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06-22-08, 07:58 PM
CONTACT: Jesse Czelusta FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel.: 210-232-0067 (Before June 10)
Email: jesse@ricksride.org
On-Line: http://www.ricksride.org
LOCAL CYCLIST TO MAKE TOUR DE FRANCE ATTEMPT
"Rick's Ride" To Honor Friend's Memory and Support Disabled Athletes
Shortly before dawn on July 5, 2008, a lone Texan will set off on his bicycle from Brest, France to begin a 23-day journey of over 3,500 kilometers. He will be riding for a cause--the Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program (BORP), a Berkeley-based charity that supports disabled athletes; he will be riding to honor the memory of a friend and fellow cyclist--Rick Shelton, who passed away on April 9, 2008; and he will be riding to chase a dream--completing the entire route of cycling's most epic event, the Tour de France.
Jesse Czelusta, a San Antonio native who now resides in Palo Alto, California, will attempt to ride every stage of this year's Tour, with the goal of raising one dollar per kilometer for BORP.
"Rick and I competed together in our first bike race, a time trial in San Antonio" says Czelusta. The timing of the race corresponded with American Greg Lemond's come-from-behind victory in the 1989 Tour de France. "The winner was a 17-year-old Lance Armstrong. I've never come close to Lance's time on that day, but ever since then, I've dreamt of riding the course of the Tour de France."
Czelusta, 32, will be riding solo, without a support vehicle, and carrying twenty-five pounds of gear across the Tour's formidable mountain passes. He will begin each day at five o'clock in the morning, about seven hours before the peleton, in order to finish before the route is closed to bicycles. He will sleep outdoors each night, with only a bivvy sack for shelter.
"I've been told by a pro cyclist that what I'm attempting is nearly impossible," Czelusta notes. "All the more reason to try. And it will be cheaper than paying rent in Palo Alto."
Completing the route will be a logistical challenge, as well as a physical feat. "To avoid route closures, I'll have to take a head start for some of the stages, by tacking on extra kilometers the day before. I'll be riding farther than the peleton, since there won't always be trains that connect one day's finish to the next day's start. I'll need to eat beaucoup baguettes. This will be the most daunting challenge I've ever faced. But I plan to ride my bike into Paris on July 27."
Described as "climber's course," this year's Tour will tackle both the Pyrenees and the Alps. The final mountain stage finishes atop the legendary L'Alpe du Huez, where Czelusta plans to spread his friend's ashes.
"Rick was a cycling nut. He always said that we'd ride a few stages of the Tour together one of these years. When he passed away, I realized--the only moment any of us have is now," says Czelusta. "Even if I don't make it to Paris, I hope I can help some of my fellow athletes through BORP or Kinetic Kids."
###
For more information or to support BORP or Kinetic Kids via Rick's Ride, please visit www.ricksride.org. To schedule an interview, please contact Jesse Czelusta at jesse@ricksride.org or phone 210-262-3182
Tel.: 210-232-0067 (Before June 10)
Email: jesse@ricksride.org
On-Line: http://www.ricksride.org
LOCAL CYCLIST TO MAKE TOUR DE FRANCE ATTEMPT
"Rick's Ride" To Honor Friend's Memory and Support Disabled Athletes
Shortly before dawn on July 5, 2008, a lone Texan will set off on his bicycle from Brest, France to begin a 23-day journey of over 3,500 kilometers. He will be riding for a cause--the Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program (BORP), a Berkeley-based charity that supports disabled athletes; he will be riding to honor the memory of a friend and fellow cyclist--Rick Shelton, who passed away on April 9, 2008; and he will be riding to chase a dream--completing the entire route of cycling's most epic event, the Tour de France.
Jesse Czelusta, a San Antonio native who now resides in Palo Alto, California, will attempt to ride every stage of this year's Tour, with the goal of raising one dollar per kilometer for BORP.
"Rick and I competed together in our first bike race, a time trial in San Antonio" says Czelusta. The timing of the race corresponded with American Greg Lemond's come-from-behind victory in the 1989 Tour de France. "The winner was a 17-year-old Lance Armstrong. I've never come close to Lance's time on that day, but ever since then, I've dreamt of riding the course of the Tour de France."
Czelusta, 32, will be riding solo, without a support vehicle, and carrying twenty-five pounds of gear across the Tour's formidable mountain passes. He will begin each day at five o'clock in the morning, about seven hours before the peleton, in order to finish before the route is closed to bicycles. He will sleep outdoors each night, with only a bivvy sack for shelter.
"I've been told by a pro cyclist that what I'm attempting is nearly impossible," Czelusta notes. "All the more reason to try. And it will be cheaper than paying rent in Palo Alto."
Completing the route will be a logistical challenge, as well as a physical feat. "To avoid route closures, I'll have to take a head start for some of the stages, by tacking on extra kilometers the day before. I'll be riding farther than the peleton, since there won't always be trains that connect one day's finish to the next day's start. I'll need to eat beaucoup baguettes. This will be the most daunting challenge I've ever faced. But I plan to ride my bike into Paris on July 27."
Described as "climber's course," this year's Tour will tackle both the Pyrenees and the Alps. The final mountain stage finishes atop the legendary L'Alpe du Huez, where Czelusta plans to spread his friend's ashes.
"Rick was a cycling nut. He always said that we'd ride a few stages of the Tour together one of these years. When he passed away, I realized--the only moment any of us have is now," says Czelusta. "Even if I don't make it to Paris, I hope I can help some of my fellow athletes through BORP or Kinetic Kids."
###
For more information or to support BORP or Kinetic Kids via Rick's Ride, please visit www.ricksride.org. To schedule an interview, please contact Jesse Czelusta at jesse@ricksride.org or phone 210-262-3182