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Ever Thought About Riding for 24 Hours?

05.27.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 7 Comments

A 24-hour bike ride. It’s been done before, but for most of us, it’s way beyond the realm of possibility.

Tommy Foster

But one Bike Noob reader, Tommy Foster of Marietta, Georgia, plans to do just that.  In an effort to raise money for the Livestrong Foundation and to fight cancer, Tommy is going to circle the track at Marietta High School  for 24 hours straight. The ride will be on June 19-20.

In August, Tommy will ride the Livestrong Philly ride, and he’s set an ambitious fundraising goal of $10,000. The 24-hour ride is part of his effort to reach that mark.

I asked Tommy about the planning and organization that goes into riding 24 hours. “There are references to 24 hour rides on-line,” he said. “I know it can be done. From what I can see, someone that can ride several times a week for three hours can accomplish the 24 hours.”

Tommy himself hasn’t been riding all that long. After a fling with biking during college, he knocked off riding for 25 years, and only took it up again 13 months ago. Now at age 47, he’s turning in lots of miles each week.

“Right now my normal week is: Tuesday, 48 miles, Thursday, 48 miles, Saturday, 40 miles (hills and rollers, with intensity). Recovery ride any other day I feel like it for 35-40 miles, easy spin. I have completed three centuries already this year.”

But the 24-hour will be different, because it will be on a quarter-mile high school track. “The high school track is Olympic quality Mondo – very high tech composite material and it took a near act of Congress to get permission to ride on it,” Tommy said.

He’ll take a 5-10 minute break every one and a half hours. “I think everyone expects me to take a break when needed for bio, refueling, fresh riding gear, etc.,” he said. “I will use Hammer gels, balance bars, and G2 Gatorade (low-sugar) for fuel and hydration.”

He thinks the boredom of riding a closed track over and over will be his biggest challenge. “I’ll switch direction after every break,” he said. “That way I will have two very boring 12-hour versions of scenery. When insanity sinks in I might even change lanes for each lap! Riding at night will be different too. The track will be fully lit.”

For equipment, he’ll use the same bike he rides every day. It’s a 2009 Trek Madone 5.2 with 23mm tires inflated to 115 pounds. “Logic would suggest that a hybrid or mountain bike would be better for 24 hours but I have promised to use a bike with no treads and minimal tire to track contact,” Tommy explained. “That means a skinny, smooth tire. Also, I have read that the greatest mistake 24-hour riders make is changing bike or setup. They strongly suggest riding whatever you have been riding and are comfortable with and not changing the setup.”

Tommy is not forgetting that the whole point of the ride is not to call attention to himself, but to the fight against cancer. “Livestrong does not have the visibility and high profile in Georgia as it does in other parts of the country,” he said. “I would like to change that. The more time I spend talking about Livestrong the deeper my conviction to not only continue but intensify my efforts on behalf of all of us that have to fight cancer.”

If you’re interested in supporting Tommy in his 24-hour effort and his fundraising for Livestrong Philly, you can donate here: http://www.24hoursforlivestrong.com/donate

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Categories // Rides Tags // 24 hours, charity ride

Charity Rides — and the Fundraising Dilemma

02.11.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 7 Comments

Lots of us sign up for charity rides. Often, they require payment of a nominal entry fee, a portion of which supports some worthy local organization, and that’s that.

But then there are the big ones, that are tied into national charities, and require not only an entry fee, but that each rider raise x amount of money.

I hate to ask people for money. I couldn’t sell ice in the desert.

But, if I want to ride in my MS 150 in two months, I’ve got to.

In my case, it’s not too bad. The MS Society expects each rider to raise a minimum of $400. Last year, I surprised myself and raised $485. This year, with the economy still in the doldrums, people seem to have tightened their purse strings. But I’m still well on my way to exceeding $400 again.

Other riders set a target higher than the minimum. That’s the case of Ashley, of Massachusetts. She’s entered in the Livestrong Challenge Philly (Philadelphia) in August. The minimum fundraising amount is $250, but her target is $1,000.

