 |
The
Nebraska United Methodist
Bike Ride for Hunger
|
 |
|---|
Welcome
Route Information
Route Maps
Rider Information
Registration Info
Video Promo
NUMB History
Photos
Hunger Projects
Training Rides
Contact Us
NUMB History
Poems written by Tom & Rogene Silletto
with contributions from NUMB riders
2010:
The fifteenth NUMB took the riders through the last three counties of Nebraska: Hamilton, Seward and York. This was the largest NUMB in the history of the ride. Over $50,000 was collected by our riders. Hastings Grace was our host and arranged for our stay at Hastings College. Other hosts were Central City, Seward and Geneva. Our first day was marked by very strong winds for our first 30 miles. A biking miracle happened on the next three days as the wind changed direction each day to be at our backs. No major accidents or mishaps on this trip.
2009:
NUMB 2009 had 128 riders who started the 310 mile trek in Ogallala June 27, 2009. The Optional Day ride to Arthur County had 66 riders who enjoyed the beautiful scenery as they rode over the Lake McConnaughy Dam on their way to the Arthur County Line. It was a wonderful ride and many riders celebrated with a picture under the trees at the County Line. Arthur and McPherson Counties were numbers 89 and 90 for NUMB to visit. NUMB 2009 had to be the best weather ever for a NUMB ride. Temperatures were good and the wind was non-existent.The ride from Ogallala to Brady was filled with flat tires. Over 68 tubes were sold to our riders at the end of the day. NUMB 2009 was the first NUMB that had a non-church host in Stapleton. Tyler Stille of the Main Street Market in Stapleton organized the community to host our riders. We will never forget the ribeye steaks Tyler grilled for our evening meal. The United Methodist Churches in Ogallala, Brady and North Platte hosted the other days of NUMB. Ogallala UMC was the beginning and ending point of NUMB. Not only did Ogallala host us, they provided meals to our riders at no cost and donated $1000 directly to NUMB and gave an additional $500 donation through one of our riders. That is a host!
2008:
About 135 riders took part in the 13th annual NUMB Ride event on June 28-July 2, 2008. That year's NUMB took riders 270 miles from Wahoo, through Tekamah, Wayne and Columbus (where Bill Ritter is pastor) then back to Wahoo.
2007:
About 110 riders took part in the 12th annual NUMB Ride event on June 23-27, 2007. That year's NUMB took riders 280 miles from Curtis, through Grant, Benkelman and Cambridge back to Curtis. Strong headwinds and high temperatures will long be remembered during the leg from Grant to Benkelman.
2006:
About 120 riders took part in the 11th annual NUMB Ride event on June 24-28, 2006.
That year's Nebraska United Methodist Bike Ride for Hunger (NUMB) took riders more than 250 miles, through four states as they toured Southeast Nebraska and contingent parts of Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. The starting point was Elmwood, Neb., where the people of the Elmwood United Methodist Church hosted a dinner and Rev. Bill Ritter reported $25,447 raised for hunger projects during the ride's opening meeting on Saturday evening, June 24. Support and gear stops (SAGS) along the way are indispensable to a successful ride. This year's SAG crew was comprised of many experience veterans. Stops were great for support and encouragement as well as the refueling provided with fruit, snacks, and water. After a night of sleeping in tents the group got off to a good start as overnight storms cleared for a bright, sunny morning. Riders hit the road at about 6:45 a.m. on Sunday. Highs in the 70s and low 80s made for a pleasant first day. Most riders arrived in Tecumseh before noon.
2006 Poem
2005:
This year 120-plus riders traveled the Nebraska Sandhills, starting and ending in Taylor. Days were warm, and evening and early mornings came with thunderstorms. No major injuries were reported. Our hosts in each community were United Methodist churches. The towns of Ainsworth, Valentine, Bassett, and Taylor were gracious in their hospitality and generous in their spirit. The food was good and plentiful as churches put on a dinner and breakfast at each location.
2005 Poem
2004:
About 120 riders took part in the 9th annual NUMB Ride event on June 26-30, 2004. That year's NUMB started in Minden, and took riders through Lexington, Oxford, Red Cloud and back to Minden. Everyone remembers the firecrackers keeping us awake all night in Red Cloud.
2003:
Many riders took part in the 8th annual NUMB Ride event in June 2003. That year's NUMB started in Alliance, and took riders through Mitchell, Harrison, Hays Springs and back to Alliance. NUMB even created a town on this ride. It was over 56 miles between the towns of Henry and Harrison so our SAGs created the town of Pairadice for our stop that day.
2002:
NUMB 2001 was in the home town of Bill Ritter and NUMB 2002 had a stop at the boyhood home of Route Director Greg Bakewell in Endicott, Nebraska. Our riders enjoyed the hospitality of Farmer Bob at Greg’s home. Bill Ritter had been the pastor of the Shickley UMC for six years and the church was a wonderful host anyway. That year's NUMB started in Shickley, and took riders through Crete, Adams, Fairbury, Superior and back to Shickley.
