This winter season, we want to thank all of our members and donors for their support throughout the year. So far during our 2011 Holiday Campaign we have raised $39,915. We are calculating the amount of our match so far, but you can still give today to help us reach our $50,000 goal.* Especially during this time of year, we want to celebrate the power that bicycle touring has to connect people and forge lasting relationships. It is our mission to continue to foster experiences like those we've been bringing to you all month, and enable as many people as possible to experience the joy of bicycle travel. We get a number of feel good stories throughout the year as cyclists visit us at the Adventure Cycling Association headquarters. One story in particular stood out to us this summer as a great example of how cycling can bring people together.
Adventure Cycling members Krystal Goodwin and Michael Tiemeyer met on a bicycle tour to raise money and awareness for affordable housing. They became fast friends and were even voted by the group ?most likely to ride across the country on a tandem." When their tour was over the couple began to date and were married soon after. In honor of the way they met and the cause about which they both felt so strongly, the couple decided to mark their marriage by honeymooning on a bicycle tour.
They had originally planned to begin their honeymoon bicycle tour atop separate bikes, but fate stepped in and changed everything. While driving to the start of the tour the support van, full of eight passengers and pulling a trailer with all of their bikes and gear, was involved in an accident. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt, but Krystal?s prized bicycle, her ?beautiful LeMond,? was damaged beyond repair. A cracked head tube made it appear that the couple would not be departing from Seattle with the rest of the group. On a whim, Michael and Krystal visited Recycled Cycles, a used bike store in downtown Seattle. There they found the tandem that they would spend the next few months on as they pedaled from Seattle all the way to Washington, DC.
The couple likened tandem riding to marriage itself (?Talk about marriage counseling!?) and admitted that spending the first few months of their marriage sharing a bicycle taught them a lot about how to be together. ?Communication was a big thing," Michael said, ?just like marriage, we had to take two individual styles and merge them together.? Though it may have been trying at times, the experience is one that both Michael and Krystal value very much. They have met amazing people on both of their tours and even had some friends from the road visit them for Thanksgiving.
Bicycling brought Michael and Krystal together initially and taught them how to negotiate marriage for the long haul. Adventure Cycling is working every day to allow more people to have experiences like this couple did. Michael informed us of the impact that Adventure Cycling had on the planning of his and Krystal?s honeymoon: ?I?ve been riding bikes for years. Been on Adventure Cycling?s website many times. Knowing there were other people out there doing this, and that there was support and infrastructure, made it easier to go and do it. It was a huge inspiration to me to get out there and plan my own trip.?
If you want to help connect people through bicycle travel this holiday season and throughout the year, please consider making a donation to Adventure Cycling Association?s 2011 Holiday Campaign. Please consider helping us meet our $50,000 match challenge* by donating today. If you donate $10 or more before midnight PST on Thursday, not only will your donation be matched by one of our generous sponsors, you will also be entered into a drawing to win our Adventure Cycling prize package, valued at $115.
So far we've had two winners of these prize packages, member and donor Bill Ackermann and member and donor Brian Onken. You could be next!
You can help support us by visiting our campaign page or going to our donate today page. Thank you once again for your support this holiday season, and I hope to see you on the road!
*Two generous donors who strongly support our work have challenged our members, donors, and supporters to raise $50,000, 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 email from 11/30, the recent mailing you received, or give us a call at (800) 755-5243 x235 or x239 about a special 2:1 match opportunity.
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This story was written by ALEX CAMPBELL, standing in for Amanda Lipsey this week.
Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2011/12/2011-holiday-campaign-fourth-edition.html
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