With 17 years of riding in Habitat for Humanity’s Habitat 500 bike ride, roughly 25,000 miles under her belt and helping her bike team raise over $185,000 for their local affiliate, Jane Gilmore isn’t slowing down any time soon. She’s traveled enough miles to have trekked East to West across the United States more than nine times - on her bike!
Gilmore and her husband, Tom, both grew up in Pennsylvania. After meeting at Penn State during college, they moved around some and finally settled in Yankton after Tom attained work through USD’s medical school. The couple have four children who remain nearby and now that Tom has retired from his work as a physician, they have more time to devote to a passion of bike riding and assisting with the Habitat for Humanity program.
Their involvement with Habitat began years ago. The organization sponsored a Homebuilders Blitz Build in Eagle Butte twenty-plus years ago, where the non-profit group assists in building homes for people in need. Gilmore attended the Blitz Build and there she met the first Habitat 500 bicyclists who rode from Minneapolis to Eagle Butte to help build before getting bussed back home to Minnesota. “I wondered how someone could ride 500 miles,” she recalled.
Gilmore explained that she was part of the committee that worked with Dr. Ken Halverson in getting Habitat for Humanity set up in Yankton. Dr. Halverson did the groundwork and got Habitat started in our community in 1994, which Gilmore has been involved with ever since.
Never having been an avid bike rider, Gilmore chuckled, “I had what they called a ‘granny bike’” and I laughed. Her niece’s determination and commitment to a distant long distance bike ride convinced Gilmore that she could do it as well. It was her husband that sent in her application to take part in the Habitat 500 ride.
As explained by Julie Dykstra, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Yankton and Clay Counties, the Habitat 500 Bike ride is a circuitous route through Minnesota, helping to raise awareness of the need for safe, affordable housing and funds for building and repairing homes in partnership with low-income families. 100% of the funds raised by Team Yankton are donated back to the local affiliate because the team opts to pay a higher entrance fee.
Gilmore’s first Habitat 500 ride took place 17 years ago, in 1999 and she’s been riding ever since. The ambitious lady participated alone, using a “traditional” bike for the first nine years. During this time, Tom only participated once with her but after he retired, he could devote the time necessary to their 1,000-mile preevent training schedule and annual event.
The last eight years, they have been riding a tandem bike, or a two-seater bicycle, Tom’s idea. “The tandem looks easy when other people are riding it, but balance is a lot more complicated,” she explained. She told me when they bought their tandem bike the specialist told her it would take 1,500 miles to get used to it. They laughed at the comment but later found out its accuracy. It took miles of practice to ride, Tom pedaling while controlling steering and braking in front and Jane pedaling as the engine in back. Surprisingly, the Gilmore’s aren’t usually the only tandem bikers on the Habitat 500 ride, often meeting up with a couple of others riding double.
The Habitat 500 ride follows a new route in Minnesota each year, taking advantage of many of their abundant bike trails.
The ride spans an entire week during early July, each day’s ride averaging approximately 82 miles. Gilmore estimates that it takes them about nine hours to travel an average day.
The route is set up around affiliates in the community who help provide places for food and shelter, though riders can also choose to bring their own tents to camp if desired. On Wednesday during the ride, some riders can stop to assist in building a Habitat house, though there are often an abundance of helpers to build.
Because the ride is a fundraiser, it’s not meant to be a race by any means. The race directors stress safety and fun and encourage riders to take a break if not having fun or feeling well. “Sag wagons” drive the route to assure that riders are healthy and will provide assistance for bike repair if needed.
Habitat 500 only accepts 130 riders and each rider has to earn $1,000 to enter. Team Yankton raises funds to ride through fundraising events. Not all bike team members ride in the event but those that wish to can. The bike team just finished up their annual Habitat Rummage Sale, held late March to early April, the event growing larger and larger every year. Another fundraiser is held in June, with a hoedown including a free concert and a strawberry pie auction.
Habitat is still going strong in Yankton county and just became affiliated with Clay County this past winter. Per Julie Dykstra, their office has served 43 families through homeownership opportunities and six families with home improvements to include re-roofing a home for an elderly woman and building a wheelchair ramp for a 7-year-old boy.
Gilmore is involved with Habitat’s family selection and mentors the new homeowner during the building phase and during the home maintenance after they move in. In what little downtime she has, the ambitious lady also tutors math at the middle school. Though, as Gilmore puts it, they are “well into their 70’s,” this vivacious gal seems to have the energy of someone half her age!
Having made many friends at the annual ride over the years, she reflects, “I think what makes the people interesting is that they all care about other people.” Aside from meeting many friends, she has also encountered hundreds of nature’s blessings on her rides: meeting up with eager Border Collies, encountering low-flying birds, spotting fox and coyote in their habitat and even getting calves to run along the fence with them while they rode by. “You get to see more than you do in the car,” she stated, explaining further that without having the distraction of music or a phone, “we basically rely on being entertained by nature.”
We discussed courtesy for bicyclists. She suggested to be aware of how vulnerable they are, stating, “We can’t afford to get hit.” She explains how bicyclists need to respect motorists and motorists should have mutual respect.
Summing up her accomplishments humbly, Gilmore stated, “I feel like I’ve been blessed or fortunate to have the good health to pursue my interest and I know that not everybody is that lucky, unfortunately. I notice that my body complains a little more but other than that we’re pretty fortunate.”
For more information on how to participate in the bike ride, contact the local Habitat for Humanity office by calling (605)260-4224.
