Charity/Fund raising rides

[Trek420]

While most all organised rides benefit some non profit group, for example the Cinderella ride benefits a diverse group of charities for women and children, some rides are all about the beneficiary. This topic started here:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=2088

Here's a place to post what charity rides have you done? What was the best/worst thing about them? Is this what got you into riding or did it boost your cycling in some way?

Let's dish some dirt, any rides that "friends don't let friends ride?"

[nuthatch]

Terrific idea!

I rode the Illinois Diabetes Tour de Cure in 2004 (my first big ride) and it was great. The best thing was the wonderful support and organization (and the big dinner afterwards!). I finished feeling like I had climbed Mount Everest! It really proved to me that I could take longer rides and not just survive but set a bar to beat next time.

It's also wonderful to actually do something physical and help a cause at the same time. It's frustrating that you can't help those you love when they are sick or suffering - rides are such a good way to work out those frustrations. Of course, I'm sure it would be more efficient to just give money to the associations and let them save the expense of organizing a ride but that wouldn't be nearly as therapeutic!

I guess the worst thing about any big ride like that (aside from lousy rest stops and poor route marking) is if you are riding by yourself and you don't manage to hook up with any ride buddy along the way. I always ride better with some distraction/motivation from someone else.

I'm going for the MS 150 this summer and I hope to find someone in the area to ride with. So, no dirt to dish yet!

[Michelemarrano]

Nuthatch--would you be interested in riding on MS Team FedEx? Check out our Corporate Webpage--click on Team results--you'll see photos of the teams from 2004 that just started up including mine--Ohio! Enjoy!

http://biketeam.fedex.org/ebt/2004_results.html

[nuthatch]

What a great idea! Thanks, Michele!

[Trek420]

nuthatch sed "I'm sure it would be more efficient to just give money to the associations and let them save the expense of organizing a ride but that wouldn't be nearly as therapeutic!..."

nah, I think it's good that we ride, there's education as part of the fundraising process, from letters you send to talking to your sponsors. The AIDS ride provides speakers for you if you have a house party (good way to fund raise, I've never done it but folks who have said they met their pledge goal at one event and your expenses to do it are tax deductable. shoulda planned ahead to do a superbowl one....oh well) anyway so you raise awareness and the event itself does too.

I was on the way to Ventura, a man stopped me along the street "Is this the Arthritus ride?" (they also have a ride down the CA coast, anyone done it?) "no" I said "It's the AIDS ride". He said "Oh, I thought that was over" "nope, still no cure, people still dying" off I rode...

"I guess the worst thing .... (aside from lousy rest stops and poor route marking) is if you are riding by yourself and you don't manage to hook up with any ride buddy along the way....."

On ALC routes are well marked, traffic control awesome, rest stops good especially rest stop 4. I don't like Gatorade and learned too late to dilute it. But riding by yourself ... you got that right!

You can't draft or ride two abreast. Since it's a week by the end one falls in with riders who
1) get going when you do and
2) ride at your pace
everyone is super friendly but the more riders/crew you know the better. My one change this year is a vow to do more "official" training rides so there may be more familiar faces.

"I'm going for the MS 150 this summer and I hope to find someone in the area to ride with. So, no dirt to dish yet!"

good luck! we want the review.

[Trek420]

Wow! If you're into pink, you have to see this. The raffle benefits The Breast Cancer Fund (right here in the bay area).

cross posted from my "other" board

Speedgoat Bicycles is offering a one-of-a-kind mountain bike to raise money for breast cancer prevention. The bike features limited edition pink components from Surly, Chris King, Marzocchi and Terry among others.

• Surly bikes' small run of pink 1x1 steel singlespeed frames sold out quickly last summer when they were offered.

• Chris King's pale pink anodized hubs and headsets, produced to raise money for breast cancer research, were all spoken for before the first ones even left the factory.

• Marzocchi's pearly pink Marathon Race Olympic Edition forks were produced in such limited numbers that there are only five of them in the country.

