It's Registration Time!

Alright all of you fence-sitters...let this be one final final push for you to register for the 2009 Audi Best Buddies Challenge. Yes, there is still 2 and a half months until the ride...and yes, you will still be able to register after Tuesday, but the next 5 days are the last 5 days that anyone will be able to register at our lower, fundraising commitment level of $1,450!


Let me give you a few reasons to register:

1. 100% of your fundraising commitment will got directly back into Best Buddies programs and make a difference in so many people's lives. Best Buddies needs your support more than ever and every donation helps.

2. This is the only 5-star, Highway 1 century ride that will be jam packed with incredible views, a challenging and rewarding route, after-ride festivities that will blow your mind (hot showers, professional massage, gourmet Hearst Castle BBQ, Ciara Concert...I could keep going...), and the certainty that you are doing it all for a fantastic cause.

3. Last Sunday was my (Cate, the ride coach's) birthday...and having you register would be a fantastic belated bday gift! (In fact, let's get 23 new riders/runners/walkers before July in honor of the age I just turned...that would be AWESOME!)

4. What fantastic motivation for summer fitness than to have a big ride/run/walk to be committed to at the very end of the summer?!

After Tuesday, the lowest fundraising level will be $1,700...which is still not too shabby, but why not commit now to $1,450 and then surpass that goal! Click here to begin the registration process. Email hccoach@bestbuddies.org with any questions! Join us and challenge yourself to change lives!

Fundraising Tip of the Week: Host a BBQ

Looking for a good way to rally your friends, family and neighbors to support your fundraising efforts? Pick a nice warm weekend and host a BBQ fundraiser! You can cook hot dogs and hamburgers, serve corn, chips and other side dishes, and have people bring their own beverages. You can even ask your local grocery store to donated food or ask local businesses to donate raffle prizes (i.e. gift certificates to spas, the movies or restaurants). We suggest either selling tickets to your BBQ or making a solicitation for donations sometime during the event. Fundraising has never tasted so good! So go on, let the grilling begin and the donations are sure to come!

Speaking of Barbeques, Teams B4 and Team Chateau Julien invite you to attend their barbeques:

Team B4 is hosting their BBQ in Yorba Linda, CA on June 21 and Team Chateau Julien is hosting a series of BBQs on July 4, August 8 and 29. For more information on these events, click here.

This Weekend's Best Buddies Training Rides

Hello Bay Area Riders,

I know this is a little last minute, but I’d like to invite you all to two great training rides just scheduled for this weekend. The weather forecast is looking great for Saturday and Sunday and with under 100-days until our big ride to the Hearst Castle, now is the time to take advantage of your weekends and put some good training miles under your legs. So come on out and meet some of your fellow event participants for two fun and relaxed training rides.

Saturday’s Ride:
Location: Cyclepath Bicycles (337 B Main St, Pleasanton, CA 94566)
Time: 8:15 am
Distance: Choice of 43, 20 or 30-mile ride

Join Best Buddies as we team up with KCBS, Channel 5's, Roberta Gonzales and Cyclepath Bicycles in downtown Pleasanton for a great ride around the East Bay. Departing Cyclepath Bicycles at 8:15 am, the ride will be an easy paced 43 miles with several stops for regrouping and turn off points for shorter 20 or 30 mile loops. Cyclepath Bicycles is located at 337 B Main St. (Behind the Bank of America Building), Pleasanton, CA 94566. Following the ride will be a barbeque lunch back at Cyclepath Bicycles! Click here for a detailed route map.

Sunday’s Ride:
Location: Longs Drug Store (3420 Camino Tassajara, Danville, CA 94506)
Time: 9:00 am
Distance: 44 miles with an optional 25 mile Mt. Diablo extension.

Team PG&E would like to invite all riders to join in on their second team training ride of the year. Team Captain, Keith Reed, will lead a group on a mostly flat ride through Danville into Livermore Valley at a casual no drop pace. The ride will depart from Longs Drug Store in Danville at 9:00 am. Upon returning from the ride, those who wish to put in some additional miles can continue on for a 25 mile extended ride up Mt. Diablo (2,500 ft of climbing). Click here for a detailed route map.

If you have any questions regarding these rides, please call Jeremiah Angel at 415.379.4729.

Also, future training rides will be posted up on the Training Rides section of our website at least five days in advance. If you are interested in attending future rides, I would highly suggest visiting that section of our website before planning your weekend training. And lastly, if you or your team is interested in leading a weekend training ride please let me know and I’ll work with you to get information about your group ride on our website and in other communications with other Audi Best Buddies Challenge riders.


