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; their treatment “road map”. Our team of volunteers will symbolize this journey with a vigorous bicycle ride that you can be part of!
In 2018, the very first St Baldrick’s team rode the 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) we couldn't be stopped! The pandemic put the kibosh on the FBBT afor the pas couple of years so we 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 evolved into "Bike Across America" and its open to everyone!” Its not a ride across America, but rather rides "all across America" Let’s try to get riders 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 1st (the date of the FBBT in 2022) 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!
