ELWOOD, IN -- Sitting alone in a laundromat in Elwood, Ind. Tuesday night, cyclist Grant Bergsma of Grandville loaded up on carbohydrates while drying his clothes.

"Mmm…I forgot how good Papa John's pizza tastes," Bergsma said of his sausage, pepperoni, bacon, onion and green pepper-topped pie.

With three days finished in his 1,700-mile bicycle journey from Grandville, Mich. to Marco Island, Fla., dubbed his 'Ride to defeat ALS,' Bergsma said he was sore -- very, very sore.

"It's been brutal," Bergsma said. "I started out on Sunday and I didn't realize how hilly Michigan was. The second day was my sorest, my body wasn't ready for it."

Bergsma is riding to honor a family friend, Adam Visser, who died from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease) about seven years ago.

"Adam ran my family's cleaning company ever since I was like 2-years-old and he was diagnosed with ALS when he was 31," Bergsma said. "He died when he was 34."

Bergsma, 28, said he and Visser both attended Tri-Unity Christian High School where Visser excelled at multiple sports.

"It's that kind of disease, it dwindles your muscles down to nothing," Bergsma said. "It seems like it's always the most athletic person who is so affected. It was rough."

Along Bergsma's ride, he's planning on visiting hospitals that specialize in treating patients with ALS.

Grant Bergsma's jersey.

"So far I'm at 75 miles a day but I want to be doing 100," Bergsma said. "I knew the first days would be a little less than I wanted to do and I've got to coordinate a little bit with Nashville, Huntsville and Tampa. They all have ALS chapters I'd like to visit."

Tuesday was especially challenging as Bergsma pedaled into a 15 mph headwind in rainy conditions.

"I still got to where I wanted to so that was encouraging, but hopefully I won't have to do that every day," Bergsma said. "A nice tailwind is perfect."

Bergsma got his start in cycling more out of necessity than passion -- he was arrested twice for driving under the influence (DUI).

"It was a situational thing and I got in trouble," Bergsma said. "I wasn't going to rely on someone else to get me from place to place so I started biking.

That was over three years ago and Bergsma said he's worked out his issues but is still without a license.

"Not having a license gave me a better perspective," Bergsma said. "It was hard at first but now, when I get it back, I get it back. I'm not too worried."

He said it gives him time to think about his cause and why he's doing his ride.

"When you're on the bike you have a lot more time to think than when you drive," Bergsma said. "You're just trying to get somewhere fast and not taking the time to look around."

He's finding that others are approving of his efforts -- sitting in a Bennigan's restaurant two nights ago another patron heard about his journey and, unbeknownst to Bergsma, picked up his bill.

"Everywhere I stop I hand out business cards with a link to the ALS donation page," Bergsma said. "I ran into someone right when I got into Elwood who said 'man, you've been riding for awhile, I passed you like 40 miles ago.' So I sat and talked to them for a little while. They were pretty excited about my journey."

To donate to Bergsma's cause, visit his donation page.



Follow Cory Olsen on Twitter or email him at colsen@mlive.com

