Bike Diva

Giant Anthem Bicycle Recall

Giant Recalls Anthem X 29er Bicycles Due to Fall Hazard

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2010

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of product: 2011 Model Year Anthem Giant Bicycles

Units: About 370

Importer: Giant Bicycle Inc., of Newbury Park, Calif.

Manufacturer: Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd., of Taiwan

Hazard:  The frame can crack at the junction of the seat post and top tube, posing a fall hazard to riders.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: This recall involves 2011 model year Giant Anthem X 29er 1, 2 and 3 model bicycles. The bicycles were sold in small, medium and large. "Giant" and the model name are printed on the bicycle.

Sold by: Authorized Giant Bicycle dealers nationwide during August 2010 for between $2,200 and $3,500.

Manufactured in: Taiwan

Remedy:  Consumers should immediately stop riding the recalled bicycles and contact any authorized Giant Bicycle dealer for a free inspection and repair.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Giant Bicycle toll-free at (866) 458-2555 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or visit the firm's website at www.giant-bicycles.com.

Photos are available at: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11038.html

CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx.

Firm's Recall Hotline: (866) 458-2555

CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772

CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

CONTACT: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Media Contact, +1-301-504-7908

Web Site: http://www.cpsc.gov

Amateur Athletes Yearly Racing & Training Budget

Above: Just a small sampling of the shoes a runner will go through in a typical year.

Budget Your Athletic Expenses

Although I've been a cyclist for about 7 years, 2011 will be the beginning of my 4th race season. I started running about 3 years ago, when I decided I wanted to start competing in duathlons and a few half marathons.

Somewhere along the way I decided to look into possible sponsorship opportunities. I was born in 1963, so my racing age will be 48 years old for the 2011 race season. I wasn't expecting much, at my advanced age, and not being an Olympic hopeful, but I figured nothing ventured is nothing gained and sent out a few sponsorship proposals. Read my article How to Find Sponsorship Opportunities for details on how to write a sponsorship proposal and find sponsorship opportunities.

Now that I have a few years of racing under my belt, I am realizing I am quite young. I've raced against girls in their late 60's and men in their late 70's, and they are still kicking butt! You are never too old to start racing. I think the fact that I participate in so many races, over 20 this year, and am a freelance writer with two sports related blogs, probably helps my chances of getting sponsored.

Above: Examples of a few personal care products used by athletes.

Yearly Athletic Budget

For 2011 I am looking into possibly getting a few monetary sponsorships. Right now my sponsorships are either in the form of free gear or a Pro Deal Discount on products. But I have quite a few expenses and would like to be able to compete in the USAT Duathlon National Championships which take place in Tucson, Arizona in 2011 and 2012. So I decided to come up with an athlete budget which I could include in my sponsorship proposal, to show potential sponsors where their $$ contributions are needed.

Lynn Smythe Yearly Athlete Budget

1. Race entry fees
2. Gas and vehicle expenses
3. Meals
4. Personal trainer and/or coaching fees
5. Club memberships
6. Books and Magazine subscriptions
7. Nutrition and hydration
8. Personal care products
9. Shoes and clothing
10. Bike equipment and maintenance
11. Airfare
12. Bike shipping
13. Hotels

Above: Two aero hydration systems by Profile Designs.

Break Down of Athlete's Expenses

1. Race entry fees. I like to go over the previous years races, decide which ones I want to race in next year, drop the races I didn't enjoy, and add a list of new races I'd like to participate in for the upcoming race season. Local 5k events aren't too bad; around $25-$40 per race, but some of my bigger events, like the Miami Man half Ironman duathlon cost $280 or more to enter. My 2010 race entry fees came out to around $1,000.

2. Gas or vehicle expense. Might just be easier to figure out your total miles driving to and from your events and then figure on a per mile rate for gas and vehicle maintenance. In 2010 the IRS is allowing you to deduct 50 cents per mile as a business vehicle expenses. I'm not saying you can deduct 50 cents per mile on your tax return for all the driving to/from your events; I'm just trying to figure out a way to guesstimate your athletic related vehicle expenses for the year. 

3. Meals. Some of my events are an hour or more drive to and from my house. I try to bring all my necessary fluids and food with me, but sometimes you just have to pull into the nearest convenience store for a cold drink or stop at a restaurant on your way home to enjoy some real food. Gel packs, shot blocks and electrolyte drinks get old after awhile. And if you are getting a hotel room a day or two before events that are further away, you will definitely want to figure out your cost of meals, drinks and snacks while away from home.