• Terry's unique Donna's Butterfly combines pink leather and an embroidered pink ribbon logo to reveal the fact that a portion of all sales are given to breast cancer research.

Any of these parts would be the basis for a relatively collectible bike, but combine them and you've got something really rare.

Speedgoat convinced these manufacturers to donate their sought after parts, and combined them with further donations from Thomson, Oury, Magura and Speedgoat itself to create a truly unique and individual bicycle. The goal? Raise money for research into the prevention of breast cancer.
Today in the US, one out of every seven women will face breast cancer in her lifetime, yet as many as half of breast cancer cases remain unexplained. Ninety percent of cases occur in women without a genetic predisposition for the disease. Epidemiologists and other scientists increasingly believe many cases are linked to environmental factors.

• Breast Cancer Fund

Pictures of the bike, as well as the full spec list, can be found on Speedgoat's website.

"We all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer. The way industry manufacturers like Terry and Chris King have stepped up this year gave us the idea that maybe Speedgoat should do something too." said Speedgoat Web Guy, Michael Wendell, "We chose Breast Cancer Fund as the beneficiary of this program because we feel they're doing great work helping to research and prevent the environmental causes of breast cancer. The fact that the incidence of breast cancer in the US has tripled in the past 50 years really points out that there are environmental issues that need to be addressed."

The raffle began Monday January 31, 2005 and the winner will be drawn on March 31, 2005. Tickets are priced at $10 each and can be purchased on Speedgoat's website. All of the proceeds from the sale of raffle tickets will be given to Breast Cancer Fund.

[MM_QFC!]

I actually started riding in '97 in order to participate in a grassroots effort here in the Northwest - Ride for a Reason. It was a localized alternative to the then multiple AIDS rides around the country (CAR, Twin Cities>Chicago, Boston>NY, etc) and we rode from Vancouver, B.C. to Seattle; 4 days/200 miles (piece o' cake ride now!).
From that first-time multi-day experience, I got hooked and kept participating as I am passionate about ending the horrific pandemic of AIDS in our world and unfortunately and like too many, I have strong emotional reasons too in that I lost my brother to AIDS.
I was a rider in the first AIDS Vaccine ride - Alaska 2000, then across Montana in 2001. For me, the camaraderie amongst the riders and the mutual love affair between riders and the awesome crew is an experience unmatched except on the road of an AIDS ride.
My experience of the road markings, support and especially the rest stop crews trying to outdo each other to make their outpost the highlight of tough riding days, was that each were outstanding.
My sponsors have been and remain unswervingly supportive and generous and, after I began to feel strongly about and have a problem with the overhead costs by the event coordinators (Pallotta Teamworks at the time) on previous rides, I set to work on organizing and riding my own self-supported ride in 2002, so that every penny I raised would go to the cause (beneficiary I selected was UCSF, AIDS Research Institute, Breakthrough Fund) and I could look my sponsors in the eye and tell them that each rider/crewmember would be responsible for our own costs, so that 100% of their donation went to fight AIDS. It was very very hard - not only to organize but to train for and ride it, but ultimately it was the most satisfying effort I've ever had.
I'd just suggest that riders and volunteers check into what their charities cost breakdowns are, so that there are no disappointments or surprises later. How much of your fundraising dollars will go to the cause you'll be riding for? What's the percentage for other overhead costs? Staff? Marketing? Your sponsors deserve those answers and it will help your training and efforts when you feel satisfied about how you're helping in whatever particular cause you're supporting.
That being said, there are lots of great organizations out there, and too many good causes to list, plus the training support and encouragement is a bonus for you to experience too. I have so many great memories of each AIDS ride that I've been a proud rider for, every year since 1997.
Enjoy the ride!
Mary (still Riding for the same Reason - the end of AIDS in our world)

[Trek420]

Mary, I'm pretty sure one of my coworkers Walter Schneider was on that Alaska ride. Maybe your paths crossed?

[MM_QFC!]

