Since early March I have been riding my bike a ton! Finding a positive way to destress has been critical. Even some mid-June road rash didn't stop me. All that time in the bike saddle over the summer got my gears turning. Could I ride a century? Could I survive an epic 100 mile day out on country roads? So I put a plan in motion to find out.
I have probably spent too much time watching youtube videos of cool 100-plus mile gravel bike races, like this one in Iceland! Unfortunately covid has canceled all of the mass start events this year. While I could always just cross my fingers for next year, I decided to do my own solo DIY gravel event. A gravel race is a mass start bike event that combines riding on surfaces such as asphalt, gravel, dirt, some singletrack trails, and fire roads. Gravel races tend to be more about finishing the adventure not winning the race. So I planned a route and tried to bite off a little more than I could chew. On October 17th I will ride 111 miles along the beautiful and hilly coast of Marin county. With over 10,000 ft in elevation gain, the route takes streets, rural highways, bike paths, fire roads and trails from our apartment in San Francisco to Point Reyes National Seashore and back. Jess has dubbed this solo event the Charlie 100!
To put my self imposed leg pain towards a greater good I decided to make the Charlie 100 part of the King Challenge. The King Challenge is a fundraising event for Krempels Center, a Portsmouth NH based nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with brain injury. This year marks the 10th annual event and, acknowledging COVID-19 concerns, they decided to make it a Virtual Ride.
Thank you for your support, and wish me luck.
Hopefully the country roads will take me home!
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-Charlie
King Challenge 2020
The King Challenge is a fundraising event benefiting Krempels Center, a Portsmouth, NH based nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with brain injury.
This year marks our 10th Annual King Challenge and we're going virtual!
Registered participants will have the opportunity to choose their own ride route, anywhere and anytime, all while they fundraise to support Krempels Center. This support is needed ever more critically in these challenging times
Krempels Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with brain injury through evidence-based programming, shared experiences,and support in a welcoming community.