Battle Creek welcomes home Jaeger after 2,000-mile 'Ride For Poppy'
The sore muscles, sweat and even some tears all melted away as Nicole Jaeger turned the corner at the Urbandale Plaza and was greeted by cheers from her hometown as she reached the final miles of her epic "Ride For Poppy" journey.
Well, not all the tears.
"Instantly, as I turned the corner and was turning into the parking lot, it just brought tears to my eyes and an incredible feeling in my heart," said Jaeger, as more than 100 followers greeted her Tuesday afternoon. "I had no idea the reception was going to be that big."
What the big group had come out to do was welcome someone who was on the last legs of an inspiring 2,000-mile plus bike ride from Oregon to Battle Creek in an effort to raise money for cancer research in the name of her late father, Marshall Jaeger.
Jaeger, a 1990 Lakeview High graduate who now lives in San Diego, started in Holland on Tuesday morning and was joined for the last few miles into Battle Creek by some local riders, into Urbandale. After speaking to the crowd — which included friends, family and city officials such as Battle Creek Mayor Mark Behnke and State Rep. Jim Haadsma — she completed the day's ride, along with a police escort and with the help of a caravan from the local Corvette club, down Michigan Avenue, into downtown Battle Creek for another reception.
Jaeger, who will turn 50 on Friday, was scheduled to leave Wednesday morning with a larger group of Battle Creek-area riders for the final 101 miles to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center.
"It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime journey, something I wasn't sure I could mentally and physically endure," Jaeger said. 'But, throughout it all, I was thinking about the greater cause and what I was doing it for.
"We had some laughs and some amazing memories that will forever be imprinted in the back of my mind. Several times, going across country, I was just asking my dad for some messages. And as we rode in today, just as we got inside of Richland, there was a sign that said 'Marshall Lane — Private' and that just made me smile huge."
Spotting her dad's first name on a sign was just one of the things that helped drive Jaeger, as it wasn't always easy as she rode her bike through parts of seven states over 26 days, starting on July 1.
"Nicole did great," said Sylvia Maas, who was her partner in the ride and a veteran long-distance cyclist. "She started out struggling a little bit, but she got stronger and stronger every day."
Through an online fundraiser, Jaeger was hoping to raise $50,000 for her efforts for the Marshall W. Jaeger Head and Neck Cancer Reach Fund in honor of her dad, who died of throat cancer in 2010. To date, in what she dubbed her "Ride For Poppy," she had surpassed $53,000. Driving that fundraiser locally was her mother, Donna Jaeger, who was the first to give her daughter a hug in that Urbandale Plaza parking lot.
"Couldn't be more proud of her. I know Poppy is looking down on her smiling," Donna Jaeger said. "I started crying when I saw her turn the corning. I was just so grateful she had a safe trip and for the community coming out and all the support they showed."
To contribute to the the fundraiser, go online at https://victors.us/rideforpoppy.
Bill Broderick can be reached at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter: @billbroderick.
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek welcomes home Jaeger after 2,000-mile 'Ride For Poppy'
