Yes You Can

More and more people are getting back on bikes. Whether they are getting back in the saddle to save money on gas, get into shape or just to have some fun, they are finding that bicycles are a great way to stay active. One of the most important reasons that people are getting back on their bikes is to raise money for charity. Charity rides bring all types of people out to get on their bike and support the cause of their choice. Most of these rides consist of relatively new cyclists, some of them brand new. Most people have heard of these types of rides and some have even been encouraged to participate. Some people take the challenge, dust the bike off and do their best to train a little bit before setting out to do the ride. Others find excuses not to participate. The excuses come in many flavors but the generally come down to this:

1. I'm not in good enough shape to ride 50 miles!
2. I don't have a bike/my bike isn't good enough to ride 50 miles!

Well, I'm here to tell you. You can do it. There is a ride for every ability and an ability for every ride. What does that mean, "an ability for every ride"? It means that anyone can do the rides that are out there. It means that you may have to go slower, walk a little bit or even take a ride in the support vehicle but you have the ability to do the ride. How do I know this? I've seen it in action. Gregg's Cycle supports all kinds of rides during the year and I am generally at all of them. As a cyclist I am constantly amazed by the people that are out participating in these charity rides. I look at the shape of the bike, the gear that people are wearing and I think to myself, "you couldn't pay me to ride that bike for 50 miles! How do these people do it". Yes, it's true, sometimes I'm a bit of a bike snob. But the thing is, these people do it! They get on all kinds of bikes and they ride. And they have a great time doing it! The bikes are old, they are borrowed, maybe they are brand new but from a department store in every case people climb aboard and ride with a smile on their face. Could they be more comfortable on a new bike? Sure. Could they go faster on a new bike? Maybe. But they don't have a new bike. They have the bike that they have and because they believe in supporting the cause, they know someone that has the disease being supported, or they just want to challenge themselves, they do the ride with what they've got. These are the truly amazing cyclists and here are some pictures of their bikes.

These bikes were all ridden in the 2006 ALS Double Day Ride. A total of 85 miles in two days through beautiful Skagit Valley. The riders raised $89,000 to find a cure for ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Most of these riders were not "cyclists". They were people that cared and wanted to make a difference. Their bikes weren't the best, they weren't in the best shape but each and every one of them rode their bikes and made a difference.