Hiya Trek420,
Well, I don't remember Walter specifically but, if he shared with you the tough time we had on Day 2 of AAVR2001, then he was surely battling the elements out there with us. I did the Montana AIDS Vaccine ride the following year (where we also had some severe weather challenges on Day 2), but I heard from buddies who rode in Alaska in 2001 that they enjoyed great weather - lucky them.
At any rate, send my regards along to Walter!
Mary

[tatormc]

I did the Elves and More Texas Cycling Classic this past October. This was my first organized ride and it was so much fun!! Elves and More is an organization that donates bikes to underprivileged children. This ride was a time for me to set a goal for myself to go farther than I ever had. I just started riding last April so I really wanted to step it up a bit. I completed my goal and was thrilled to know that I helped contribute to this great organization.

[slinkedog]

He loved it! He was with a group from our church and they all had these yellow North Face jackets, so everyone called them the "yellow jackets." Blaine enjoyed the ride because he was in good shape, so it was pretty easy for him, and since he was usually one of the first to make it into camp every day, he got to help a lot of people set up their tents and stuff. He loves to do that kind of thing. His favorite part was going to the Alaska State Fair and getting to eat junk food.

[MM_QFC!]

Yeah,the weather for sure, was the huge difference for us on the 2000 ride. It wasn't the route at all and the camaraderie on an AIDS ride can't be beat. From Day 0 in Fairbanks where we took over the city, riders and crew packing every restaurant and buying up last minute supplies to the first rest stop of the ride in North Pole, AK - the line at the espresso stand was soooooooooo long and the woman giddily admitted that she had made her year profit-wise with our stop there (in August!) - same thing for the sole sporting goods store a day into the ride, and on Day 2, when the temps dropped and it sleeted, snowed, buses were called to help get injured and shivering riders off the road and avoid the freezing conditions. I wore cold weather and rain gear all week! It was only when we arrived in camp on the 2nd to last day 50 miles from Anchorage and the finish, that we had sunny skies, warm and dry weather. I felt so bad for those riders from Florida and other sunny, flat climates who didn't have the mountains to train on, and certainly couldn't have experienced rain and temps like that during their training!

Friends of mine that rode in 2001 had heard our reports and were glad to come back raving about their experience with dryer, warmer conditions and said that they decided to use buses for riders and cut out portions of the route that were deemed too tough and unsafe.
It was all worth it though and I think I'd do it again in a heartbeat! One other unique feature of our experience was the pioneering feeling of heading to Alaska - the ends of the earth, as it was marketed - to battle AIDS with our bodies and bikes - remarkable! The governor visited our camp 1 night and declared our tent city the 6th largest in Alaska - no matter our location! We had 1500 riders and another 1000 or so in crew and staff that year, so it was quite a group when we all got rolling!
slinkedog, it sounds like your husband had an identical awesome experience and it always makes it more meaningful for me too, when I can help others enjoy it more or get into camp safely - good for him.
Mary

[cruziegirl]

Each year my sister and I do 2 of the MS rides here in California. We do the Top Hat in San Ramon at the end of April and then the Waves to Wine in Santa Rosa at the end of September. Great rides for a great cause. Our cousin has advanced MS and that's what got us started doing these rides. But we enjoy them so much I think we would do them no matter what. Santa Rosa at the end of September can be hot - one year it was in the 100's - but then it can be cold - we had rain last year. But it's so pretty riding up through the forest and along the vinyards. Great support people all along the way. I highly recommend these rides particularly the Waves to Wine.

[Anne]

I'm currently riding my bike around Australia to raise money for an educational trust fund in India. I've been stopping at schools and community groups speaking about the project and fundraising. I've found the organisation a nightmare, but the riding and talking with heaps of kids and community members about important things incredible. So many people are surprised that I'm going around Australia by myself, let alone on a bike. I hope more peple would realise how possible and enjoyable it is. Have a look at my website on www.cycleoflearning.org

[nuthatch]

Good luck, Anne! Your website journal is wonderful and hilarious - are you sure you're not secretly a humorist? You definitely need to keep notes for a book when you're done! Be careful in those long, lonely stretches.