Seventeen-year-old Emily Young—who is battling to overcome a rare neuromuscular disease—will attempt to cover 12 miles in Ride Ataxia/Chicago, a July 21 cycling event that begins and ends in Central Park in Channahon
When 17-year-old Emily Young inches toward the start line at a cycling event, she expends nervous energy much like any other teenager.
She is swept up in the sea of humanity and her heart races with excitement. She has set a goal to cover 12 miles in the July 21 Ride Ataxia/Chicago event which begins and ends at Central Park in Channahon. Nearly 300 riders are expected to participate with all proceeds going to the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA).
“The morning before—everyone comes out, of course, to register and get ready,” Young said. “It’s great just to be in the starting line, getting ready to go. I’ll probably be thinking, ‘I hope it doesn’t rain.’ That’s never fun. And, I don’t know, just good things.”
Good things, indeed.
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