It started out as a gloomy, chilly day. Riders gathered in the small lot in front of the shop and warmed themselves up with hot coffee from Brio Coffeeworks while more riders arrived. Some noshed on Miss Weinerz donuts and Barrio Bakery pastries while others checked out their maps or tucked their Lake Champlain Chocolates, Cabot cheese snacks, and granola bars from the registration packets into their bags and pockets.
Three different rides departed from the Old Spokes Home parking lot between 8am and 11:30am, all following different routes and all featuring beautiful scenery from around the state. The Hundo Fundo left at 8am.
The Hundo Fundo was 63 miles, nearly half gravel, and featured a whole lot of gravel and touring bikes with a smattering of outliers: a fixed Peugeot with a Wald basket, a tall bike, and a rental e-bike were memorable.
The Grundo Fundo left at 10am for 34 miles of rolling roads through Chittenden County.
The Urbundo Fundo explored Burlington via the Cycle the City route, a 10.1 mile ride featuring different parks, the waterfront bike path, and different neighborhoods of Burlington.
Aid stations along the routes offered homemade pies (thank you, volunteers!), fruit, salty things, Sap! maple soda, and water. Riders claimed general stores as secondary aid stations, stopping for beers, hot food, and other treats.
All riders registered and operated personal fundraising pages to raise funds and awareness for our programs, from Everybody Bikes to Youth Shop, from Queen City Bicycle Club to Youth Mechanics-in-Training, and more. Some riders raised the recommended minimum of $150, some joined teams and raised upwards of $500. Our biggest individual fundraiser raised nearly $4,000. All in all, riders raised over $38,500 -- and counting -- to support our work using the bike as a tool for social change.
Riders returned to the Transmission Center parking lot, a crusty site next door to Old Spokes Home. We spiffed up the lot with picnic tables and decorations. Local Motion offered valet bike parking in the Old Spokes Home parking lot. The sun shone bright as Skinny Pancake served up pulled pork sliders. Riders had their pick of Zero Gravity draught, cans of Citizen Cider, and/or recovery chocolate milks from Monument Farms Dairy.
We had an amazing time and we don't know where to start when it comes to sharing out gratitude with everyone involved.
Thank you to the 130+ riders, 30+ volunteers, 19 local business sponsors, and the 600+ people who contributed. We're honored and motivated to make this our most productive year yet. Time to get to work.
