3500 miles, 2 charities, 66 days, route 66 - I need your help!

[Chris Bloomfield]

Hello all

I'm Chris! *waves*

I am currently training for my charity cycle ride across USA which will see me riding around 3500 miles within 66 days along route 66. I am doing this to raise money for two fantastic charities, Alzheimer's Society and Great Ormond Street. I need your help with advice, tips and hopefully some donations to the causes.

Alzheimer's Disease is something that affects so many people, whether a family or an individual - this is really a helpless situation. My grandfather struggled with this illness for 3 years before he passed away in August. Everyday things were a constant struggle, simple things were unrecognisable and conversation was limited. Things like not understanding how to eat food and to not remember where the toilet was, was a constant everyday struggle. This was not the grandfather I grew up knowing - he was an outgoing, vibrant and happy guy who lived for the moment. With this in mind, I have to do something to honour him and a nice funeral and telling his stories to my family and friends, is just not enough. The money raised this will go towards not only attempting to find a cure for this devastating illness but also to help support the families that have to cope with a family member in this position.

Great Ormond Street was there for my mother, cousin and a close family friend. This hospital helps so many unfortunate children and my family has been lucky to have the support of such a fantastic hospital. Notably my close family friend has now passed away at the young age of 22, Great Ormond Street managed to give him a normalish life and this survival to the age of 22 should be celebrated! Money raised will of course go to funding the hospital running costs, which runs into millions and millions each year.

As you can see there are many reasons for me to complete such a task. I have yet to fund a corporate sponsor and this is something that I would hope someone could come up trumps with on here for me - the PR opportunity via my website and me is quite vast. My website is receiving well in excess of 6000 hits a week, therefore an advertising haven. Have a look and if you are inspired then donate what you think my ride is worth! Thank you for reading, message me to chat about my ride See my site to: justdoitforcharity.com

 

[steveindenmark]

http://justdoitforcharity.com/

 

[Chris Bloomfield]

Yes thats the website! Thanks Steve Clearly didn't show up as a link

Any help that your guys can give me would be superb. Thanks!

 

[jay clock]

A great ride.

start with Crazy Guy on a Bike http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/?o=1 - best site around for cycle touring.

If you want help or advice on the cycle touring parts of the trip, ask away. Are you camping , what bike do you have in mind etc?

Most of us who love touring will be turned off by being asked for donations. You sound like a young fit lad who will cope fine with this, and I do not donate unless what the person is doing is a particular challenge. And to me that sounds like a lovely 66 day holiday!

Best of luck

 

[Bodhbh]

Chris, I agree with Jay. The problem with asking for money for such is trip, is for all intents it looks like the holiday of a lifetime to many people. You haven't stated explicitly (sorry if I've missed it, but if I have I probably won't be the only one) that the costs of the trip are to be paid for by yourself and so people will begrudge putting money towards it.

I would make it very clear very upfront how you are going to fund it, and how you are already breaking your balls trying to sort our your bike, camping equipment, travel etc off your own back, and then people will be more willing to help you out. In leu of money you might get offers of spare gear off people if they can see you are already making an effort.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Good luck on the ride...you will love evry minute of it and its a lot easier than many think.

 

[oldfatfool]

Best of luck, sounds fantastic and riding across the US is deffinitely on my bucket list.

Finding sponsors is a pain, and getting corporate sponsors a bigger pain. My top tip would be to contact the two charities you are riding for and ask them to put you in touch with any media contacts, celebs that are their patrons, that way they might give your blog/ sponsorship page a tweet or endorsement in the media. Amazing how much cash rolls in on the back of a few words on the telly or radio, just look at Walliams and that liverpudlian comic chappy. Again best of luck.

 

[Yellow7]

Hi Chris.
I can't offer any sponsor advice but plenty of info on the route itself as I cycled it in 2008...You'll love it, I enjoyed it that much that..

Maybe you're already clued up on matters, but after reading the book on Route 66 by Micheal Wallis (no relation!) & finding the route is no longer maked by the highways agency I plotted the entire route into Microsoft's 'Streets & Trips' route planner, taking zoomed-in screenshots of the larger cities such as St Louis (Mo) & Oklahoma City (Ok) to ensure I stayed true to the original alignment as best possible, of which is not even possible out of Chicago(!) as it's now [busy] interstate, which can only be used when there's no option, such as Az & NM sections. You're more than welcome to an electronic copy of my 26 page Word document. Also buy the "Here it is 8 state map-set, of which Amazon sell.
Mark.

