Curt's Ride to Cure Cancer - the 2013 Ride!

[Cynette]

It is just a few days until we will be departing for the 2013 edition of Curt's Ride To Cure Cancer, our project to increase awareness about the impacts of this terrible disease.

I've started this thread on behalf of the Curt's Ride Team which includes FIRSTERS Dave Lavery, Jeff and Sam Wetzel, myself and my husband Tom.

Much of this text comes from the letter Dave wrote to potential supporters.

We all ask for your support for this very special cause. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. (behind only heart disease), and it strikes children and adults with equal ferocity. Almost everyone I know has been touched directly or indirectly by this disease. For this reason, we are trying to make a difference and raising funds for the American Cancer Society's lifesaving work. By using this link to our team page (Curt's Ride Team Page) or this link to our ACS project page (http://curtsride.info), you can join our fight against cancer by sponsoring or even joining our team. Thank you, again, to everyone that is supporting our ride.

The team is getting organized for our trip to Florida, and preparing to pedal our bikes down the coast. This year, at least five riders will be completing the full 620-mile distance from Amelia Island all the way down to Key West. Several more will be coming in for either the first or second half of the trip, joining or departing the group in Miami. You can read about each of the participants, why they are riding in the 2013 Curt’s Ride To Cure Cancer, and the route we will be following, on the project web page at http://curtsride.com .


For many weeks each rider has been going through a strenuous training program to get ready for Curt’s Ride. As we get down to the last few days before heading for Florida, we are slowing the pace of the training so that we are not burned out before we start.

As in previous years, once we get to Florida our intent is to follow the route of the East Coast Greenway from Jacksonville to Key West. But "following the route" is really a somewhat loose description. Frequent side trips, getting lost, stopping for lunch, getting lost, fixing flat tires, getting lost, repairing bike chains, getting lost, stopping for more lunch, getting lost, stopping for an after lunch drink, and getting lost are all expected to figure prominently in our daily activities.


In addition to the direct donations and support for the American Cancer Society that can be made through the Curt’s Ride web site, several folks have asked what else they can do to help the effort. So there are a few items where we can definitely use some assistance.


There are some real costs associated with implementing Curt’s Ride each year, and providing support for the riders. In prior years, that has been an expense that the riders have covered out of their own pockets as a cost to participate. But since they are already giving a week of their time and all the effort to pedal themselves along the entire Florida coast, and covering all their own transportation and lodging costs, we really want to avoid having them take on that additional expense. Sometimes a company will want to sponsor a specific element of the effort. So we are looking for (corporate?) sponsors to become our “Foundation Sponsor.” For a $1,000 donation to the Curt's Ride Foundation, they can help sponsor ALL of the Curt's Team riders at once! In return, they will be included in all press releases and materials, and will have their logo put on the Curt’s Ride support van that will follow us down the coast. If you have any ideas for companies that might be interested in this idea, please let us know.


Also, we have a special offer for this year. We are in the final steps of publishing “The Bacon Route,” a cookbook that combines 62 bacon-themed recipes with some of our best stories from previous years of Curt’s Ride. The Bacon Route can be pre-ordered right now on the Curt's Ride web site ( http://www.curtsride.com/shop ), with delivery in three-to-four weeks. If you order now, you can get The Bacon Route at the pre-order price of $20 (a $5 savings over the regular price). Proceeds from The Bacon Route will go to the Curt's Ride Foundation, to further offset the costs of implementing the ride. Please let your friends, family, and miscellaneous strangers along the roadside know about the availability of the cookbook. They make great gifts!

Additional information about the ride, including the route map, planned itinerary, and progress notes, will be posted on the project Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/curts.ride (you don’t have to be a member of Facebook to see the page, but you will have to join if you want to comment or participate in the discussions).


In the mean time, thank you again to all those that have already signed up to sponsor our ride and donate funds to the American Cancer Society. If you have not yet, remember that it is not too late to sign on as a sponsor for the 2013 Curt's Ride To Cure Cancer!

[Foster]

I'm in!

Not sure if I'm more excited that Cynette is going to bike so far, or getting a book full of Bacon Goodness!

[wendymom]

The book makes a great Christmas present too. Order lots of them.

[dictionaria13]

Originally Posted by julietkaur123

<spam>

Reported.

[Foster]

So how did it go? We have Dave posts for the first three days and then the government shut down and so did his post.

Did you make it?

Was it baconriffic?

[Wetzel]

We made it to Key West! There were some adventures along the way, but we all arrived, and we did it mostly upright. Unfortunately, Key West ran out of bacon so we all returned to the places we came from.

A sincere thanks to everyone that supported us and helped us raise money for the American Cancer Society and work to cure cancer.

Wetzel