See you on the road,

Jeremiah Angel
Audi Best Buddies Challenge Coach

Fundraising Tip of the Week: 100 Days Until HC

Hi Everyone! It's been a little while since our last post. We had an extremely successful Hyannis Port Challenge and have been recovering for a week or so. We'll be sharing photos from the event as soon as they come back. Hearst Castle participants...if HC is anywhere near as awesome as HP was, you are in for an unforgettable day!

Now, down to fundraising business. Last Thursday, June 4, marked 100 days until the Hearst Castle ride. Friday, June 12, marks exactly 3 months until HC. Whatever way you want to look at it, September 12 is coming up quickly and before we know it, you'll be coasting down the PCH. In honor of 100 days until the event...err, 94 days...I wanted to share this special letter sample we've drafted for participants to share with donors. Send it out to 10 people, asking for $10, and you've got yourself a quick and easy $100! Happy Fundraising!

Dear (Your Friend’s Name),

100 days from now, I’ll proudly sport my bike shorts and Audi Best Buddies Challenge jersey, and cycle 100 miles from Carmel to San Simeon to support people with intellectual disbilities! And I need your support to get me there!

The Best Buddies Challenge is a one-of-a-kind five-star event, and it benefits a very important organization. Best Buddies is an international non-profit that supports people with intellectual disabilities by providing one-on-one friendships and integrated employment opportunities. In middle schools, high schools, colleges, and businesses across the country people are benefitting because of Best Buddies. Every single dollar that I raise will go directly to this great organization, so you can feel confident that 100% of your donations benefit people with intellectual disabilities! You can learn more about Best Buddies at www.bestbuddies.org.

Please consider making your tax deductible donation today. To kick-off the 100 –day count down to the Audi Best Buddies Challenge, I am committed to raising at least $100 this week- and with your help I know I can exceed that! As I cycle 100 miles along the coast of California, I’ll be thinking of you and your support, and when I cross the finish line on September 12, I’ll know that your donation made each and every mile happen. If you’d like to make a donation to me quickly and easily, visit hcchallenge.org then click on “sponsor participant,” and then search for me. You can also support my participation in the Audi Best Buddies Challenge Ride by sending me a check, written out to Best Buddies. I’ll be sure your donation gets to Best Buddies right away!

Thanks so much! And if you happen to be free 100 days from now, please come out and cheer me on! I’ll need it!

All my best,

Your Name Here

4 Days Until Hyannis Port!!

With the Hyannis Port Challenge just days ago, it’s time to pack your bags and get ready! Do you have what you need?

Don’t forget to bring:

• A positive attitude… you can do this ride! You’ve come so far, and now is the time to celebrate.
• Friendship and good sportsmanship… help and encourage fellow riders, runners, and walkers! If you see someone alone, say hello! This event is all about friendships, so make yourself a new friend along the way.
• Bicycle helmet, gloves, bike shorts and foul weather gear. You never know what the weather will be like in Boston in May…so be prepared! (And if we all bring rain gear, it won’t rain!)
• Extra foods/fluids: energy gels and bars, dried fruits, fig bars, bladder-style drinking systems. We’ll have snacks along the route, but if you have a specific food that works for you, be sure to bring it!
• Equipment/other: tubes, sew-ups, bike pump, quick fills, tire levers, allen wrenches, water bottles, small medical pouch (band-aids, blister block), cycling gloves, sunscreen, cell phone, money, driver license and credit card. We will have bike mechanics and medical support throughout the route, but it always helps to be prepared!
• A change of clothes. There will be hot showers at the finish line, so bring a change of clothes so you can be comfortable for the after party!

Preparation
The following items should be worn:

• Helmet (mandatory)
• Gloves
• Mirror (either on helmet, glasses or handlebar)
• Audi Best Buddies Challenge jersey, T-shirt, windbreaker or clear raingear in bad weather or in diminished light conditions
• Bike shorts are best for comfort and worn without underwear to prevent seam abrasions
• Sturdy shoes: bike shoes are the best for pedaling efficiency

Check out the Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port website for more last minute details. See you on Saturday!

Fundraising Tip of the Week: The Big Ask

For Hyannis Port participants, you are down to the final stretch...Congrats and see you soon! For Hearst Castle participants, hopefully you are at least thinking about fundraising. HP participants, this tip is a little bit more for you to do in the next week or so. By now, you've sent emails and follow up emails and you have either passed your goal or are "this close" to it. Now is the time for a big, final push. Look back through the list of people you've reached out to and check to see who has donated. Next, look specifically at the list of those who did not donate. Is there one person on there who you were expecting to donate...possibly a big donation? This is who will be your Big Ask.