 

[Chris Bloomfield]

Thanks for your messages guys!

I can tell you now that this is coming out of my pocket entirely! I am even taking the time off work unpaid therefore I guess I should probably highlight that! Doing myself an injustice there!

I think that its slightly strange for anyone to think that this is a holiday of a lifetime - yes of course I appreciate this will be a fantastic trip but at the same time this is not exactly going to massively easy. Desert, vulnerability, lack of shelter, food - etc, sounds like a great holiday right?

Yellow7 - I would certainly be keen on seeing some of the things you did, drop me an email if you like justdoitforcharity@live.co.uk

Oldfatfool - thank you for your tips, certainly I would love to get a celeb involved - might just be my next task!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

I didnt do the charity thing or get any sponsors etc. I didnt have time before I went to organize it as I only decided to go a few weeks before I arrived in Portland. I dont see any harm in raising £20K for charity..well done!

Is it a 'holiday' of a lifetime...erm...dam right it was...but now i have done it I know it isnt as tough as I thought it would be at the start. Riding solo self supported (i.e without a back up car etc) is actually a better way to go I feel. You are your own master. You always have your tent so there isnt ever a problem with shelter, and carrying your own food or living off the stores as you ride isnt difficult.

Vulnerable....to a degree..yes..but the American people I met were nothing but supportive, helpful, and very interested in the trip, and as soon as they found out I was english I got the rock star treatment.

Our routes are different though, but I doubt the challenge is any less or more and the people will I am sure be welcoming and helpful.

I met several other cyclists doing the trip, some were riding for charity but most were just doing their thing, both cool.

Actually I see people on line making a big deal out of riding 100 miles for charity or the london brighton etc...it's all good news for the charity and to be applauded I guess. Personally I would look at the charity thing as an 'add on'...ride this for yourself, because when you find yourself out there in the middle of nowhere with 100 miles before the next lonesome gas station store, a gale force wind in 115f it will be your inner self that pulls you through and nothing else.

Good luck! Wish I was riding it again this year!

 

[Bodhbh]

Thanks for your messages guys!

I can tell you now that this is coming out of my pocket entirely! I am even taking the time off work unpaid therefore I guess I should probably highlight that! Doing myself an injustice there!

I think that its slightly strange for anyone to think that this is a holiday of a lifetime - yes of course I appreciate this will be a fantastic trip but at the same time this is not exactly going to massively easy. Desert, vulnerability, lack of shelter, food - etc, sounds like a great holiday right?

Well I meant to add a line before to say fair play....however you class it it is better to get up off your arse and do something positive than sat thinking about it! Holiday is maybe too strong a word, but I would certainly say it's the trip of a lifetime.

I got my first chance to do a similar length trip about 18 months ago. It was non-sponsored and crossing our more tamed europe. The window came up due to a redudancy and I doubt another chance will come up again for at least several years and maybe much longer. If one did, I'd jump all over it. Go for it while you can, however you tackle it, and good luck.

 

[jay clock]

one extra place to look at is warmshowers.org - like couchsurfing for cycle tourists. Excellent

 

[lulubel]

I haven't posted in this thread before, but I've been following it, and I would probably call this the adventure of a lifetime. No, it isn't a holiday, if you think of a holiday as a hotel on the beach, warm sea to swim in, etc, but many of us here would be bored to tears with that kind of holiday. Our preference would be to ride long distances on our bikes, see new places and have adventures. (My personal preference would be to find the biggest mountains I could and ride over them.) So, you can see how people here see it as a holiday.

That said, the ordinary "man on the street" will see it as an immense challenge (which it is), and something he could never contemplate doing. So, I don't think you'll have trouble raising your sponsorship goal, as long as you put even more effort into getting people to your website than you do into the trip itself.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Much is made of that warm showers thing, and Im sure in some places its reliable...but I only found one host across the entire united states and that was entirely by accident/fluke. It's one option to have with you (they have a smart phone app which is good) but dont rely on it.

If you want to see a cool trip as it's happening check out vague direction...all the way around the states not just across.