Thursday, September 20, 2012

2012 Whitney Classic Fund Raising Appeal


September 2012

Riding through Death Valley in 2010

 
Yes, its that time of year again…The 31th Annual Whitney Classic Bike Ride, Summit Adventure’s main fundraising event, will take place on September 29th-30th .The Whitney is an adventurous 135-mile bike ride that starts at 3:00 p.m. at Badwater, Death Valley, California (282 ft. below sea level), continues through the night and finishes the next morning at the portals at Mt. Whitney (8365 feet above sea level). The ride includes three major climbs of 17 miles, 13 miles and 13 miles, two of which by Tour de France classifications are considered “Out of Category” which to you and me means “really, really steep.” Total elevation gain for the ride is 15,300 feet.

This is my 13th Whitney! What, are you nuts? Yes, nuts and addicted to this awesome ride. I love to ride, I love Summit Adventure, and I love this event. Nothing matches the awesome course, camaraderie of the participants, and incredible support from the Summit Staff and volunteers. Many of you have been loyal supporters of Summit all these years. I cannot thank you enough!

This year I was able to convince 4 other riders (Michael Atkins, Ryan Snow, Daniel Tansill, and Carlton van Leuven) to ride uphill, in the heat, and through the night to join me for this suffer fest! All are experienced riders, but none have ridden the Whitney Classic as a solo rider. This year will all ride solo for the ‘Full Whitney’ Audax Style (together as a group). This will be my 7th Whitney solo effort!

In the past twelve years, through your generous support, we have contributed over $125,000 to Summit Adventure! Thank you! Here’s where you come in: I have set a goal to raise $10,000 for this year’s Whitney. Course income provides for only 45 percent of the Summit budget. The rest comes through fund raising events such as the Whitney Classic. I served as a member of the Summit Board of Directors and know how critical a successful Whitney is to the financial health of the ministry. Debby, Mark, Michael and I have all participated on Summit courses over the years and have been deeply impacted by this great ministry! We all love Summit. That’s why I ride!

Please join my support team and send in your donation today! (Donate online by clicking here and indicate ‘Steve Atkins WC’ in the donor comment box).

Please pray with me for a safe, successful event. If you have any questions, or would like to just catch up, please call me at 602-549-5331 or at home at 480-775-1682. I would love to hear from you. Thank you and God bless!

Check out Summit’s web page by clicking here             


Thank you for your continued support!



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