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08/22/2018 08:30 AMSix years ago, Heidi Schoenfeldt got on a three-speed bike she’d picked up for rides to the beach and around town and rode 65 miles in honor of Carl Hubbard.
On Saturday, Sept. 8, Heidi will be back on her bike to ride another 65 miles as a charter member of a team named for Carl, “Carl’s Crusaders.” Heidi and Carl’s Crusaders will be making the team’s sixth run in the eighth annual Closer to Free Ride, all to benefit the efforts of Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center in New Haven. As always, 100 percent of all donations raised by riders goes directly to research and patient care. The areas of assistance the ride supports include innovative clinical trials, survivorship support, a Phase I research program, and a cancer genetics and prevention program.
Heidi has been a part of Carl’s Crusaders from the day the team was founded by Carl’s wife and Heidi’s cousin, Stacey Hubbard. The cousins grew up in Guilford together. In 2011, their best-friend bonds were only strengthened as Stacey, Carl, and their son Cameron were confronted with the Carl’s sudden battle with cancer in the last year of his life.
As a lieutenant for Eagle Hose Co. #2 who had been involved with Guilford Volunteer Fire Department since he was a teenaged cadet, Carl had many ties to Guilford, and that was reflected in the outpouring of support the family received from Carl’s Guilford firefighting family and the community during his battle. The family will also always be grateful for the compassionate care Carl received during his many days at Smilow. Carl passed away in July 2012.
The care Smilow professionals gave to the Hubbard family is a strong reason why Heidi continues to join the Closer to Free ride every year.
“I saw first-hand how much peace and comfort Stacey and Cameron felt while Carl was at Smilow for 115 days, fighting an aggressive choriocarcinoma,” Stacey notes. “When I cross the finish line, and my team is there cheering me on, the tears flow. I remember Carl, I’m there for Stacey, and I know I’ll be back next year to bring us closer to free.”
Today, the Closer to Free Ride has grown to incorporate five routes of different distances (a new 40-mile course has been added this year, with others at 10 miles, 25 miles, 65 miles, or 100 miles). The 100-mile route and 65-mile route pass through Guilford. Seven years ago, Heidi, Stacey, and Cameron were on the sidelines as the ride passed through town.
“The first year of the ride after Carl passed away, Stacey, Cameron, and I cheered on Carl’s nurse, Maureen Raucci, at the Guilford Fire Station Hook & Ladder—and that was before they had a cheering section on the green,” says Heidi.
Heidi recalls Raucci suggesting they join the ride; the rest is history.
“We talked with people from the ride, and Stacey sent out an email feeler to see if anyone would want to come to an info session at the fire house,” she says. “They came and talked to us, and that’s when we all committed to start to ride.”
Since then, dozens of team members with Carl’s Crusaders have raised some $400,000 in donations through Closer to Free ride participation. This year, the team has already passed its $30,000 fundraising goal, and would like to bring in even more to support the cause. Donations can be made to the team or individual riders at www.rideclosertofree.org, search Carl’s Crusaders.
For those who haven’t been a part of the Closer to Free ride, Heidi highly recommends giving it a try.
“I think anybody should try it at least once. They have a 10-mile ride [and] the 25-mile ride is also kind of easy for some people. For me, the 65-mile ride is a stretch,” she says.
It may be a stretch, but she wouldn’t miss the experience of being part of the huge crowd of hundreds of riders (more than 900 last year), each of them there to honor someone who has been touched by cancer or who has lost his or her life to the disease. The crowd gathers early in the morning in New Haven for the ride, which starts and ends at Yale Bowl.
“It starts off very emotional; they have a kickoff ceremony and people come up who are celebrated that year, and every year, they dedicate a bike to somebody, and there is a survivor they celebrate,” says Heidi. “It’s very emotional, but it’s also very inspiring.”
The opening ceremony concludes at 7 a.m. and the ride gets underway. All riders are escorted to the city limits by the New Haven Police Department, with a stop in front of the Smilow Cancer Hospital for the ride’s traditional “Smilow Salute,” where the cyclists are celebrated by staff and patients at the hospital. Riders are also cheered on at stations and streets along their routes, which include rest stops. As they return to Yale Bowl, riders join the Finish Line Festival.
Just as she may have never planned to ride her three-speed 65 miles every year, Heidi says she never imagined she would be able to ask people for money to support a cause that’s so close to her heart. Every rider is asked to raise at least $500. But many, including Heidi, surpass the goal. For her part, Heidi sends out a letter each year to her supporters (each team member can also receive donations online, just click on “Roster” under Carl’s Crusaders at www.rideclosertofree.org). Heidi says every donation she receives means so much.
“I don’t think many people like asking for money, even for such a good cause. It’s hard!” says Heidi. “But it means a lot to Stacey and Cameron, and I do it because the hospital was amazing, and the nurses and the staff gave them an amazing support system. They do everything above and beyond for their patients. And I do it for Stacey— when she needs me, I’m there.”
In fact, Heidi was at the Hubbards’ dining room table when she, Stacey, and Cameron sketched out the design for the Carl’s Crusaders team logo more than six years ago.
“It’s the purple [cancer] ribbon with part of it as the road and a biker who’s a firefighter” with flames whipping off the rear tire, she says. “We kind of drew it out very non-artistically and took it to an artist who made it look pretty.”
The design is also a tribute to a man who inspired his friends and family and supported his community.
“I went to high school with Carl,” says Heidi. “We were in the same class; we both graduated in 1991. He was a nice guy who would do anything for anybody to help them out.”
As for getting on her bike once again in a few weeks to make the long ride, Heidi says she knows she will be inspired to get to the finish line.
“I think it’s definitely tiring, but it is exhilarating,” she says. “With all of the people cheering you on, it gives you the energy and momentum to go. I definitely couldn’t just go out on a regular day and ride 65 miles. But on that day, I can.”