Jerry Out“spoke”n: Hands Together for Katherine

Katherine, WOCN members and Cycling for Scholarships blog readers: I am Jerry Coverdale, the current President of the American Society of Hand Therapist (ASHT), a non-profit organization dedicated to serving occupational and physical therapists who treat patients with hand and upper extremity injuries. 

As a fellow biker,  I applaud (pun intended) Katherine's efforts, and admire her stamina in this fundraising endeavor. I’m a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida-based occupational therapist with 22 years of experience  specializing in hand and upper extremity rehabilitation. I have been a Certified Hand Therapist since 1993.  I’ve ridden The Smart Ride, a 167-mile ride from Miami to Key West, FL, several times to raise funds for HIV support. I acknowledge, however, these efforts are a drop in the bucket compared to Katherine's ride, but I hope my small adventure makes a dent in the overall scheme of things.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be contributing to this blog with advice, based on my experience and expertise, on ways to protect your hands while riding long distances. I hope to educate, inform and inspire anyone interested in long-distance cycling -- particularly if you're planning on following in Katherine's footsteps (tire tracks?) and riding for a charitable cause.