Friends, I'm back for my 7th year of riding a full 100-miles in the August heat and fundraising Phoenix Bikes! Last year, the Covid Pandemic made us rethink this event and the new format was so successful, we opted to try it again.
Riders will again choose their own adventure, riding as far and where ever they like. I am again going to ride 100 miles around my block, which is 0.4 miles around (250 laps). I will switch things up this year, by riding 5 different bikes, all purchased from Phoenix Bikes, and I'll do it in 5 different costumes (20 miles in each). What is to be determined.
The serious part: Like every organization in the world last year, Phoenix Bikes had to make huge adjustments in how they did everything. And while they managed very well in some areas (Bike Boom, anyone?), their programming in teaching youth the basics of bike mechanics suffered greatly. Last year, only 37 youth completed the Earn-a-Bike program (through virtual learning) compared to 150+ in 2019. The staff is working hard to restart those programs and build those numbers back up.
I am trying to do my part to support them so they can focus on teaching and pulling more youth into the program. My siblings are again joining me virtually to honor the memory of our parents and support Phoenix Bikes from afar. We would be honored and greatly appreciative if you would join us in supporting this great community asset.
Henry
Phoenix Bikes Raise + Ride: Sizzling Summer Century
Phoenix Bikes is back again this year with another exciting Raise + Ride event, this year sponsored by our generous friends at Amazon! The Sizzling Summer Century ride is designed to get you and your team active and raise money for a great cause! With this event we're giving you the opportunity to stretch your creative skills and make your own routes, whether that's sticking with the 100 mile century on the Washington and Old Dominion Trail--our typical route--or transforming your neighborhood trails into a race course. To spice things up, we'll also be giving out amazing prizes for acheivements like most money raised, highest number of donors and team members, and more!
This summer ride is also a peer-to-peer fundraiser for Phoenix Bikes, and we encourage you to reach out to your friends and family to help fundraise. Last year we blew our goal of $25,000 out of the water by raising $75,000, making it the most successful fundraising event that Phoenix Bikes has ever had! We're looking to soar to last year's astronomical heights again by setting our fundraising goal at $75,000, with the hopes of continuing and ideally exceeding the incredible efforts of 2020! We can't wait to get started!
The mission of Phoenix Bikes is harnessing the power of bikes to help youth build passion, purpose, and a place in the community. We are an Arlington nonprofit that uniquely combines youth educational programs with a full-service professional bike shop and retail store. Since our launch, we have had the opportunity to engage thousands of teens, with over 900 earning their own bikes so far. Local youth, ages 12 to 17, are invited to participate in bike refurbishment and retail operations as they contribute to the daily operations of the Phoenix Bikes shop located in South Arlington, VA. Through these experiences, our students are not only given the opportunity to learn technical mechanical skills and put in hard work, but also develop their problem solving abilities and gain self confidence.