanded the cause to the South Shore with Brian's Ride, raising an additional $20,000. Catching the fundraising bug, some riders are traveling up from as far away as Hyannis to participate in the North Shore version of the ride.

So far, 250 riders have preregistered, and Cote believes most of the turnout depends on weather. Thankfully for the riders, this weekend holds clear skies for what has been a rainy summer. With the weather intact, the ride is expected to raise close to $30,000 this year.

An Amesbury resident himself, Cote is pleased to begin in Salisbury and loves the business the ride generates for Salisbury Beach.

"On a given Labor Day weekend, Salisbury probably sees 250 visitors," Cote said, "but the ride brings in thousands of people and with that business."

Working in close conjunction with the police, Cote cites safety as the main concern with the slow moving ride. Experienced group leaders all ride 5 mph under posted speed limits. Bikers will ride in a scattered formation, and three weeks ago, volunteers posted 100 delay signs with specific times for all motorists to be aware.

Because of the large volume of riders, all stop signs, red lights and intersections will be delayed until riders pass through. Cote reminds motorists that the rider is not above the law but working with it. Delays are estimated to run about 20 to 30 minutes long.

Cote himself suffered a small crash in his early years and stopped riding until 11 years ago.

No longer apprehensive, he said, "Riding is just you and the road. It's a sense of being."

Neslon's Ride

Hundreds of motorcycle riders will take a 66-mile, low-speed ride around the North Shore, affecting local traffic. Here is a time line of when the ride will pass through local communities:

Noon - Salisbury/Seabrook

12:15 p.m. ¬­— Amesbury

12:24 p.m. — Merrimac

12:34 p.m. — West Newbury

12:40 p.m. — Groveland

12:51 p.m. — Boxford

1:18 p.m. — Topsfield

1:27 p.m. — Wenham/Danvers

1:34 p.m. — Hamilton

1:42 p.m. — Ipswich

1:58 p.m. — Rowley

2:12 p.m. — Newburyport

2:15 p.m. — Salisbury

For a complete map of the route, see http://www.massmsf.org/nelsonpages/nelsonsride-main.html