Be a hero for kids with cancer! Do you want to help children with cancer but would rather not
shave your head? You’re not alone! At St
Baldricks, the traditional head-shaving events are symbolic of a child losing
their hair in treatment. But a child with cancer also faces the difficult
journey of their treatment “road map”, a journey our team of volunteers have
come to symbolize with a vigorous bicycle ride that you can be part of!
In 2018, the very first St Baldrick’s team rode 40 miles of the
New York’s 5 Boro Bike Tour (FBBT) as part of their Charity Partnership
Program. It was repeated in 2019 (in a pouring rain) because they could not be
stopped. However, 2020’s pandemic put the kibosh on the FBBT and was canceled. Our
team of riders improvised and created the “Three Islands Ride”. Teammates from
the previous years created and cycled rides on 3 separate Islands: Long Island
NY, Staten Island NY, and the “Big Island” of Hawaii. This year, we’re doing it
again and invite YOU to join.
Having spanned an area from the East Coast all the way to
Hawaii we thought “Hey! Let’s fill in the middle by creating ‘Bike Across
America’ and open it to everyone!” Let’s try to get one from every state!
Here are the details:
How and when can I participate? Anyone can sign-up,
recruit friends, plan your own route, in your own hometown, raise some money
for the critical research funded by St Baldricks, then go ride on your selected
date between May 2nd (the date the FBBT would have been in 2021) and
June 3rd (World Bicycle Day). It’s that simple! Create a route
within your abilities, ride with a club, a team, or solo, spread the word about
your ride, then get friends and family to sponsor you with donations.
Is there a fee to join? No, but we respectfully ask that anyone
registering contribute a $50.00 donation to St Baldricks, then raise as much as
you are able to on top of that. We’ll show our appreciation with some sweet
swag for achieving various fundraising goals.
Any tips on what distance I should do? We welcome all
riders, any age and any skill level! Try to pick a ride distance that is
symbolic, like 40 miles (the FBBT length), or maybe a metric century (60
miles), or even a full century (100 miles) …or maybe just 10! Find creative
ways to fundraise like $1.00/mile (or Km).
*Waivers must be signed upon registration as a ‘volunteer’. Please
ride safely, wear a helmet, obey traffic laws, stay hydrated, and take lots of pictures
to upload to the event page. Oh, and you can keep your hair (if you wish).
Are there any hashtags I can use? Yes! Please tag us
on social media at @StBaldricks, #StBaldricksChallenge, #ConquerKidsCancer and/or #YouThinkThatsHard (for you ultradistance riders!)
Anything Else? Yes! Be sure to snap
a few photos of your ride to show where you’re from (include a sign or
recognizable landmark), then upload them to the event page!
For more info contact John Accardo: j1954a@optonline.net or Cindy Bray: cindy.bray@stbaldricks.org
Register today and see you out there!