Double or Triple Your Support: $50K Match

Two generous donors who strongly support our work have challenged our supporters to raise $50,000 before the end of the calendar year, which they will match for a total of $100,000! To do this, they have agreed to match all gifts 1:1. (If you are a member, check your mailbox about a special 2:1 match opportunity.*) Donate now.

Why is your support important? Because it helps us continue to change lives by inspiring people to get on their bikes and ride.

?Being a member of Adventure Cycling and going on your trips inspired me to ride cross country . . . hopefully we will complete it!? said Dennis Sullivan regarding the first leg of his cross country tour that will eventually span from Seaside, OR, to Boston, MA. Bill Nicholson, Jerry Pallotta, and Dennis Sullivan are, as Jerry put it plainly, ?three 58 year old guys? who have known each other for 52 years, since they were children in New Hampshire. This past September they rode through our Missoula office. The stop at Adventure Cycling?s headquarters was a no brainer as Dennis and Bill have been members of the organization for ten years and Dennis has participated in a number of Adventure Cycling tours with his wife. Bill?s sister Mary also lives in Missoula now, which offered them a nice stopping point for this year?s leg of their cross country tour.

This trip was for the three a resurrection of an old pastime: they used to ride bikes together when they were in grammar school. Both Bill and Dennis were long time bike tourers but Jerry was new to the sport. Regardless, the three had the time of their life and strengthened old bonds that had weakened over the years as they abandoned their childhood homes to spread out to locations throughout New England. Jerry spoke specifically to one point in their journey: ?The view is spectacular. The trains are going by on both sides of the river. I am 8 years old again with Billy in West Medford Square, we count the trains, 93 cars, 4 engines, no caboose. We signal the train, he blows his horn. We laugh.? These three grown men, rediscovering the childlike delight of exploring the world by bike, attest to one of the most valuable features of bicycle travel: its transformative power.

The maps that Bill, Jerry, and Dennis used to guide them are the product of thoughtful and meticulous work by Adventure Cycling?s Routes & Mapping Department. With your support, our crew regularly updates these maps and many more. (Remember that we have produced 40,980 miles of bike-friendly routes, the largest collection of bike-friendly routes on the planet!) Moreover, our mapping mavens are finishing a brand new alternate on the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route (from Oberlin, OH, to Detroit and into Canada). They?ve completed the first half of their research on an epic Bicycle Route 66, from LA to Chicago, and will soon start developing the map panels. They?re also working to convert our old maps into Geographic Information System (GIS) software ? a 21st century solution to upgrading, updating, and geo-referencing our maps more quickly for you and thousands of other traveling cyclists.

Donate today to double your support of Adventure Cycling's mission and programs for bicycle travel! And check back next Tuesday for another story about how your support helps us change lives.

*Members have the opportunity to get a 2:1 match if they give a donation that is 25% or more greater than your last gift. Check your mailbox for special information or your email on 11/30/2011, or call (800) 755-2453 x239 or x235 for more information.

Photo of Bill Nicholson, Jerry Pallotta, and Dennis Sullivan by Greg Siple.

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AMANDA LIPSEY is Adventure Cycling's development director.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2011/11/double-or-triple-your-support-50k-match.html

cycling events 2011