Invite this person for a cup of coffee or simply pick up the phone and call this special person to talk a little more about what drew you to participate in the Best Buddies Challenge. What about the Best Buddies mission impacted you most and is worth challenging yourself to ride/walk/run the many miles? Remind this person that you are not raising money for yourself, but instead for all of the people who are impacted by Best Buddies 6 different programs. Now comes the most important part. Ask for a specific amount, and aim high! Sometimes these donors don't know what you need or how much to give. By giving them an actual number, there's a good chance you will have a check being written out to Best Buddies on your behalf. Whether they give what you ask or more/less, that is a (big) donation that you would not have gotten had you not taken the extra time and personal touch to describe exactly what you needed from them.

For ideas of what to say, check out the Best Buddies International website or the Audi Best Buddies Challenge website. We are so excited to have 300+ more participants in this year's Hyannis Port Challenge (and hopefully more late-joiners) than in 2008! Happy Fundraising and enjoy your last pre-Challenge week!

Fundraising Tip of the Week: Training and Fundraising in One

As I write this from my Boston office, I am constantly glancing out to window to make sure the sun is still shining. We have been feeling spring-like in Massachusetts for a few weeks now (and I'm sure California is gorgeous too...always). All of this awesome weather makes for the perfect time to organize a training ride to act like a fundraiser. Oh, the joys of multitasking.

Take a Saturday morning and map out a route around your neighborhood or along a bike path near your town. You can use MapMyRide.com to search for routes and map your own rides. You could also check in with a local bike shop to see if you can team up with them for a weekly ride (many shops host rides for their clients). Then invite family, friends, coworkers, etc. to come out and join you for a great morning ride! Ask your supporters to make donations along the route. You will be demonstrating your commitment to training and succeeding in the ride by leading the pack through your ride!

You might even consider hosting a picnic or BBQ after the ride to keep the festivities going. This is a great time to describe what the Audi Best Buddies Challenge is and why you are so excited to do it.

For route ideas, ride materials or any other ideas, don't hesitate to email us at hccoach@ bestbuddies.org. Also, if you would like to lead training rides in your area, let us know! We're always looking for route leaders and new training rides. Happy Fundraising and bring on the summer!

Best Buddies Celebrates Bike-to-Work Day

May is National Bike Month with May 11-15 being Bike-to-Work Week and cities around the country hosting official Bike-to-Work Day events. We'd like to encourage all our Audi Best Buddies Challenge riders, walkers and runs to participate in Bike-to-Work Week and join fellow bike commuters in celebration of pedal power! Boston's official Bike-to-Work Day is on Friday, May 15 and for those of you in the Bay Area of California, our Bike-to-Work Day is on Thursday, May 14.

In San Francisco, our Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hearst Castle staff is teaming up with our event sponsor, PG&E, to host a downtown "Energizer Station" where commuters can stop by for free coffee, bagels and other breakfast items. Our Energizer Station will be located on Beale Street between Market and Mission from 6:30 - 9:00 am. In addition to breakfast, we will also have lots of other cool give-away items. If you can't make it to our Energizer Station, there are 26 other stations which will be open to bike commuters around the Bay Area. For a detailed listing of all Energizer Stations and more information on the Bay Area's Bike-to-Work Day visit the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's website.

ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCED: CIARA TO PERFORM AT HEARST CASTLE!!

We are so excited to announce that this year at the Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hearst Castle, we will be celebrating at the finish line with an exciting performance from Grammy-winning artist, Ciara!

Ciara, one of People Magazine’s Most Beautiful People, brings her high-powered sound and energy to this great event! Ciara is best known for hit songs “One Two Step,” “Goodies,” “Like a Boy,” and her latest hit, “Love Sex Magic”. She has collaborated with some of today’s hottest musicians such as Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliot, Ludacris and Ne Yo. Bursting onto the music scene in 2004 with her album Goodies, Ciara has evolved into a hit-making, boundary-breaking musician with her just-released (and appropriately titled) third album, Fantasy Ride. Be sure to catch Ciara as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, this Saturday, May 9!

So tune in to SNL for a sneak preview and register for the Challenge if you haven't already done so! It's bound to be an unforgettable day!

Fundraising Tip of the Week: This One is for Moms

Mother's Day is coming up on Sunday, May 10, and I'm sure your kids are scrambling to find the perfect bouquet of flowers or your favorite box of chocolate. We might suggest hinting to your children that donations to your Best Buddies Challenge fund are also happily accepted. Not only will your kids be showing how much they love and appreciate you, but they will be helping you support the Best Buddies mission.

A musical greeting card is great, as are the flowers, chocolates, and custom-made noodle necklaces, but a simple donation to your fundraising goal will last a lot longer through the friendships it builds and job opportunities it creates. Thank you for all that you do to support our Best Buddies family, and we can't wait to see you at the event!

For more fundraising tips, email hccoach@bestbuddies.org.