They Biked Across America for a Little Girl with Angelman Syndrome—and Found Kindness at Every Turn
Jul 28, 2025
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by The Witham Family Hotels Charitable Fund.
BAR HARBOR—Like some other tourists to Bar Harbor Charlie Nuck and Todd Downey came to Bar Harbor with intention to ride through the town on their bikes. But this duo’s ride was fueled by something different than just seeing the sights of the town and nearby Acadia National Park: intention and kindness.
The men crossed 15 states and two countries to get here on Saturday. Their journey was inspired by two things: Briar, Charlie’s niece, and John Nuck who is Charlie’s dad; Briar’s grandfather, and Todd’s fraternity brother and friend.
“So it all of came about of Todd,” Charlie explained. “He’s a big cyclist. And he did the Southern Tier two years ago to raise money for Lymphoma Society. And then my dad suddenly passed away about a year and a half ago. And Todd was like, you know, I would love to do another ride in honor of your dad and then also to raise money for your niece.”
Then his sister called him and explained about some things about Angelman syndrome, which her daughter Briar has.
“And I was like oh my gosh, I am an adventure junkie. I love going on adventures. And I love doing stuff like this,” Charlie said.
For Charlie having an adventure while also raising awareness and money for Briar’s rare disease was a bit of an easy ask.
He said that he loves doing off the wall things and hard things.
“And I was like, you know what, I’m in. My dad was my best friend and my dad and my business partner. We hung out five days a week. So it was really, you know . . . I was . . . You could say I was a little lost when he passed,” Charlie said. “And this kind of gave me a purpose and gave me something to kind of work towards and to keep my mind kind of straight.”
Bike 4 Briar was born, a way to keep John Nuck’’s memory alive and to support a cause that was deeply important to him and the entire family: finding a cure for Angelman syndrome.
Charlie and Todd committed to cycling just about 4,200 miles from Anacortes, Washington, to Bar Harbor, Maine. During the trip, Todd was celebrating and giving homage to a friendship with John that had lasted approximately 45 years while also raising awareness about Angelman syndrome.
A rare neurogenetic disorder, the syndrome impacts approximately 1:15,000 live births and is caused by the loss or malfunction of the UBE3A gene on chromosome 15.
Charlie said. “This gene is typically active in the brain, and its absence leads to significant developmental delays and neurological symptoms. Individuals with Angelman Syndrome often have limited or absent speech, impaired motor coordination, and balance difficulties. A notable characteristic is their cheerful disposition, frequently smiling, and laughing.”
There is currently no cure, but scientists believe that a cure is possible.
“Scientists are exploring gene therapy, including methods to activate the silent UBE3A gene from the paternal chromosome, which could potentially reverse many symptoms,” Charlie said.
Getting people to know about the disorder and to understand it was a key part of the cross-country, two month ride that saw the 6’-2” Charlie lose approximately 50 pounds, though he’s not committing to that number until he gets on his scale at home. He only began training for the ride last year, putting in two-hours a day of riding in Cincinnati, which is where he lives.
For the trek, he and Todd generally rode five hours a day. They did 300 miles in three days, stayed in seven different hotels, were on the road and away from home for 65 days. They went through mountain passes, ascents that burnt calves, rode in torrential rain and 30 mph wind in Montana. All of that equates to 56 days of riding and only five rest days.
“It’s crushing,” he said about how hard it was on his body. “I actually do think that I grew stronger, because so many things in this journey were just mental, right, like, your body can do it, like, you’re not, you don’t have any broken bones, you don’t have any, you know, it’s just, you’re just sore, and you’re tired, and, but you can keep going.”
At the finish line in Bar Harbor, he fell over.
“My legs just kind of stopped working,” he said. “It’s, the best way I could describe it is, if you’ve ever seen the picture of Rory McIlroy once he wins the Masters, and you could just see, like, just, I mean, it’s different, because he spent his whole life to get there, but, like, when you put so much work into something, and you have, and so much time and effort, and you’re just wanting to get to that end, like, it is just a massive release of endorphins, emotions, and, and I just kind lost control of my legs and just, you know, and, and Todd and I, you know, we, we gave each other the biggest hug and we’re both crying and just, you know, it just meant so much for us.”
He paused.
“And, and then Briar comes up and gives me a big, like, just gives me a massive hug and it was just surreal, honestly,” he said.
It was all worth it.