4. Personal trainer and/or coaches fees. I started with a cycling coach at the beginning of the year. He was a great coach, but as my main focus is on duathlon racing (run-bike-run) a cycling coach really wasn't what I was looking for. The coaching was also done online and through phone calls, I am more of a one-on-one type of person. I started going to a personal trainer a few months ago, to work on my upper body and core strength and I absolutely love it. I was working out at home a few times a week, but having the weights and equipment right next to my laundry room just didn't work out that well. I always felt guilty about working out when there was a huge mountain of stinky clothes staring at me.

I started out going to the personal trainer twice a week for 1/2 hour at a time, but I have recently gone to 3x per week. Personal trainers are NOT cheap. Mine charges $80 per hour for individual sessions or $70 per hour if you sign up for 3 hours at a time. So it costs me $210 every two weeks for 6 half hour sessions. So assuming I don't take any time off for vacations, my yearly personal training budget comes to $5,460 - YIKES! My cycling coach only charged $50 per month plus a yearly $100 setup fee; but the triathlon multisport coaches I've been researching charge anywhere from $200 to $400 per month, so I guess my personal trainer fees aren't that far out of line.

5. Club Memberships. Do you belong to any cycling, running or triathlon clubs? My husband and I belong to a couple of local bike clubs which charge a yearly membership fee to each of their members. One of the bike clubs is through a local bike shop. You get a 20% store wide discount, excluding bikes, for being a member of the club. Definitely worth the $30 yearly family membership fee.

Above: Fluid makes a great protein/carb recovery drink to have after your intense training sessions and races.

6. Books and Magazine Subscriptions. I go to the bookstore every few weeks to see which issues of my favorite magazines have come out. It can get a bit pricey to buy individual copies of magazines, so you might want to look into getting a yearly subscription to your favorites. I subscribe to Triathlon Magazine, but still buy individual copies of certain issues of Inside Triathlon, Trail Runner and Runner's World. I might eventually get subscriptions to those magazines in the future.

Have you purchased any sports related books to help with your training and racing? Keep records of your yearly purchases and figure that into your athletic budget. I am a book NUT, I try to find discounted copies of books through Amazon.com and occasionally get free review copies of sports books to review for my Bike Diva and Run Diva blogs.

I am relatively new to racing, so right now I'm in the sponge stage. I can't get enough of cycling, running and triathlon magazines and books. Here is a list of books I purchased in 2010:

• The Triathlete's Training Bible
• Zinn & the Art of Triathlon Bikes
• The Athlete's Plate
• Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes
• Racing Weight
• Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running
• Marathon; The Ultimate Training Guide
• Training and Racing with a Power Meter
• The Slow Fat Triathlete
• Shape Up with the Slow Fat Triathlete
• The Triathlete's Guide to Bike Training
• The Triathlete's Guide to Run Training

7. Nutrition and hydration. For all your sports related food and drinks. Electrolyte powders, salt tablets, recovery drinks, protein bars, gel packs, shot blocks, etc... I go through a ton of this stuff every year. I have a few sponsors that have given me a Pro Deal Discount on various nutrition products so I have a closet full of nutrition and hydration products on hand at all times. In lieu of sponsorship, try buying in bulk, i.e. full cases and canisters of products instead of individual packages.

8. Personal care products. Do I have to spell it out for you? Here is a list of some of the personal care products I use on a regular basis:

• Chamois butter - to prevent chaffing and saddle sores while on the bike
• Body Glide - to prevent chaffing while running.
• Sun screen - I live in south east Florida and go through a TON of sunscreen each year.
• Lip gloss - I try to use one with a SPF of 15 or higher.
• Bio Freeze - or similar product. To rub on sore muscles during and after long training sessions and century bike rides.
• Adult wipes - Action wipes or similar product. To do a quick wipe down of muck and grime after riding. Especially nice if you are out on the mountain bike trails, miles away from indoor plumbing. 
• Travel size Kleenix. I can't tell you how many races I've been to and there is no toilet paper in the porta-potties. I've even been to events with indoor plumbing, and again no tp when you need it. Maybe guys can get away with the shake it off and put your junk back in your shorts method, but most girls need a bit of paper to get the job done. TMI?

