Finish line celebration at the end of 2025 Climate Ride. Photo courtesy of Dennis Desmarais.
A Connecticut couple will pedal into Spartanburg on Sept. 10 as part of a 1,000-mile bicycle ride raising money and awareness for climate-related causes.
Dennis Desmarais and his wife Lisa will spend the night in Spartanburg before beginning the next leg of their seven-day Climate Ride the following morning. The couple’s route will take them through New River Gorge, Mammoth Cave and Great Smoky Mountains National Park before ending in Columbia.
This year’s ride carries special significance for the couple, who are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. After Dennis completes his long solo ride each day, Lisa will join him on their tandem bicycle for an additional 25 miles — one mile for each year of their marriage.
The ride also marks Dennis’ 16th weeklong Climate Ride. He is working toward a $16,000 fundraising goal for the Sierra Club and has spent the past nine years organizing his own Climate Ride fundraisers. He uses his vacation time to participate and covers his own travel, lodging, meals and other expenses so that donations can go directly toward the cause.
As the cyclists make their way through Spartanburg County, their journey will pass through communities where stormwater management and flooding are ongoing concerns. Towns throughout South Carolina continue to consider how extreme rainfall, drought and rising temperatures may affect the state’s future.
For the couple, the ride is about more than reaching their final destination. They hope the journey will encourage conversations about climate change and help raise funds for efforts supporting a cleaner, greener future.
Dennis’s fundraising page can be found at https://support.climateride.org/participants/Dennis-Desmarais-2026.
