Is There a Bike Hire Shop in Suffolk?
For the last few days we've spent some time brainstorming fund-raising ideas for another project, and I have to say the Warrior Forum members have been coming up with some great ideas that I might steal for myself :-)
So it occured to me that the Paris-Venice trip will be even more lucrative for the charities concerned - and remember each team member will probably have their own causes - if I open up this opportunity for suppliers to contribute in exchange for loads of lovely goodwill and publicity.
For the last trip, a bike shop in Norwich supplied half a car load of spares on a sale or return basis - and every single spare was returned unused. There wasn't even a puncture between the four riders over two weeks in the Pyrenees.
(To be fair, one team member broke his seat bolt on the final day, but they didn't have a spare for that.)
So there's actually no reason to believe that supporting me on the trip will cost a switched-on local bike shop a penny. As I've already said, the trip will be self-funded - it's just equipment 'hire' and spares I'm looking for. And as we'll be unsupported, we won't be carrying too many spares!
You will receive:
Frequent expressions of undying gratitude (ie, PR and advertising) from me on Twitter, Facebook, this blog, forums, online press releases, at networking events and probably in the local press. If it helps, note that I'm the 'most influential twitterer' in Bury St Edmunds...
And I just need:
1. Supply or loan of a suitable bike in time to do most of my training on it over the spring and summer. I will need to keep up with fit (younger!) people on road bikes on the flat and be able to climb Alpine passes, with luggage, so a tourer or possibly a hybrid with pannier racks and wide-ranging gears will be essential. As a guide, gears need to be something like 28/38/48 front and 14-32 rear.
We won't be racing, but John is seriously talking about doing 100-120 miles on day two, to get to the hills quicker!
2. Spare tyres, tubes and repair kit. I expect to wear out a set of tyres, but there's a good chance you'll get the spares back unused. Puncture-resistance is essential. Probably 700x32 tyres.
3. Probably panniers. I have my own but I expect I'll need a larger pair for this trip.
4. A few clothing items, but we will be carrying the minimum possible!
Hey - if you want to chip in for my rail fare in exchange for even more gratitude, kudos and cheap publicity, don't be shy! Eurostar is apparently only £49 to Paris, where we'll start the ride, and the train back from Venice to Paris can be as little as £42.
If all that publicity is too much to bear, you can donate anonymously via the Just Giving widgets on this page or buy your own cycling and outdoor gear through the Wiggle and Evans Cycles links at top right instead. I'm donating at least 50% of commissions earned to the two charities.
In case you've forgotten, or this is your first visit, my two charities are Make a Wish Foundation and Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Thanks for reading!
Roy
So it occured to me that the Paris-Venice trip will be even more lucrative for the charities concerned - and remember each team member will probably have their own causes - if I open up this opportunity for suppliers to contribute in exchange for loads of lovely goodwill and publicity.
For the last trip, a bike shop in Norwich supplied half a car load of spares on a sale or return basis - and every single spare was returned unused. There wasn't even a puncture between the four riders over two weeks in the Pyrenees.
(To be fair, one team member broke his seat bolt on the final day, but they didn't have a spare for that.)
So there's actually no reason to believe that supporting me on the trip will cost a switched-on local bike shop a penny. As I've already said, the trip will be self-funded - it's just equipment 'hire' and spares I'm looking for. And as we'll be unsupported, we won't be carrying too many spares!
You will receive:
Frequent expressions of undying gratitude (ie, PR and advertising) from me on Twitter, Facebook, this blog, forums, online press releases, at networking events and probably in the local press. If it helps, note that I'm the 'most influential twitterer' in Bury St Edmunds...
And I just need:
1. Supply or loan of a suitable bike in time to do most of my training on it over the spring and summer. I will need to keep up with fit (younger!) people on road bikes on the flat and be able to climb Alpine passes, with luggage, so a tourer or possibly a hybrid with pannier racks and wide-ranging gears will be essential. As a guide, gears need to be something like 28/38/48 front and 14-32 rear.
We won't be racing, but John is seriously talking about doing 100-120 miles on day two, to get to the hills quicker!
2. Spare tyres, tubes and repair kit. I expect to wear out a set of tyres, but there's a good chance you'll get the spares back unused. Puncture-resistance is essential. Probably 700x32 tyres.
3. Probably panniers. I have my own but I expect I'll need a larger pair for this trip.
4. A few clothing items, but we will be carrying the minimum possible!
Hey - if you want to chip in for my rail fare in exchange for even more gratitude, kudos and cheap publicity, don't be shy! Eurostar is apparently only £49 to Paris, where we'll start the ride, and the train back from Venice to Paris can be as little as £42.
If all that publicity is too much to bear, you can donate anonymously via the Just Giving widgets on this page or buy your own cycling and outdoor gear through the Wiggle and Evans Cycles links at top right instead. I'm donating at least 50% of commissions earned to the two charities.
In case you've forgotten, or this is your first visit, my two charities are Make a Wish Foundation and Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Thanks for reading!
Roy
Labels: be stronger tomorrow, bike hire, bike loan, paris to venice, sponsors wanted, touring bike
posted by Roy Everitt at
13:48
2 Comments:
Best of luck Roy! How many legs does your "little" trip consist of? One idea is people could sponsor one leg or more. Perhaps you could target pharmaceutical companies for sponsorships? Organize seminars, get out on local/regional radio and spread info about what you are up to.
Here in Sweden there are a few guys who orgaize a fundraising longdistance bike trip in favour of Children's cancer fund the way I tried to describe above, or "Spinning against Breast Cancer" etc.
Well anyway, these were just a few thoughts.
Thanks for that, George. It will probably be 12-14 days, so people could sponsor a day at a time, and the price rises as the terrain does!
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