 If you are receiving this, you are involved in cycling in the Southeast USA. You are probably helping, or thinking about how to help, our Western North Carolina friends and neighbors recover from absolutely horrific destruction. At RaceReach we're helping and thinking of ways to do more, perhaps using our love and knowledge of cycling and sports. We know there will be opportunities to help for months and years ahead. Cyclists can help NC rebuild. This note shares just one idea how. This idea might not be the right idea, but it's an opportunity to get cycling and sports leaders across the Southeast thinking and talking about what's possible. The above photo of a stretch of the damaged Blue Ridge Parkway has been circulating over the past few days. The Parkway is closed for the foreseeable future, but will be reopened, in some way, at some time. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a dream ride for many cyclists. Can we create one of the greatest cycling opportunities ever, with the Parkway as the centerpiece? What if someone reading this could take the lead on convincing the National Park Service to allow a cycling event before the Parkway reopened to cars? It could be a massive fundraiser, with thousands of cyclists setting out in waves to ride even just a short portion of the "closed" Parkway. The event could begin and end in a small nearby mountain town, celebrating the Parkway and the people of Western North Carolina. Being the event director for that ride could be the sports accomplishment of a lifetime! While nobody knows when this date will be or how much lead time might exist to allow for event planning, perhaps discussions can begin as soon as today. We at RaceReach don't have the resources to be the on-site director for event like this - but you may - perhaps as a solo event director, co-director or committee member. While RaceReach can't execute an event like this, we're here and ready to help with RaceReach powered fundraising, registration, volunteer management, website, sponsor management and more. We'll bring all the technology we have to make your ideas into reality. We've had a few indications of interest already, and we're happy to use cycling to connect people who are interested in helping communities and people in Western NC. Interested in helping? Provide your information HERE and we'll start connecting leaders who are willing to discuss bringing ideas like this to life. Sincerely, Mark, Dave and the RaceReach Team Direct URL to form: https://app.racereach.com/form/69034 |