dedhed

A good friend of mine met his wife on the MS ride.

Noahma

I go the full effort for the Colorado BikeMS ride, Its the only charity ride I do each year, and for a simple reason. I was diagnosed with MS in 2008. My Neuro told me to find an exercise that would challenge my balance, strength and cardio. Cycling fit in. So the ride for me is a big ole middle finger to this damn disease, and a challenge to myself. I set goals for the ride each year and work at getting them. I can safely say that raising the minimum for the ride is um... extremely easy for someone that is riding the MS ride WITH MS. It really is not too difficult to get the minimum.
I have been asked to do the Buff cycling classic for the university of Colorado. They have a fundraising option, and a pay to play option. I have not decided if I will do that one yet.

raceboy

dennis336

That's very cool. I met my wife on an airplane ... long flight, I was traveling alone and we happened to be sitting next to each other. About a year later we got married (that was 35 years ago!).

LanghamP

There's charity rides where a group of people get together with a minimum donation; I avoid these because there always seems to be a spill with minor to significant injuries.

Then there's the charity ride where a rider hits me up for a donation. You know the type; someone at work goes around asking money for some cause to bike x miles in y country.

"I'm not paying for you to bike around having fun under the guise of charity. That sounds suspiciously like you're getting other people to pay for your vacation."

However, the rider, invariably a female, gets enough money to bike in some beautiful country. Some of these guys in my office, man, they just throw away money. Like clockwork (and cockroaches) these riders come out every year with their charity ride.

Presumably, only a small portion of the money collected actually goes to charity; I estimate the administration costs of putting on that charity ride just about eats up the entire money raised. My gut feeling is that the vast majority of charity dollars are just dollars being moved around to avoid taxes, to pay friends and relatives of the tax avoider, or are used to fund activities completely unrelated to the cause.

sdmc530

You have my compassion, keep on fighting! I have a good friend who has MS as well so I do the ride for her. We used to have one here in SD but they cancelled it this year so I am bit bitter about that so now I have to travel to ride one. but I like the MS rides, they are good rides and I meet lots of great people there too.

sdmc530

YES! I used to do the Purple Ride Stride event in Minneapolis. Well done event but part of the trail goes through a wooded area and it has many wooden bridges and tracks. Early morning they are covered with moisture and people go flying over these sections. Every year there are many people who are hurt because of crashing. The last two years, there were 3 broken legs and one guy got knocked out cold on a railing as he was falling. It was crazy, most of the riders were not experienced riders. We complained about the route because of the sheer numbers of riders and those getting hurt but didn't change the course. I don't do that ride anymore, they didn't seem to care about the safety but were concerned about funds and ease of trail that needs no safety marshal.

jefnvk

My sentiments as well. I don't donate to individuals that are putting on some sort of epic feat in an attempt to raise money in a vacation-like manner. If I cared that much, I'd just donate to the charity.

Especially so, if say a cyclist is cycling or a runner is doing a race. I may feel different if you are doing something strenuous you don't actively participate in, but even then the money is going to the charity, not you.

John_V 

This is what I do. Living in Florida, we have year-round charity rides (less in the summer months). I average around 8-10 a year, which includes the MS150 that I have been doing for the last 8 years. All of the other charity rides I do only require a registration fee, with the highest being around $65.00. Being retired for the past 7 years, I no longer have a network of coworkers to get contributions from and at 72, family isn't as large as it used to be. Since my riding friends also do the MS, I just foot the entire bill (minimum fund raising, including) and the wife and I make it a weekend get-a-way. Yes! It's costly but that's what retirement is all about - enjoying the days you have left doing the things you want to do.

Jim from Boston

Do You Do Charity Rides and How To Encourage PeopleI replied to a previous thread, Can I ride on a century event if I'm not registered?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

I’ve read that the reason such athletic events as Charity Rides, Swims and Runs are popular is because the value of the benefit received by the participant is near zero, and thus the entire donation is tax-deductible. For example if one attends a gala fundraising dinner, the cost of the dinner is not tax-deductible...

There was at least one thread on BF I read a few years ago, that queried the “ethics” of using routes constructed by a charity, and even riding the event on the given day as a ”bandit.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by Machka

That's a big no-no. I wouldn't even suggest it.

Never mind ethics, there are liability issues involved.

Here in Massachusetts the premier fund-raising Ride with an expected donation of around at least about $3500 is the Pan Massachusetts Challenge (Pan-Mass, PMC), about 150 miles in two days to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. They do take your credit card number before the Ride. It may well be the largest such event in total donations.

When anyone finds out I'm a cyclist, they usually ask "Do you do the Pan-Mass?"

Here in New England it seems to me that that best organized Century Rides are Charity events, and I usually just make the minimal donation myself. Besides the tax deduction, an organized Century Ride gives me the incentive to train long and hard during my busy summer time due to work and family activities.

