On some road in the Amish area of Ohio, two aching cyclists pedal away, most likely wondering why, why, why.
It's January. It's cold, especially on a bike. And they are pedaling more than 1,000 miles — from the National Battlefields of Manassas, Va., to Green Bay, Wisc. — in the winter because of some bet. Really?
It's true. Andover native Kurt Seifert, son of former School Superintendent Ken Seifert and Norma Seifert of Andover, and his friend, Rick Dignus, 44, of Hampton Bays, N.Y. are on an adventure.
"It all began as a joke," Kurt Seifert said last Friday on a bike break somewhere near Millersburg, Ohio, as he headed for Lima, Ohio. "A bet was wagered and quickly turned into an unbelievable challenge."
That's somewhat of an understatement, as these guys are not the Lance Armstrong type. Both men admit they are untrained cyclists. In fact, Seifert got his bike on Dec. 24, just a few days before he embarked on this ride of his mid-life. Dignus bought his bike Dec. 26, just for this ride.
"Yeah, I just got the bike and had two rides on it," said Seifert, 41. "Insane, I know."
That daring bet is all about Dignus becoming a proud one $250 share owner of the Green Bay Packers football team. This pair of soon-to-be official Cheeseheads are betting they make it to the Packers NFC Championship Game.
Seifert and Dignus met 20 years ago. They worked as bouncers together when Seifert worked as a teacher on Long Island. Dignus eventually moved to Gainesville, Va., in 2009 to caddie at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, where Seifert is now caddie master and heads his company, 4C Limited. Seifert's caddie company manages seven golf courses and has some 500 employees.
These pedal-pushing newbies left the National Battlefields of Manassas, Va. on Dec. 27 and planned to get to Green Bay on their bikes, just in time for the game. They are pedaling to raise money for three charities: Thanks U.S.A., Wall Street Warfighters and the National Math and Science Initiative.
There's been no snow to slow them down — yet — and the plan was to get to Chicago, Ill. by Wednesday, Jan. 11.
Seifert was feeling good about the goal as weather has been on his side.
The trek from Chicago to Green Bay is 226 miles, he said. He'll walk the final leg if he has to, he added.
That would probably be much easier as Seifert has caddied for years. He grew up caddying at the Indian Ridge Country Club in Andover and caddied in the Rogers Tournament for years. He's still good friends with John Gilmartin of Andover who went to St. John's Preparatory School with him and plays in the Rogers golf tourney every year.
Now married with three children all under 2 1/2, Seifert keeps thinking of those three charities benefiting from his very sore thighs, and he keeps pedaling. (He insisted he was not trying to get away from diaper duty.) Already, $50,000 has been pledged to this ride, which has even had some Hollywood glamour.
"We saw the childhood homes of Clark Gable and Dean Martin," he said. "And two television stations interviewed us."
His van driver stays ahead of the cycling duo and alerts local folks about the ride.
"People are really nice," Seifert said. "They hear what we are doing and it's great."
He got a thank you from a veteran that he will never forget, because Wall Street Warfighters is benefiting from the bike ride. The group, based in Philadelphia, places disabled veterans in careers in the financial services industry.
"He said 'thank you' and I was like, 'no, thank YOU.' The guy had tears in his eyes," Seifert said. "I will never forget him."
Seifert keeps a sense of humor about the effort. For example, when streets with no names set him back 22 miles in Ohio, he noticed a lake and dove in.
"It was a polar bear plunge on the bike ride," he laughed.
It seems to be a working strategy for him.
To donate, see pedalthepack.com. Pledge a minimum of 10 cents a mile and you will be able to watch scenes from the bike ride on video.
