32 - A Ride for Everyone: How the KeyBank Gran Fondo Supports Mary Free Bed32 - A Ride for Everyone: How the KeyBank Gran Fondo Supports Mary Free Bed
Rehabilitationships
Cyclists, families and volunteers share how the KeyBank Gran Fondo combines approachable bike rides with a lively community festival while raising funds for Mary Free Bed programmes. The conversation highlights accessible routes, strong safety support and the impact of philanthropy on rehabilitation services for adults and children.
20:23•29 May 2026
A Big Ride with a Bigger Heart: KeyBank Gran Fondo and Mary Free Bed
Episode Overview
- The KeyBank Gran Fondo offers multiple distances, from 12 to 80 miles, making it approachable for everyone from casual riders to serious cyclists.
- Safety and support are priorities, with police escorts, medical teams, sag vehicles and well-stocked rest stops throughout the routes.
- The event combines physical challenge with a celebratory finish-line festival, creating strong camaraderie among riders, families and supporters.
- Optional fundraising supports recreation therapy, wheelchair and adaptive sports, and Mary Free Bed Kids, many of which rely heavily on philanthropy.
- Participation can be as a rider, fundraiser or volunteer, giving many ways to support life-changing rehabilitation services in the community.
“We’ve always said that people come out for the ride, but they stay for the party.”
What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction? Here, the focus shifts slightly to another type of recovery: bodies, families and communities getting stronger together on two wheels.
This conversation centres on the KeyBank Gran Fondo, described by ride director John Conklin as “Michigan’s biggest road cycling ride” with “routes for literally everybody.” You’ll hear how the event offers 80-, 40-, 25- and 12‑mile rides, plus a family route where grandparents, kids and even toddlers in bike trailers all join the fun.
As John puts it, “If you can ride a bike, you can participate in this event.” Long-time rider and foundation team member Daryl Goodspeed paints a picture of a safe, well-organised day out: rest stops with “wonderful food and fun volunteers,” police escorts, medical support and what she calls a huge sense of camaraderie.
Riders come for the challenge, but, as John jokes, “people come out for the ride, but they stay for the party” – a downtown finish-line bash with live music, food, drinks and plenty of endorphins. Anna shares how she rides the family course with her young daughter, while her husband tackles a longer route, turning the event into a multi‑generational tradition.
She also brings a deeply personal angle: her daughter has been part of Mary Free Bed Kids’ feeding therapy clinic, and she describes that team as having “drastically changed our lives and the trajectory for my daughter.” Daryl explains how optional fundraising supports three key programmes: recreation therapy, wheelchair and adaptive sports, and Mary Free Bed Kids – services that often aren’t covered by insurance but help children and adults regain independence, sport and play after life-changing illness or injury.
For anyone in recovery, supporting or curious about rehabilitation, this episode offers a warm reminder that community, movement and shared purpose can make healing feel less like hard work and more like a great day out. Could a bike ride be the next step in your own journey of strength and connection?
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