9. Shoes and clothing. Figure out you yearly expenses for cycling shoes, running shoes, running hats, socks, jogging bras, shorts, tops, racing uniforms, etc... I go through a ton of running shoes per year, but my road bike shoes and triathlon bike shoes should last a couple of years. Clothing and equipment eventually wears out and will need to be replaced. I also figure out expenses for things like compression sleeves and quick laces into this category. And do you need to put your sponsorship logos on your race uniforms? Then you will need to research companies that will make customized clothing for you at a decent price.

Above: Most runners, cyclists and triathletes will want to invest in a good run and/or bike computer with heart rate monitor.

10. Bike equipment and maintenance. Unless you are a pro cyclist or triathlete, you shouldn't need to get a new bike every year. But your bike will need at least a yearly tune up, unless you know how to do that yourself, and certain items on your bike will need replacing and/or upgrading on a regular basis. I own three bikes, a Felt Breed single speed cyclocross bike, a Trek Madone 6.5 carbon fiber road bike and a Cervelo P2C triathlon bike. Right now I do all my racing on the tri bike, so I only figure in expenses for that bike into my yearly racing budget. Here's a few items to consider adding to your yearly bike budget:

• Tune ups - yearly or more often if you do a lot of racing
• Tubes and CO2 cartridges - unless you are blessed with never getting a flat tire, you will need a few inner tubes during the year. I ride clincher tires on my tri bike, if you ride tubular tires, you can eliminate this expense.
• Tires - tires don't last forever, I usually replace mine at least once per year. And you might want a couple of sets of tires depending on the various training and racing conditions you will encounter throughout the year. I race with red Michelin Pro 3 Race tires on my tri bike, they retail for around $55 to $65 each; that's over $100 per set of tires. But these tires last FOREVER!
• Misc. bike components - water bottles, water bottle holders, bike bags, lights, etc... You should be able to get a few years out of these items, but they will eventually need replacing. And my dishwasher occasionally melts my water bottles, or the bottles get launched into never-never-land when you hit a big bump.
• Helmets - I wear a road bike helmet for training and one of those funky aero helmets while racing. I crashed on my road bike a few months ago, no big deal, but after a close examination of my helmet I noticed three hairline cracks. That helmet got trashed and I had to get a new helmet. Good road bike helmets can cost upwards of $100, my current helmet retails for around $185, and my aero helmet was around $300. Luckily I have a Pro Deal discount from Rudy Project for cycling helmets and sunglasses.
• Sunglasses. I guess this could be put in the clothing and shoe category but good cycling and running glasses can cost a bit of $$$$. I put sunglasses in the bike expense category, all my sunglasses are cycling specific but can also be used for running. Most of my sunglasses have interchangeable lenses so I can change out the lens depending on weather/sunlight conditions.
• Bike upgrades. New set of wheels, aerobars, etc... I've got some really nice bikes, but I'm always drooling over the latest and greatest equipment upgrades I see in magazines.
• Electronic gadgets. Cycling computer, run computer, multisport computer. I was using a Garmin Edge 305 cycle computer while biking, and a Tech40 run computer while running and walking. I recently misplaced the cycle computer, and as I have a birthday coming up, I decide to indulge in my wish to own a Garmin Forerunner 310XT multisport computer with heart rate monitor. It is pretty cool. It is water proof and can be used for run, bike or swim workouts. It even has a multisport setting, which will be perfect for recording all my data during my duathlon races. This piece of equipment, while pricey, should last you many years. The Garmin Forerunner 310XT retails for around $400, shop around online to find the best price.

11. Airfare. Are you doing any out of state or out of country events? Then you will want to figure in airline expenses into your yearly budget.

12. Bike shipping. Again, you only need to figure this expense in if you are flying to out of state or out of country events. Check the ads in the back of triathlon magazines or do a search online for bike shipping companies. Might be cheaper and more secure than having the airlines ship your bike.

13. Hotels. For far away events. Out of state, out of country, or even in state events that are more than a few hours drive from your home.

Above: The Bike Diva's road bike prior to upgrading the wheels. I crashed on this bike at the beginning of the year and tacoed the back wheel. I'm now riding this bike with a pair of Easton EA90 SLX road bike wheels - NICE!

Contact the Bike Diva

Leave me a comment at the end of this blog post. I would love to hear about your yearly athletic budget. Are there any major categories that I've forgotten that you think should be added into a typical athletes budget? Maybe conferences and clinics? I guess if you are traveling to Interbike or attending a special training session by a famous athlete/coach you will want to add that into your budget.

