Thiel College Cycling Club riding to Maine for brain awareness campaign

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Nine members of the Thiel College Cycling Club departed May 9 on the 800-mile, 10-day “Brain Campaign 2 Maine.”

The ride from Greenville, Pa. to Bowdoin, Maine is raising awareness for the prevalence of neurological disorders and drawing attention to Thiel College resources associated with its Department of Neuroscience. The group will present on brain health and will also conduct several service projects at various stops along the way.

The trip connects three organizations with Thiel College ties. Bowdoin is the home of FHC, Inc., a neuroscience research and medical device firm that serves as the umbrella corporation for Greenville Neuromodulation Services (GNS) and the nonprofit Greenville Neuromodulation Center (GNC). Neuroscience students at Thiel can conduct research or participate in internships with the GNS and GNC as a part of their studies. FHC founder and Thiel College alumnus Fred Haer ’65 will receive the cyclists at the end of the trip.

Cody Wagner ’19, Frank Jackson ’18, Hunter Young ’18, Nick McNutt ’17 and Vince Vahaly ’17 are the students making the trip. Alumni Izabella Griffith ’16, Ty Hendzell ’16, Fred Kiser ’66, and Associate Dean of Career Development and trip leader Martin Black are also on the ride.

The Thiel College Student Government Association, more than 80 alumni, and many friends and family members of the riders have provided funding for the trip.

“The support for the ride has been overwhelming,” Black said. “Now it’s our charge to turn this support into a meaningful, educational endeavor for those we encounter along the way, for those reading about the trip and for ourselves.”

Trip Update (May 25)

The Thiel College Cycling Club arrived in Bowdoin, Maine, last Friday. The team crossed the hills of New York’s southern tier, then headed north to Saratoga Springs, N.Y. After heading east to the hills of Vermont and New Hampshire, they reached their destination north of Portland, Maine. The team completed one 100-mile “century” ride and two 90-milers, and pedaled an average of 80 miles per day.

Along the way, the group stopped in Canandaigua, N.Y. and—with the help of Rochester, N.Y. resident and Joe Nairn ’79—made multiple presentations to children from that area on the importance of exercise for brain health.