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Tampa woman rings in 50th birthday with 150-mile bike ride in honor of father with Parkinson's Disease

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Published  January 31, 2025 7:52pm EST
Tampa
FOX 13 News

Cyclists ride 150 miles on Davis Islands for cause

Kylie Jones reports.

The Brief

    • A Tampa woman rang in her 50th birthday with a 150-mile bike ride around Davis Islands with her cycling friends.
    • She did it in honor of her father, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.
    • The ride raised money and awareness for Parkinson's Disease through Team Fox and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

TAMPA, Fla. - One Tampa woman is ringing in a milestone birthday with a bold and meaningful conquest.

Ellen Gallagher and her friends planned to ride 50 laps around Davis Islands for her 50th birthday.

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"I ride three to five days a week, depending on the week," she said. "And, almost exclusively on Davis Islands."

Ellen and her crew set out on the ride at 4:30 a.m. on Friday. The ride was 50 laps around Davis Islands, which amounts to 150 miles.

She said she has done century rides before, which are 100 miles long, but this is the longest ride she’s ever been on. She said this ride was the most special ride she’s ever done, but not because it’s her birthday.

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"Fifty years, fifty laps for my dad," Ellen said.

Dig deeper:

Ellen and her crew with My Cycling Community dedicated this ride to raising money and awareness for Parkinson’s disease through Team Fox and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

"My dad suffers from Parkinson’s disease, and he gets up every single day with a positive attitude, and he moves his body, and he does things that are productive in his life," Ellen said.

To Ellen’s surprise, her father, John Gallagher, and the rest of her family flew in to cheer her on.

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"Even just to contemplate, ‘I’m going to go out and ride tomorrow for 150 miles.’ Who says that?" John said.

He said he was emotional when he found out that Ellen was organizing this ride in his honor.

"I never thought in my wildest dreams that she would have such loyal companions getting up at 4:30 in the morning to ride with their friend," John said.

Ellen’s daughter watched alongside the rest of their family, cheering her mom on. 

"I really admire her a lot for this, and she’s such a great role model for me," Ellen’s daughter, Blake Gallagher-Ungerer, said. "And, I hope I get to be as great as her."

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Ellen said that the last three laps were mentally grueling, but she kept thinking about her dad to push her through the final miles.

"I don’t know if they could just magically come up with the cure for Parkinson’s, but certainly it could go to help it," John said.

They hope that this ride could bring them 50 laps closer to a cure.

"It’s an accomplishment for me, but more so, it’s just a huge accomplishment to be able to raise the amount of money that we did for Parkinson’s disease," Ellen said.

Ellen and her team raised more than $5,000 for the Michael J. Foundation. The money goes towards research efforts to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered through interviews with Ellen Gallagher and her family. 

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