Off The Beaten Path

I have been racing for 10 years now. And yes, it has been great!  I have pushed myself to my limits, been on top of the podium, and have travelled to places I probably would not have, had it not been for the bike.  It has been pretty much about me.

For 2010, I wanted to try something different.  I wanted to do a race, a big race, and use it as a platform to raise money for a cause.  There are oodles of charitable causes.  I based my choice on three things.  I wanted it to be local, I wanted it to be educational, and I wanted to hit a sector of the population that cycling needs desperately.

My race was easy enough:  24 Hour Nationals at Big Bear.  My kind of trail system in my neck of the woods and a pit crew who was available that weekend.  But after Granny Gear cancelled my great idea, I had to scramble for a new venue and new pit crew. 

I am excited to be going back to The Burn 24 Hour.  This is where I did my first 24 hour solo and got spanked by Danielle.  My Mom, stepdad, and Zeke are going to be my crew.  Mom and Doug will do an awesome job, as they suffered through the worse weather conditions at TransRockies last year.  And Zeke is like having three crew members.

I am going to be raising money for my daughter's school as well as the other K-3rd school in my town.  The money I raise (goal of $6000) will be put towards their physical education programs and playground equipment.  I will be giving a series of educational presentations to the children.  Topics included will be cycling, of course, but also health, nutrition, and physical fitness.  Last year when I talked to Carly's after school program, the kids were so interested in seeing my bikes and cycling gear!

Sadly, my county has the distinction of being one of the top 10 most obese in Tennessee.  And Tennesse is in the top 3 fattest states!  Woe is me!  My goal is to enable these kids, even if it is only just a few, to get off the couch and get outside and play.  Did you know that 1 in 3 children are at risk for diabetes?  And diseases that we typically see in adults, i.e. high blood pressure, heart disease, liver disease, and depression, are on the rise in children.

I am also going to have a contest for the kids.  I got the idea from Pua at last year's 24 Hour Natz.  The top 3 boys/girls in each school who are closest to guessing the number of laps and my overall mileage at the 24 hour mark will win prizes.  I am working with The Outdoor Store and Specialized to secure bikes for first place.

I want to challenge all my family, friends, and cycling acquaintances to make a small pledge per lap.  In 2006 I completed 25 laps.  Under the right conditions, I hope to better that this year.  After making some calculations, I need $200-$240 per lap to accomplish my goal. 

I would rather have pledges per lap as opposed to a flat donation.  I figure that this will inspire me a bit more to churn out lap after lap knowing that each one completed brings "X" amount of dollars.  I am not asking for much.  All that I need from you is to forego one lunch at a fast food joint or a couple of bottled beers at your favorite brewery.  That would equate to roughly $.25/lap.

So start turning over your couch cushions and looking under your automobile seats.  Just shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment if you would like to give.  At this point I am not going to be using Paypal or any other sort of on-line method of contributing.  I want 100% of contributions to go to the kids so I am doing it the old-fashioned way.  I will be accepting pledges/donations through Memorial Day weekend and will collect the monies during the month of June.

Thanks for your support,

Carey