2001:
NUMB 2001 started and ended in the boyhood home town of Director Bill Ritter. The roads around Pleasanton were very familiar to Bill. We wonder if someone in Pleasanton remembered Bill as well—our cars were vandalized while we were on that ride. That year's NUMB started in Pleasanton, and took riders through Burwell, Elgin, Genoa, St. Paul and back to Pleasanton.
2000:
Many riders took part in the 5th annual NUMB Ride event in June 2000 and for the first time NUMB would venture outside of the state of Nebraska. That year's NUMB started in Madison, and took riders through Verdigre, Yankton, Ponca, Lyons and back to Madison. In Yankton we discovered that rider Andy Ditter was a world class sleeper. Around 10:00pm the County Sheriff came to our camp and advised all riders to strike their tents and seek refuge in the nearby school because a tornado and large hail was coming our way. We thought all NUMB riders had moved to the safety of the school and were surprised the next morning when there was one lone tent in our campground. I am sure Andy was just as surprised when he emerged from his tent to see everyone else had left during the night as he slept through the warning.
1999:
Many riders took part in the 4th annual NUMB Ride event in June 1999. That year's NUMB started in Sidney, and took riders through Chappell, Dix, Potter, and back to Sidney. One morning the riders awoke to a tremendous hail storm from the night before. They rode past fields flattened by the hail stones and siding torn off houses. A group of riders were moved by the devastation and took up an offering between themselves to help those who had suffered from this storm.
1998:
Many riders took part in the 3rd annual NUMB Ride event in June 1998. That year's NUMB started in Elm Creek, and took riders through Arnold, Sutherland, Palisade, Arapahoe and back to Elm Creek.
1997:
Many riders took part in the 2nd annual NUMB Ride event in June 1997. That year's NUMB started in Neligh, and took riders through Atkinson, Springview, Spencer, Bloomfield and back to Neligh. Bishop Joel Martinez came to show his support of our Hunger efforts and rode a few miles with the bikers. Director Bill Ritter knocked him off his bike just outside of Neligh and no Bishop has dared come near again.
1996:
The first NUMB started in Chadron and would conclude in Elkhorn. The future of NUMB looked very bleak on the first day of the ride when we were greeted with a 40mph wind in our faces all the way from Chadron to Alliance. NUMB One also experienced the worst accidents and injuries to our riders. Molly Vetter had a collision with her father, Jay Vetter and suffered a concussion. Tom Silletto and Rogene Silletto tangled in Broken Bow and Tom was transported to Lincoln with multiple fractures to his leg. After a 107 mile day in the Sandhills it was surprising riders returned for another year. But for some reason we peddled on.
The Beginnings of NUMB
Although the first NUMB did not happen until 1996, the beginning of NUMB dates back to 1992. Bill Ritter and Greg Bakewell had never met and both of them signed up for a Habitat for Humanity Charity Ride in the Spring of 1992. Bill spied Greg pulling a trailer with his baby up a hill on this Habitat Ride and pulled alongside for a little chat about bike trailers. The conversation somehow got around to church and both Greg and Bill were United Methodists—Greg from Faith Westwood and Bill from Elkhorn Hills. Later that summer they hooked up again on BRAN 1992. Bill and Greg would run into each other many times on bike rides over the next couple of years and a friendship was solidified. It was probably on BRAN 1995 while the two of them were sitting out a rain storm in a hog barn in northern Nebraska trying to escape the near freezing temperature that NUMB started to take shape. Bill had just come from a state wide United Methodist meeting where Nebraska Conference Hunger Committee Chair, David Jefferson shared his frustration over the fact that the UMC had many wonderful Hunger projects but they were lacking in funding and publicity to make them effective. Shivering in that hog barn near Creighton, Nebraska Bill and Greg decided to start their own bike ride and raise money and publicity for the United Methodist Nebraska Conference Hunger Committee Projects. Bill came up with the catchy name NUMB—Nebraska United Methodist Bike ride for Hunger and the two of them started making plans. It started in 1996 with people more dedication to the cause of feeding the hungry than riding bikes. Multiple days of 85+ miles and a 107 mile day didn't help matters. Greg came up with a great idea to change our format and make the ride more friendly to all bikers. A circle route with daily mileage around 65 miles was begun the following year. Over the years some of those initial participants became good riders and invited their friends and the word got out. And here it is 15-years later having hit all 93 Nebraska counties and with donations approaching a half a million dollars.
Welcome | Route Info | Maps | Registration | NUMB History | Video Promo | Rider Info | Contact Us
Nebraska United Methodist Bike Ride for Hunger
numbride@hotmail.com
Supporting Nebraska United Methodist Hunger Projects
