Going the Distance…for The Power of Bicycles

Do you dream of pedaling across America? How about crossing over from Asia to Europe on two wheels? Or what about setting out on a solo bike trip to cover Canada’s great western providence, British Columbia, or conquering the Tour de France course? Well, we want to introduce you to groups who are doing one of these long distance bicycles trips. And better yet, they’re “going the distance” while raising money to benefit World Bicycle Relief. If you’re like me, there could be few things better in life than riding a bike while giving back. For those of you planning something similar, I hope these stories give you additional confidence in what you want to accomplish. And, for those of you who dream of going the distance by bike one day, I hope these stories help you believe in your dreams..and doing them with The Power of Bicycles!

Give a Bike: 50 State Tour: Adam and Christy Coppola are dedicating a year of their lives to the mission of “Spreading Health and Happiness through the gift of a bike.” They will be the first group to complete a self-supported bike tour of all 50 states in a calendar year. Their focus is on charity, adventure and physical challenge, all visible through photography, videography and journalistic blogging. They have done a fantastic job for the first part of their Give a Bike tour (they are 25 states in!!) utilizing the power of social media and organizing local events along their journey. To date, they’ve used their fundraising abilities to provide 39 bikes for our work. Sign up to follow their journey today! Their blog is spectacular! Plus, they’ve got some great videos, like this one, to watch!

Revolutions for Relief: Michigan native, Kellen Smetana, approached World Bicycle Relief in the early months of winter about his ambitious plans to ride across Asia and into Europe with the focus of raising international awareness for The Power of Bicycles.

Partnering with two other intrepid friends, their 16,000 km Revolutions for Relief journey from Hong Kong to Lisbon is now underway. Follow their progress here. Their route and effort truly define the meaning of “an incredible journey”.
Another site to look at for ideas in a truly global quest is Gabor Csupity’s tour, Travellerwithoutborders.com. Gabor is pedaling 5,000km through China and the North Far East in the name of World Bicycle Relief. We love this picture of him at China’s Great Wall. Send us your favorite pictures – featuring our stickers – today!

Going the Distance

Khai Lee:

This coming summer we’ll be excited to follow Khai’s solo-journey around British Columbia. And, as if doing a self-supported ride in Canada’s great west isn’t a big enough challenge, Khai is putting some extra weight behind his efforts as, for each $134 that he receives in donations (the cost of one bike), Khai will amazingly add 3lbs of sand to his bicycle carrier. His goal is to raise the money for 100 bicycles and enough sand for a beach!

Tour de France Charity Challenge: If you prefer to follow the wheels of the top riders of the world, perhaps you can strike out to do a self-supported ride along the Tour de France course just like our current volunteers, Robin and Sandra Weston. This summer, they will set off to raise funds and awareness for World Bicycle Relief as they roll along some of France’s most prestigious roads. No doubt, their tour will have them wearing yellow…via The Power of Bicycles! For other ideas on how you can combine your love of pedaling great distances with our work, please feel free to check out other groups who’ve covered many miles in our name.

These riders passion, sporting ability, and desire to give back have inspired us in our work and I’m sure they’ll do the same for you as you dream of seeing the world from the best view in the world – from the seat of a bicycle: Derek Steer and Brett Ashton: Cross Country riders 2010; Paul and Sabrina Buehler: Cross Country riders 2010; World Biking information (benefiting World Bicycle Relief).