Charity Bicycle Rides 2008

Want to ride for a reason this year? There are hundreds of major bike rides sponsored by big health foundations throughout the US where the top goal is fund-raising, often through a system of pledges for participating bicyclists.

While the individual bike rides are too numerous to mention -- the MS150 sponsors about 100 events -- here are short descriptions and links to the major sponors. The bicycle ride series include Multiple Sclerosis, Leukemia, Lung, Diabetes, and LiveStrong bike tours. Others, such as the AIDS Lifecycle and Pan Mass Challenge sponsor one event.  Here, in no particular order, are some of them:

Bicycle ride series:

American Lung Association

Lung association chapters in 9 states sponsor charity ride events in 2008. They range for such rides as the CowaLunga bike ride Aug. 2-4 to the 15-day Ride the Pacific Coast bike tour from Seattle to San Francisco in Sept. 13 - 27. There's also the fully supported Big Ride Across America from June 23 to August 9. Check here for bike trek locations.

Bike and Build (Cross country)

Seven teams, mostly comprised of college students, raise money for affordable housing and bicycle across the US on different routes, stopping along the way to provide hands on help at construction sites. 2008 is its sixth year. The bicyclists ride about 75 miles a day and share chores on the van-supported ride. (Read more about Bike and Build)

Davis Phinney Foundation (Parkinson's disease)

The winningest American cyclist sponsors seven bicycle rides and races in 2008 to support those diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The rides include Sea Otter Classic (CA), Road to Victory (CO), Summer Solstice Bike Race (OH), Copper Triangle (CO), SuperCycle (BC), Ride for a Reason (CA), Sunflower Revolution (OH). Check the Davis Phinney Foundaton website for dates.

Get Your Guts in Gear (Crohn's and Colitis diseases)

These three-day rides in Texas, New York and Washington state benefit the programs of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. Bike riders will cover about 210 miles in Central Texas (Austin), the Hudson River Valley and the islands and farmland of western Washington. Dates: Austin -- Oct. 17-19, 2008; New York -- June 6-8, 2008; Western Washington -- Aug. 1-3, 2008.

LiveStrong Challenge bike rides (Lance Armstrong Foundation)

Bicyclists raising money for cancer research will ride with Lance Armstrong at the four LiveStrong Challenge events in 2008: Portland, Oregon, on June 29; San Francisco Bay Area, July 13, Philadelphia on Aug. 24 and Austin on Oct. 25-26 (Ride for the Roses weekend). The events feature a pre-ride sports village on Saturday and choice of a 70 or 100 mile ride on Sunday. Registration and pledge minimums for cyclists; incentives for big donors.

MS Bike Rides (National Multiple Sclerosis Society)

Marking its 29th year, the MS Bike Rides sponsor about 100 bike tours in 48 states this year. Some 100,000 participants raised $67 million for the society. Most, but not all, of these bicycle rides are two-day affairs, covering 150 miles. Overnight activities are planned for the longer rides, with camping, high-school gyms, or local hotels. Here's a map with all the MS bike rides, dates and locations for 2008.

Ride Without Limits (United Cerebral Palsy)

2008 will be the second year for this fund-raiser for United Cerebral Palsy fund. The two-day, 200-mile rides were scheduled in three cities this year. Fund-raising goal minimum is $500. Dates: San Diego - September 2008; Raliegh-Durham, NC - October 2008; Tampa Bay - November 2008. Check the Ride Without Limits website for updates.

Team in Training (Leukemia and Lymphoma)

Instead of sponsoring century rides, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society creates teams that train and raise pledges for participation in local and regional events. For instance, the Washington state chapter is preparing to ride in America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride on June 1, 2008, around Lake Tahoe, Nevada. More than $700 million has been raised since 1988. Look for the Team in Training website from the donation page, or check out the Century Ride webpage and insert your zip code.

Tour de Cure (American Diabetes Association)

Greg LeMond is the honorary chairperson of the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure. The tour is a series of rides in some 80 cities in 40 states nationwide, starting as early as March, so register early. In 2007, 32,000 cyclists participated in the rides, raising more than $13 million. One-day events of 10 to 100 miles. The rides are listed by state at the website.

AIDS Lifecycle (California)

The fund-raiser is produced by and helps benefit the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center is in its seventh year in 2008. This year's 545-mile ride is scheduled from June 1-7, 2008. Register soon; participants must raise a minimum $2,500.

Arthritis Foundation's Amgen California Coast Classic

The ride is a 520-mile, 8-day bike tour from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Riders can experience sun, rugged coasts, quiet beaches, lighthouses, giant forests, and famous wineries. Two options: a 6-day, 355-mile ride from San Francisco to Solvang or an 8-day, 520 mile ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Limited to firest 300 registrants. Dates: Sept. 20-27, 2008.

Hub on Wheels (Boston)

Helps fund technology for Boston public shool students. Three options, 10-50 miles; registration is $45. Date: Sept. 21, 2008.

Journey of Hope (Cross-country)

The Journey of Hope comprises three cross-country bicycle treks that begins in either San Francisco or Seattle and end together in Washington, D.C. The event raises funds and awareness for people with disabilities. All the bike riders are members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. A project of Push America. (Read more about it)

Wish a Mile 300 (Michigan) 

This annual 300-mile, three-day ride from Traverse City to Chelsea, Michigan, is a fund-raiser for Make a Wish Foundation of Michigan. The 21st annual ride in 2008 (July 24-27) raised $1.6 million, enough to fulfill 202 wishes. Check back for 2009.

Pan-Mass Challenge (Massachusetts)

This is the nation's biggest endurance sports fund-raiser; 4,300 cyclists raised $33 million for Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 2007. The bike-a-thon participants have a choice of nine different rides, including the original two-day Sturbridge to Provincetown route. Slated for Aug. 2 and 3, 2008.

Pan Ohio Hope Ride

This four-day bicycle tour from Cleveland  to  Cincinnati is back for its second year in 2008.  It features overnight stops in Wooster, Delaware, and Yellow Springs. Raises money for the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodges in Cleveland and Cincinnati. The lodges are temporary homes for persons undergoing cancer treatment. Registration is $150; minimum $2,500 in pledges. The dates are Aug. 7-10, 2008.

Stanley Stammpede (Washington)

A two-day bike-a-thon on San Juan and Lopez islands to raise money for the Stanley Stamm Children's Hospital Camp. The camp provides one-week of overnight camping at the foot of the Cascade Mountains to children with special needs that would prevent them from attending other camps. Registration is $50; must raise $150 in pledges. Dates: June 7 and 8, 2008

Tour de Nine Zero (Texas)

A choice of five rides is preceded by a Friday night spaghetti dinner and camping at the Roaring Springs Ranch Club. The event is geared to raise awareness of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. The five bike rides -- 7, 31, 50, 84, 101 miles -- wind through canyonland. Also the same day at the Highway 70 Garage Sale (garage sales along a 30-mile stretch of highway). It all happens in Roaring Springs, about an hour east of Lubbock. The dates are May 4-5, 2007 (No 2008 dates listed yet).

Tri-State Trek

This fund-raiser for treatment of Lou Gehrig's disease -- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) -- comprises 270 miles from Boston to New York. Entering its sixth year in 2008, the ride grossed $220,000 in 2006. The dates are July 18-20, 2008; there's a one-day route available as well.

There are hundreds of local fund-raisers rides as well. In the Northwest and Pacific Coast, find the list of fund-raising rides among the calendars of bicycling events in California, Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Let me know if I've missed anything, and I'll include it on the list. See my email in upper right.