After writing this blog post, I realize I have caviar dreams and champagne wishes on a happy meal budget. Do most amateur athletes have similar expenses or am I pro racer wanna be!?! Luckily my freelance writing income covers most of my training and racing expenses, but I was really hoping to start saving up that $$ to use a a down payment on a house in North Carolina. Bummer.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Find Athletic Events on Active.com

Sporting Events on Active.com

Active.com is a terrific resource that all athletes should know about. Running, cycling, triathlons, swimming, golf, tennis, basketball, soccer and more, are all sports that are covered on the Active.com website.  Community wide resources on the Active.com website include newsletters, race results, training plans, free training logs, videos and more.

Register for Races

I discovered Active.com a few years ago when I went to register for my first road bike event. The events website included a link to their Active.com registration page. The registration page included all the details about the ride, ride distance options, location of the ride etc… and let me register and pay the entry fee for the event. Active.com sends you an email confirmation once you have registered and paid for the event. I suggest printing out a copy of the registration confirmation and taking it with you, just in case there are any problems when you go to check in on the day of your event.

You can do a search on the site on the sport you are interested in, by state or by zip code, to get a listing of upcoming events in your area. I just did a search of cycling events within 100 miles of my home and came up with a list of over 14 events that take place between this weekend and the end of the year.

Subscribe to Your Sports Newsletter

Since my main interest is cycling, I subscribe to the Active.com cycling newsletter, which is sent to me via email every few weeks. The newsletter has links to online articles on a wide variety of cycling topics, including recent cycling news, training guidelines, nutrition tips and more.

So whether you are training for your next century ride, marathon or triathlon, check out the Active.com website for tons of great information on your sport.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Niner Bikes Recalled

PRESS RELEASE

Niner Bikes Recalls Bicycle Frame Due to Crash Hazard

WASHINGTON, May 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

 (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030904/USCSCLOGO )

 Name of product: Bicycle frame

 Units: About 750

 Manufacturer: Niner Bikes of North Hollywood, California

Hazard: A welding deficiency can cause the bicycle frames to crack along the welds of the front triangle of the bicycle. This can cause the rider to lose control and crash.

Incidents/Injuries: Niner Bikes has not received any reports of injuries. The company has received 53 reports of cracks along the welds while bicycles were in use.

Description: The recalled bicycle frames include all Jet 9 models ranging sequentially from serial numbers P8001682 to P9400454. The frame is a full suspension model in the colors green, white or black. "Jet 9" and "Niner" are painted on the bicycle frame. The frame was made from 6000 series aluminum.

Sold at: Bicycle stores nationwide and overseas from March 2008 through September 2009 for $1,750.

Manufactured in: Taiwan

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled frames and contact Niner Bikes for a replacement.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Niner Bikes toll-free at (877) 646-3792 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or at the firm's Web site at www.ninerbikes.com.

Photo available at www.cpsc.gov

CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx

 Firm's Recall Hotline: (877) 646-3792
 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
 CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030904/USCSCLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, [email protected]

Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

CONTACT: CPSC Media Contact, +1-301-504-7908

Web Site: http://www.cpsc.gov/
http://www.ninerbikes.com/

Femme Pedals Mountain Bike Group

Happy New Year!

If you are into mountain biking in the south Florida area, check out the recently formed Femme Pedal cycling club. 

From the Femme Pedal Meetup Group Page

"Our mission is to provide all types of opportunities for women mountain bikers from beginners to experts. The Femme PeDALs is a mountain biking club for women of all ages and skill levels who share an enthusiasm for mountain biking and cycling. We make it easier to find compatible women riders by scheduling group rides and events. With fun and fitness in mind, Femme PeDAL rides encourage a safe and supportive environment for women who ride the trails. The sound of "ya-hoo" echoing through the woods implies your adventure with the Femme PeDALs has just begun......"

Club Information

Femme Pedal Meetup Group: www.meetup.com/fem-pedal

Facebook group page: Femme Pedal

No More Mtn Biking for Bike Diva

I am a roadie and duathlete and spend most of my cycling time on either my 2009 Trek Madone 6.5 road bike, or my 2009 Cervelo P2C triathlon bike.

I sold my mountain bike in December of 2008, and bought my Felt Breed, which is a single speed cyclocross bike. So I don't really hang out at mountain bike trails anymore. But many of the girls I used to mountain bike with belong to this group. They have a lot of group rides and activities planned in the coming months, looks like a fun group to join!

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA Bike Diva

2010 Hospice Ride For Life

 

February 28, 2010 marks the date of the 4th annual Hospice Ride For Life. Visit the event website to register for any of the bike rides: www.hospicecareflorida.org/events-100k-bikerace.php.

