Moonlight Ride Makes Great Anniversary Gift

Powhatan residents Beth and Jimmy Wilson celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary by hopping on their bikes for the Anthem Moonlight Ride.

By: Nan Turner

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On Saturday, August 17, 2013, Beth and Jimmy Wilson celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary. They didn’t go to a movie, plan a big dinner, or buy copper gifts; instead they chose something even more unique and exciting: they rode eight miles on their bikes as part of the Anthem Moonlight Ride, marking the third year in a row the Wilsons have participated in the event. To add to the anniversary festivities, approximately 2,975 other cyclists joined in on the couple’s celebration of wedded bliss, and biked along the streets of RVA.

“This year is our 22^nd wedding anniversary so instead of going to dinner we decided to come here,” Beth said. “So we burn calories instead of eating calories.”

Beth, Phillip and Jimmy Wilson at the 2013 Ride

The first time the Wilsons rode the Moonlight Ride in 2010, it was for a cause dear to their hearts. They participated in support of Allie Dulio, a child they knew who was diagnosed with cancer.

“The first year we did it we didn’t train at all and I thought I was going to have a heart attack going through Bryan Park,” Beth said. “The next year we did it, we trained for it and it was a little easier. This year I’m 20 pounds lighter so it was a lot easier.”

In 2010 the Ride was part of a fundraiser and they donated the gift card they won in the light competition as a silent auction item in honor of Allie.

“We had everything,” Beth said. “We had glow sticks, we had LED lights. We had bright orange shirts.”

The family had a great time during that first Ride, and loved the feeling of crossing the finish line.

“It was a lot of fun,” Beth said. “All the excitement and hype leading up to it, we were with another family too. We were decorating the bikes and decorating the trailer that went behind her bike for the little girl that they had. It was just a big accomplishment when we finished.”

Prior to doing the event in 2011 the Wilsons purchased new Agee’s bikes for their sons Phillip and Nicholas. The brothers tried to get the same deal this year but were denied. As Jimmy says, if anyone needs new bikes it's him and his wife, pointing out that, “Our bikes are older than Phillip and Nicholas are.”

Although the Moonlight Ride is the only organized cycling event the Wilsons participate in, they do bike around their Powhatan community to train for the Ride and stay active. Beth believes that the Moonlight Ride has an edge because of its unique start time.

“It’s at night and it makes a big difference,” Beth said. “We wanted to do one in our community to raise money for the schools. I haven’t gotten enough people to volunteer to help me get it together yet to do one out in Powhatan. I think it makes a huge difference to have it at night versus during the day. It’s more fun if you’ve got the lights and everything and you’re doing something you don’t normally do.”

Phillip Wilson agrees that the Ride offers an exciting new activity for families.

“Well it’s at night and at night at my house we just kind of sit around and don’t anything,” Phillip said. “So when you come here you get to do something and have fun, be with friends and things like that. Through Bryan Park they have a path with lit up glow sticks, it’s pretty cool.”

All three years they’ve participated, the Wilsons have done the Half Moon (8-mile) ride distance. The kids usually stay together while Beth and Jimmy ride with each other.

This year Nicholas brought a friend, Tanner Barnes, to experience his first ever Moonlight Ride. Both boys have big plans for 2014.

Phillip Wilson, Tanner Barnes and Nicholas Wilson

“For my first year it was really exciting,” Barnes said. “I’m going to come back next year and do it again. There were costumes, lots of lights. I saw someone in a chariot.”

“I like just riding for the thrill of riding,” Nicholas said. “Probably my favorite memory was when I saw riders dressed as Thing 1 and Thing 2 today. Next year my goal is to finish first.”

The Moonlight Ride has become a tradition for the Wilsons, and much like celebrating their wedding anniversary every year, it will be a staple on the family calendar for years to come.

“The kids already started asking after this year’s ride, ‘Are we doing it again next year?’ And then they’ll start asking again after Christmas, ‘Are we doing the Moonlight Ride again?’” Beth said. “It’s just our family thing that we do now.”

For more information on next year’s event and to find how you can be a part of it visit www.sportsbackers.org.