Fundraiser named in honor of local man

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June 20, 2008

<a href="mailto:areiner@pressrepublican.com">By ALVIN REINER</a> The Press Republican Fri Jun 20, 2008, 10:53 AM EDT

SCHROON LAKE — Lance Gregson, a stone mason who specialized in unique fireplaces, was killed on Oct. 31, 2007, when he fell from a chimney he was constructing in Warren County.

Now, an annual bike ride to raise money for cystic fibrosis has been named for his memory.

The Lance Gregson Memorial Ride leaves White Rock, British Columbia, Saturday and ends in Calgary on June 30.

The daily grind through the Canadian Rockies ranges from 104 to 182 kilometers, for a total of 1,297 kilometers (810 miles).

Anne Gregson, who was married to Lance for “17 incredible years,” said, “Nothing could be finer than naming a mountainous bike ride for him. He really loved to push his bike up those big hills — the bigger the better.”

Anne is godmother to a child with cystic fibrosis.

“Knowing first-hand what life for a CF kid is like, the opportunity to raise money to find a cure was a perfect fit,” she said.

Lance was a personal coach who helped others, in his words, “return to the beauty of life.”

Though both professions seemed diverse, he felt that both “start with a vision, take it step by step, have goals but stay flexible, stand back and look and take what you learned on the next project.”

An art teacher at Schroon Lake Central School, Anne confesses that she is a “weekend warrior” when it comes to cycling.

Last summer, Lance cycled from Schroon Lake to Wilmington and then up Whiteface, besting many who were officially in the annual race. However, when riding with Anne, “he never rode ahead of me. He was always by my side,” she said.

Mark Nassan, owner of Leepoff Cycles of Keene Valley, cycled with Lance on many excursions, including last year’s CF fundraiser.

“It will probably hit me on the ride and bring back memories,” he said. “There will be a lot of reminiscing on the ride.”

Nassan will ride Lance’s old Colnago bike, which was used by an Italian team member in the 1979 movie “Breaking Away.”

Another bike-riding companion for about 10 years, Jeremy Cuniff, rode with Lance three days before the accident.

“I was a young punk,” the 32-year-old said, “and I thought I could ride that old-timer into the ground.”

It turned out the other way around.

At Lance’s memorial service, Cuniff read a poem he wrote in which he said: “I’ve sweated with him, And I have bled with him, Both at work and at play,…His joy of life was unwavering.”

The trio plan to stop at some of the more beautiful locations along the route and scatter some of Lance’s ashes. Anne will join the group for the last five days.

“What amazes me is they knew this guy (Lance) for 10 days and want to name a race after him. They could see what I know was there. I’m honored.”

To make donations to the cystic fibrosis fundraiser in Lance Gregson’s memory log on to: www.gearup4cf.org.