“It’s for my niece and for all the Angelman families out there. These kids and adults that are diagnosed with Angelman syndrome are just the most pure souls,” Charlie said. “They’re just so nice and so kind and they smile and they wave and because they don’t have, they physically don’t have a voice, they’re unable to speak. There’s currently trials going on that they’re able to—through gene therapy and through medications—that they’re able to change these kids’ lives, these adults’ lives for the better. They can speak a few words here or there or whatever, but it’s just, it’s such a rare neurological disorder that no one really knows about it.”
The awareness of the syndrome was more important to Charlie than the approximately $130,000 the bikers raised, which far surpassed their original $50,000 goal.
“I mean, my entire family didn’t know about it until Briar was diagnosed with it,” he said.
Now people all across the country do. Charlie and Todd spread awareness from the very first day when Charlie lost a cap on his tooth and had to have an emergency stop at the dentist, where he waited in the lobby in full Spandex and met Jack, a veteran in his eighties, who eventually bought Charlie and Todd breakfast. The dentist, too, paid for Charlie’s care.
That kindness wowed him. He said they met that sort of generosity and care throughout their entire trek. That makes it even more poignant.
“It was just kind of a way to you know to honor my dad and, you know, my dad . . . he was . . . He’s a great person and he taught me a lot and he left a really big legacy on people and the biggest thing (he said) is to be kind and do good when you can and help out when you can.”
He saw that over and over again.
“Good inspires good and that’s kind of the fuel in our tanks all the way through,” Charlie said. “We interact with these people who we never met in our entire life and next thing you know is they’re buying your breakfast; they’re donating to the cause; they’re doing this; they’re doing that; they’re offering up to ‘hey, come into my house, I’ll make you a meal,’ or ‘hey, like, do you need laundry done?’
“It was just the kindness of people, it truly, truly validated what my dad taught myself and my sister growing up, which is ‘good inspires good,’ and ‘be kind, and things will work out.’”
All those people have inspired a whole lot of gratitude for Charlie.
“I could talk to you for two hours thanking every single person that’s been involved in this and anyone that has contributed financially or with their time or our support drivers, Ken, John, Vince and Julie, they were phenomenal,” Charlie said.
Then there is Todd’s family for letting him leave for two months.
”And my friends and my other family members and my dad’s fraternity brothers and the people we’ve met along the way,” he said.
Friends of his mom’s let them stay in Fargo at their home, another couple lived in Maine and let them stay for the night. One of Charlie’s college buddies put them up for two nights in Indiana. Then there are the city officials that responded to their emails.
He’s thankful, he said, for “anybody that’s helped spread the word about Angelman’s syndrome. I mean, it’s just, I can’t say thank you enough to everybody. And I know my family feels the same way.”
Briar and other members of Charlie’s family were there at the finish line after the police escort into town. They’ve stayed in Bar Harbor for a few days and Charlie flew back to Ohio, Monday.
“I just really, really want people to know that they all were a part of it, even though Todd and I were riding,” Charlie said.
The support matters, he said, and he hopes that their ride increases awareness about Angelman syndrome but also helps other people, too.
“Everybody has tough stuff that they’re going through and sometimes they just need to be reminded that a lot of it’s mental and that you can get through it,” Charlie said. “And you don’t have to ride a bike across America, but you can get through a lot of stuff in life. And it’s important for people to know that.
Like so many new friends that the duo met along the way, people who witnessed them cross the finish line in Bar Harbor have donated.
And the impact that Charlie wanted to make? They’ve made it.
“What an incredible journey and an even more incredible cause,” Rachel Nunn said on the donation page. “Watching you ride across the country with such passion, purpose, and heart has been nothing short of inspiring. The strength and dedication you’ve shown over these past few months is a true testament to what can be accomplished when purpose meets perseverance. So proud of all you’ve done—thank you for shining a light and making such a meaningful impact.”
Good inspires good.
All photos and videos courtesy of Charlie Nuck.
LINKS TO KNOW MORE AND HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT BIKE 4 BRIAR
Spread Awareness – Stay connected with Bike 4 Briar on Facebook and Instagram!
“Every like, share, and comment helps us reach more people and raise awareness for Angelman Syndrome,” Charlie said.
Facebook: Bike 4 Briar
Instagram: @Bike4Briar
Donate – 100% of all donations go directly to FAST (Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics) to fund life-changing research and help find a cure. Every dollar makes a difference!
Donate here: Bike 4 Briar Fundraiser
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