Mark Wiltshire, M.D. was a local family practice physician and president of the Northeast Alabama Bicycle Club for several years. Mark was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in March of 1997 and he died in October later that year.
Dr. Wiltshire was passionate about cycling; frequently leading local road and mountain bike rides. Year after year he was very involved in organizing the Cheaha Challenge - even after his diagnosis in 1997.
Mark was a big supporter of the Chief Ladiga Trail - a local Rails to Trails project. At the time of Mark's death, only a few broken miles of trail existed in Alabama - mainly in Piedmont. Thanks to the cooperation of the cities of Anniston, Weaver, Jacksonville, and Piedmont, and support from the Calhoun County Commission, the Cleburne County Commission, Jacksonville State University, the Chief Ladiga Rail Trail Board, and many local concerned citizens, the Chief Ladiga Trail is now complete from Anniston to the Georgia state line where it connects to Georgia's Silver Comet Trail, creating a paved greenway from Anniston to Smyrna, Georgia - a distance of approximately 100 miles. It is the longest continuous paved rail trail in the U.S.! Mark would be proud and excited about the trails continued development.
The organizers of the Cheaha Challenge work hard each year to host the ride in a fashion that would be pleasing to Mark. We also donate a portion of the ride proceeds to the Chief Ladiga Trail in his honor. Since 1998, we have donated over $22,000 to the Trail. Thank you for participating in our event so that we can continue to support this wonderful rail trail project.