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(May 18, 2003 - Tour de Donzaroo) What inspires you - not solely on the bike, but off the bike, too? Who is it that you see, read about or hear of that makes you want to change something about yourself or puts a lump in your throat? It can be difficult to find inspiration. This city can leave you a little jaded. Seeing the massive amounts of young people in and around here that care so little about bettering themselves is disheartening. Many throw away any chance of a decent, enviable future to take the easiest way out, which is apparently the norm and even encouraged by our school systems. Last year, I had two things inspire the hell out of me. The first thing was seeing all the 20-year-old kids in our military over in Iraq doing the hardest and most unpopular thing with pride and professionalism. Those kids are the real deal. They are following their hearts, utilizing their training and doing their job without complaining. Today, that's inspiring! The second thing that inspired the hell out of me was participating in the Tour de DonZaroo ride for Donnie Jarrell, one of several fund-raising events planned for him. Close to 300 people attended, from what I've learned. People showed up who borrowed bikes, who haven't ridden in years. Police protection was everywhere, like the Tour De France was in town. Volunteers, decked out in lime green t-shirts dotted the beautiful lakefront park area of Fountainebleu. So many volunteers showed up that they ran out of t-shirts. The most inspirational thing there was Donnie himself. He answered the question quickly - "Can someone with Lou Gehrig's disease ride a bicycle 40 miles?" - when he actually got to front of the line to start the ride . . . on his bike. I guess there were some who didn't know Donnie, who thought he wouldn't ride. Those that know Donnie knew better and knew he would pull to boot. There were several hundred people that started the 40 mile trip down the Tammany Trace (Rails-to-Trails park). When I showed up with my buddy Mal Schuler, we were joking that since we were pinning numbers on, that it was actually going to be a race. But, it was much more than that. It was a high-speed parade of defiance. So many people just wanted to be a part of this in one way or another... just to be there for him. And Donnie wanted to show that he is OK and he did. Another inspirational thing: the numbers. Donnie was diagnosed with ALS in March 2003. The tour was planned in a short period of time. The number of people that just wanted to be there was inspiring. $15,000 raised just for a little ride. What kind of person attracts so many people when the call to help is sent? What is it about some people that motivates others to action? I've only known Donnie for a few years, and only in passing. I race bikes, he does triathlons and duathlons. He lives on the North shore, me the South. We travel in similar circles, but our paths rarely cross. We did a couple of training rides together in that time, and that is about it. But when I heard about this event, there was no doubt what I would be doing that weekend, along with so many others. In the short time I've spent with him, I've seen that he leaves quite an impression on people. He doesn't just have something to offer, he actually offers it. He pushes people, encourages people and teaches by example. We quickly wound our way through the Northshore, past Lacombe, Abita and back to Mandeville. As the group re-entered the park, and headed toward the finish line where the tents were set up near the lake and the music already playing, the riders all backed off from Donnie's draft. Everyone offered their loudest encouragement to Donnie at 25 MPH screaming "DonZaroo" as we rushed into the applauding arms of the volunteers. The riding group was considerably smaller now, due to the pace Donnie dictated. It was faster than some have ridden in quite a while and too fast for most. You see, that alone would inspire anyone. On this day, they all followed their hearts, utilized their training and got the job done. People really wanted to be there. They wanted to show their support for someone that has given his support to such a large community, to someone who inspires people. Everyone, hundreds, rode in afterwards to shake hands with a winner, an inspiration at the finish-line, wearing a lime green wig to keep people laughing. I'm still inspired. And there's still a lump in my throat. Kenny Bellau |
 THE DONNIE JARRELL FOUNDATION P.O. BOX 8711 MANDEVILLE, LA 70470 |