Northern California - Any other charitable organizations like TNT?

I want to participate in another fund raising drive. I did TNT last year and I raised quite a bit plus got in better shape and learned to ride long distances. I'd like fund raise for another such organization but I can't think of any more off the top of my head. Help me out, will ya?

TNT = Team in Training?

There is the seismic challenge...

http://www.tofighthiv.org/site/TR/SFAFCyclingEvent/SFAFEnduranceEventsTrainingProgram?fr_id=1050&pg=entry

Uh, 200 miles? I can raise the money but I don't think my butt and gonads can survive a 200 mile ride in two days. Sounds interesting though so I'll think about it.

Anything else besides Team in Training and Siesmic Challenge? Any diabetes, cardiac disease, prostate, testicular or breast cancer fund raising orgarnizations? How about what's near and dear to my heart, fund raising for special needs kids?

http://www.aidslifecycle.org/

545 miles? OK, I'm looking for something in the neighborhood of 100 miles or less. That's what I mean by long distance riding. Yes, I'm a wuss.

The Tour de Cure raises funds for diabetes. My girlfriend and I raised $1500 in 2 wks. so we could ride in the Napa TdC century in early May, '06. I don't have the website handy but you can Google it and find it.

The training you do is up to you -- they don't have organized coaching and rides like TinT.

I've been doing the MS 150/Waves to Wine ride for the last 3 years. I started in 2006 when I was in the Dallas area at first for the challenge of doing 150 over two days. But then I found out my friend had MS so I've been riding for her ever since.

NorCal Waves to Wine webpage (http://bikecan.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BIKE_CAN_homepage)

A few others here have done the ride as well. Day one is challenging for sure but well worth it. Plus instead of stopping at the lunch stop we went to an oyster bar and had a much better lunch! haha!

Gary

Here is a charity ride the supports the Best Buddies charity for special needs children (and adults):
http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=286176

Lance Armstrong Challenge in San Jose last year attracted over 1200 riders, and was very well supported.

My jersey caption, "Every Day is a Good Day."

Cancer sucks.

My wife and I rode the Tour De Cure last year and it was a ton of fun. Next year we plan on doing it again + the Strawberry Fields Forever ride. I want to the do the 65 mi. ride but she's already doubting she'll want to do it.

I have ridden the Tour de Cure in Napa (for the American Diabetes Assoc.) for the last four years. I have done the 50miler and it was a beautiful ride through the Napa Valley. Remember people from all over the country (and world) pay tour companies for this pleasure in our back yard. This ride is very doable with moderate training as the climbs are not that diffucult. I've done the century twice and that is a very challenging ride, with even more impressive scenery. This ride requires more hill training but is not that hard really, but it is still 100 miles.
http://tour.diabetes.org/site/News2?abbr=TC_&page=NewsArticle&id=11098

The Tour de Cure rides have always been well supported and the food at the end of the ride is always great! The Napa ride is also one of the leaders in total donations for the Tour de Cure rides across the country.

I did the Lance Armstrong Foundation ride last year in San Jose, the 100 miler. (This was the first LAF ride in Nor Cal.) For personal reasons, this ride means a lot to me, but I think the route needs to be improved. The start and end in downtown San Jose was not the greatest, but corporate sponsorship being what it is.... Also, they had a climb in it, Metcalf Road, that was just wrong for a charity ride at about mile 60. The climb is around 1.2 miles long, with almost 1000 foot gain, a real a@@ kicker. At least my a@@ was kicked by it. The people I rode with were great, the ride supports a great cause and I will do it again this year. I intend to train harder in my climbing so that I can kick Metcalf's a@@ this year!
http://www.livestrongchallenge.org/site/c.frKPI1PAIoE/b.3935377/

Hope this helps somewhat for info on a couple of great rides. Google any charity that you believe in and you will probably find a ride for it. Bike riding, charities, and fund raising make our sport what it is....simply the best.

Also, they had a climb in it, Metcalf Road, that was just wrong for a charity ride at about mile 60. The climb is around 1.2 miles long, with almost 1000 foot gain, a real a@@ kicker. At least my a@@ was kicked by it.

We plan on doing the Lance Armstrong ride next year by all means.

Metcalf is nasty. I ride it on my SuperMoto (well, used to, at least) my brother and I are regulars at Metcalf and Hollister for off-road moto. My brother is a hardcore CX guy, and we were talking about that climb on a road bike. As I was driving down from the OHV park, I saw a woman walking it and huffing and puffing. It's very steep and dangerous.

The entire San Jose/Morgan Hill area is a beautiful area with plenty of road riding. Hopefully they'll change it up for next year.

The Tierra Bella Century (sponsored by the ACTC bicycle club) does Metcalf. Held annually in April, this is one of the first big centuries of the year in the south SF Bay area. Metcalf is a good early season fitness test. It's not a big mountain, but not a pancake either. I suppose these club-run century rides do cater to a different kind of bicyclist than the big expensive charity rides. Perhaps the charity rides should include an optional bypass so people who aren't up for the climb can skip it. On the other hand, the San Felipe valley area on the backside of Metcalf is a very scenic loop and the alternative routes leading to downtown San Jose are all pretty boring.

The Arthritis Foundation puts on the California Coast Classic in the fall.
http://www.californiacoastclassic.com/

It's a six-day ride from SF to LA like the AIDS Lifecycle but benefits the Arthritis Foundation.
A good friend of mine has lived with arthritis since his teenage years (he's now mid-40's) and
wants me to do this ride with him in 2009.

Are you looking for the training and friendships you build by going through a training season with a group, or are you looking for the ride itself? There are tons of charity rides around, but not all of them have a training program setup for them.

I did several Tour de Cure rides back east - well run and fun. TnT doesn't actually put on the events - they train the participants and take care of the logistics of participating in the event. They both raise a bunch of money for good causes - but the focus is a bit different.

JB

I'm looking for a group training org like TnT which I participated in last year for the Marin event. I like TnT's system and was looking for something similar. Best Buddies is a charity I beleive in since it's close to my heart but they don't have a training program. I'll still donate to them though.

The only other organization I can think of that has group training is the AIDs LifeCycle. TNT seems to be a pretty unique animal.

Tierra Bella is not a charity ride, all proceeds go to ACTC.