You presumably know me from the cycling that I do for various causes.  You may also know that I am a practicing physician whose home and office is in Brigantine, NJ.  My medical specialties are primary care internal medicine and geriatrics, both of which I am board certified in.  My group is Brigantine Medical Group and I practice with my father, Joseph Chaikin; another internist, James Atkinson, and a nurse practitioner, Ann Marie Cwiklinski.  I belong to several medical societies and most recently am a past president of the medical staff of AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center (ARMC) where I continue to be active on the Medical Executive Committee.

I am a family guy and continue to take much pleasure in my wife Sarah and my three daughters, Katie, age 25, Hannah, 23, and Carolyn 20.  As a family we make the most of shore life and enjoy sailing on the bay and walking the dog on the beach. 

Cycling-wise, I got serious about riding in 2004 after my wife made the mistake of giving me a subscription to a bicycling magazine as a birthday present.  Presumably that subscription led to my being sent an invitation to participate in that year's MS 150 City to Shore Bicycle Tour.  Described in that brochure was a two day event that went from the Cherry Hill area to Ocean City and back--some 150 miles (as the name implies).  Having received that invitation in the early Spring made me think that even though I had not ridden more than 25 miles in a day in years, I could train and accomplish that goal.  And based on my experiences as a physician having worked with patients with MS in my office practice as well as in ARMC and the Bacharach Institute of Rehabilitation made me appreciate how much more needs to be done to understand and adequately treat the disease.  Part of agreeing to participate in that event was the understanding that the cyclist would raise at least $250 for the cause.  I had no idea how successful my fundraising efforts would be but I looked at the attractive VIP cycling jersey that was given for raising more than $1,000, I made that my goal.  Sending letters to friends, fellow physicians, and board members of AtlantiCare on which I was presently serving, I was overwhelmed with the response.  I collected more than $7500 which was more than any other first year rider and at the awards ceremony in Ocean City after the first day of riding, I was awarded the "Rookie of the Year" award by local celebrity Larry Kane.  Even with a full summer of training, the ride was still somewhat grueling.  Yet I was happy that in pursuing that goal, I developed some new friendships over that summer and picked up more than one valuable mentors while riding with the Shore Cycle Club (see Favorites). 

In 2005 I was even more successful and raised more than $12,000 which was the 12th highest for the year among more than 5,000 riders.  I also rode in 2006 but last year I was less enchanted with the idea of doing the same route and facing the risks of riding with more than 6,000 riders--some none too experienced or knowledgeable about bike safety and etiquette.  Instead I did the MS Society's summer Pennsylvania Dutch ride which was perhaps even more challenging with the rolling terrain but only brought out about 500 riders.  I didn't think I'd miss the City to Shore ride but when September came around, I jumped in the second day riding back with the group from Ocean City to Hammonton.  So for 2008, I've decided to do both of the above mentioned rides.  What the heck!

2006 was the year of charity rides for me.  In addition to the MS ride, I also did the ALS benefit, the American Cancer Society (ACS) ride, and a unique recently created event for a few New Jersey organizations that help those faced with the burdens of poverty.  That ride is the Battle Against Hunger tour which supports both the Rescue Mission in Trenton as well as a soup kitchen there as well as more recently the Atlantic City Rescue Mission.  That ride is held annually in September and travels from Pennington, NJ to Gettysburg, PA.  There have been less than 2 dozen riders a year who have trained and completed this "extreme" ride.  The organizers and the riders who do this event are terrific folks who truly view the ride in missionary zeal.  I rode the Battle Against Hunger again last year and I hope the photo gallery photos give you an idea not only of the challenge but also the joy and fulfillment involved in the event.  In some of the photos, you'll see my wife Sarah who served as a support (SAG) person despite having fractured her clavicle less than a month earlier trying to keep up with my biking.  I'm happy that I've recruited my brother-in-law who will join me for the BAH ride this September.

And if that's not enough, finally I wanted to mention that I am helping to organize a cycling team for AtlantiCare that will participate in July's ACS tour.  Isn't it wild what can happen from the right invitation coming along at the opportune moment!

Harry Chaikin

P.S.  If you want a more detailed account of my riding for the MS tour, this link will take you to a talk that I gave in 2006 to an MS support group.