In fact, a special needs school that I avidly support has a fund-raising Fitness Challenge that offers an organized opportunity to further train, and support that school also. “Win-win-win.”

ironwood

I have passed by the start of the Pan Mass Challenge a few times while riding my bike that I found in the dump. All the riders are decked out in lycra and seem to have expensive state of the art carbon fiber bikes. I guess it's okay if you have a corporation or big law firm sponsoring you, but... I think "Big deal, I rode around the Cape and across the state before there was a Pan Mass Challenge";

I've read that Billy Starr, the originator of the PMC earns about half a million dollars ayear and is a millionaire, Maybe it all goes to a good cause, but it is out of my league financially., and if I want to ride to the Cape I can find my own way.

Jim from Boston

Yes, but though I have not done the Pan Mass, I also posted that on a routine Saturday ride,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

...Soon afterwards I caught up with a rider wearing a really cool Boston Red Sox cycling jersey, a souvenir of the 2002 Pan Mass Challenge. As usual, when I meet a serious cyclist, I tell them about Bike Forums, of which he was unaware...

Dudelsack 

Witterings

LOL

Ald1 

For the most part I agree with the "just write a check." I did fundraise for the the Phila to Shore Cancer ride to celebrate my wife's 3 decades of beating cancer so I didn't mind hitting up close family. For a month I also gave my clients a 10% discount on their service bills if they donated the money instead of paying me . That easily met the minumin. Thing I'm also getting a free jersey. The ride was awesome. So well organized including post showers, return transportation, great support, great people. Doing another simular ride the end of July, just wrote a check. For me, bottom line, I'll do fundraising no more than once a year. Anything else, it's write a check if I want to participate. I just did the Farm to Fork Fondo which was a great example of someone "filling a nitch." This cost same or more as a lot of fundraisers and had no shortage of cyclists. Lot of fun except for the 104 degree peak heat with 5000 ft of climbing........did I say fun???

dennis336

We all have our own pet causes that are important to us

sdmc530

I found this didn't work more than once, so I started a gofund me page now. I put something about a hamster with cancer needing surgery or something. Been smoking Cubans now for years! LOL

jefnvk

Why cyclists must despise one another, I have no clue. I passed more than a couple people on carbon Cervelos with annoying loud rear hubs who were decked out in lyrica on my old MTB with knobby tires, and then my 30 year old downtube shifter Peugeot, in gym shorts and a t shirt when I first started doing such rides. For the most part, they were all cool people who were just out riding, like me.

ironwood

I never said I despise the people who ride the PMC; but I am amazed by all this expensive equipment I see; all for a simple bike ride to the Cape.

I still don't know why people give money to people who participate in Charity bike rides or walkathons. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the US is an a very sedentary society and anything requiring a little physical effort is seen as extraordinary.

Well there is a lot of money around and there are lots of worse things to spend it on.

Jim from Boston

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironwood

I never said I despise the people who ride the PMC; but I am amazed by all this expensive equipment I see; all for a simple bike ride to the Cape.

I still don't know why people give money to people who participate in Charity bike rides or walkathons. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the <us is an a very sedentary society and anything requiring a little physical effort is seen as extraordinary.

Well there is a lot of money around and there are lots of worse things to spend it on.

As noted above, the PMC, more than just “a simple bike ride to the Cape,” is a supported mass two day, 150 mile ride, with overnight accomodations. It attracts many high level roadies who probably also are well attired with expensive equipment for their usual riding activities.

Being such a well-known fundraising event, for such a humanitarian world class Institution, donations are considered an admirable activity, and as @ironwood notes,

jefnvk

Not everyone is into cycling for the same reasons as you, it really is that simple. There are many here who would question why you waste your time on a dumpster bike. I am not one of them, but they exist. Cost is all relative. TO me, there is a huge difference between a $1k and a $3k bike. My "new" bikes both retailed around the $1k mark, and they suit my needs, even though I could easily afford a $3k bike if I really wanted one without lots of saving or skimping. To someone on double my salary, a $1k bike might not even be worth their time to consider, they may just want the nicer one.

WRT such rides, some people like the companionship. I personally like the party at the end with piles of bikes all around me

ironwood

I still consider a ride to the Cape is a simple ride, I did it many times when I was younger..

Maybe I'll try it next year if you can pledge the required amount.

ironwood

The PMC is for rich people who have rich friends, and it is run by someone who earns over half a million dollars a year.

jefnvk

I'm really confused what point you're trying to make, because to me it sounds like youre just hating on others again.

It says right on the website it is a fundraiser first, a bike ride second. It is not an event you go to if you are concerned with nothing but riding your bike as cheap as possible. It is out of my interest range, because as previously stated I have zero interest in fundraising, but it's not really an insurmountable amount for anyone to do.

ironwood

You are reading something into what I've posted. Where did I say I hate or despise anyone?


Healthcare and medical research are too important to be dependent on charity. I don't think it is right for someone to become very rich by running a charity, especially in a country where people have trouble paying for medical care, and nurses are overworked and underpaid.