How does a person raise that kind of money?

Since most of these big events are organized by big charities, with support staffs, fundraising tips are made available to riders. The MS Society posts a 12-week plan to help you reach your fundraising goal, starting with your participant center. That’s a web page where potential donors can click a link or two and make an online donation to your effort.

Bike Noob’s participant center.

Ashley’s participant center.

But I like the MS Society’s tip for Week Two: Be Strategic with the First Donation! The names and amounts from your donors show up in a scroll on your Participant Center. In my case, my cousin has MS. Her sister made the first donation toward my ride, in the amount of $100. That sets the tone for others who visit the site — they can see that some folks are giving generously.

Then, it’s recommended you email your “second tier” of prospective donors — friends and family. Many of these can be expected to write a check. My second tier is made up of my co-workers, and my boss donated $50. Everyone will see his name in the scroll. Hint, hint.

Other ideas: Email a third tier of prospective donors. These could be people you know who you don’t see as often, but who might surprise you by coming through for you. In my experience, these donations average about $10, but they mount up fast.

You could also raise some additional money yourself, by selling unwanted or unneeded items at a garage sale, or on EBay, or on Craig’s List.

And don’t forget matching gifts from your employer, if they offer that kind of program.

Most people I know who have ridden in these rides were pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to reach their goals before ride day.  If you’ve read this far, please consider making a donation to Bike Noob or to Ashley.

And if you’re considering joining a charity ride yourself, they’re all over the place, all year long. I won’t list them here, but Biking Bis has a nice list of them. There’s sure to be something to whet your riding and fundraising appetite.

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Categories // Rides Tags // charity ride

Do You Have a Good Ride Coming Up This Year?

02.02.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 7 Comments

This evening, I caught myself staring blankly at the computer screen, paying no mind to what I was doing. I realized that I had been daydreaming — my mind off somewhere in the sunny future, watching myself ride and ride in a “must-do” event.

Actually, I wasn’t that far off in the distance. I was thinking about the MS 150 coming up in April. It’s got to be one of the premier biking events for me. I’m looking forward to it, and am already getting apprehensive that I haven’t been putting in the miles I need to to get ready for it.

The MS 150 runs from Houston to Austin over two days. It’s really 180 miles — 100 the first day and 80 the second. The organization of the ride is super-efficient.

Thinking about the ride takes me back to a recent letter from reader Bill Wood of Ft. Collins, Colorado. “I’m going to ride in Italy some day,” said Bill, who, after pounding the pavement as a runner in the ’90s and the Oh-ohs, is rediscovering the joys of road biking. Bill wants to know what big cycling events we’d like to do — if not this year, then sometime.

Having lived many years in Minnesota, I’m well aware of RAGBRAI — The Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, one of the grandaddies of cross-state tours. I would love to take a stab at that sometime, complete with the ritual dipping of the front tire in the Mississippi River when the ride is done. That’s a ride I first thought of doing 25 years ago, when I just rode my bike casually around the neighborhood. I never acted on my thought, though — maybe it’s time to put RAGBRAI on my Bucket List.

If things work out right, I’ll even have a chance to meet Bill this summer. He’s coming to Texas for the Hotter ‘n Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls, and I’m planning on riding in that one, too. It’s a flattish century ride, but temperatures in late summer can be over 100°F (38°C). However, it’s also a Happening, if you’ll forgive the ’60s expression, with around 11-12,000 cyclists at the event.

So, what better way to spend a chilly, dark winter night than thinking about rides you’d like to do? What’s a “must-do” event for you? What tour, event, or location would you ride if nothing stood in your way? Go ahead and comment here, or shoot me an email, and I’ll compile everyone’s thoughts.

A dream ride gives us a goal to shoot for, and it’s still early enough in the year to be setting goals.

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Categories // Rides Tags // charity ride, organized ride, ride

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