Event Details

Sunday, February 28
8am Start- Benefit Road Ride 100k/50k
9am Start- Mountain Bike Race 100k
10am Start- Fun Benefit Ride 5k

Events will start at Markham Park with the Road Ride at 8 am, the Mountain Bike race at 9 am and the Benefit Ride at 10 am. Mountain Bike race teams may consist of solo riders, two, three or four person teams completing the 100K event. Observers and participants can enjoy subs donated by Firehouse accompanied by a silent auction as well as many other bike related vendors and educational booths.

Event Location

• Markham Park
• 16001 West State Road 84
  
• Sunrise, Florida 33326
  

I'm thinking about doing the 100k (62 mile) metric century road bike ride at Hospice Ride For Life.

About Hospice Ride For Life

Join HospiceCare of Southeast Florida for “Ride for Life” on Sunday, February 28. Riders may choose from the 5K road loop, the 50k/100k road ride or the more challenging 100K off-road course. Both courses will be set in the beautiful backdrop of Markham Park in Sunrise, Florida. The money raised directly benefits patients and families on the HospiceCare of Southeast Florida program.

“Ride for Life” was created in memory of Cindy Feeney, an avid mountain bike racer. A dedicated volunteer Dave Williams brought this idea to hospice three years ago in memory of Cindy. He has transformed “Ride for Life” into a popular community and racing enthusiasts event. “I truly enjoy involving the community in having fun biking while contributing to the families and patients of HospiceCare. In the time before Cindy's death, hospice provided her with emotional and physical support. Hospice helped to keep her comfortable so she could spend time with her family in a kind and caring hospice facility. We welcome you to join us so that others may receive this same care in their time of need,” states Dave Williams, founder and chair of “Ride for Life”.

In dedication to Cindy Feeney, and the strength shown through her struggle with cancer, a trophy is awarded each year, in her honor, to the person who most exemplified her spirit.

About Hospice

HospiceCare is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing physical, emotional and spiritual care to individuals and their families coping with end of life decisions. Founded in 1981, H.C.S.E. serves Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe County residents in private homes, nursing homes, assisted living facilities or wherever the patient calls "home".

In addition to patient services, HospiceCare of Southeast Florida, Inc., offers bereavement counseling, programs for children and adolescents and a variety of community outreach and educational programs to the medical community, schools, business groups and organizations.

Take care,

Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Online Mountain Bike Magazine

International Mountain Bike Magazine Goes Live!

http://www.imbikemag.com/issue1/

It has been a long couple of weeks, but all the hard work has paid off! Here it is the first ever issue of IMB, a brand new interactive online mountain bike magazine!

We have been working hard to get the format right for a while and we are really happy with the final result. The magazine is packed full of video and audio content, as well as some spectacular photography and great articles. We have made a real effort to bring you some useful technique guides and also put some bikes through their paces. There is a really in-depth interview with trials rider Martyn Ashton inside and a first hand report on 24 hour endurance racing!

We can't wait for you to leave us some feedback and tell us what you think, hopefully you will be as happy with the magazine as we are. Over the next few weeks we will be planning the next issue, which will be due out in a two months. If you have any suggestions let us know!

, Editor International Mountain Bike Magazine

Bike Nashbar Sale

PowerBar on Sale Up To 50% Off View Items Now View this email online.

Tweet My Ride Campaign

First Tweetmyride Global Campaign To Raise $1 Million For Charity Via Twitter

VANCOUVER, July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- tweetmyride is a Twitter-driven global charity campaign, created to raise money for 10 charities around the world in the lead up to Vancouver-based Australian, Gavin Romanis, participating in the international mountain bike race, La Ruta de los Conquistadores in Costa Rica from November 11-14, 2009 (www.adventurerace.com) - known as one of the toughest on the planet.

Inspired by Ashton Kutcher and CNN's challenge to gain 1 million followers on Twitter, and fuelled by the vibrant biking community of Vancouver, Canada, the basis behind the tweetmyride global campaign is to encourage global giving to a variety of causes.

Co-founders Leoni Milano and Gavin Romanis integrated these ideas to create a campaign with global reach, utilizing Twitter to help achieve their goal to raise $1 million over the 4-month period that runs from July 30 - November 30, 2009.

"When I realised how gruelling La Ruta de los Conquistadores was going to be, I knew that I would need more than my own determination to get me through it - so the idea of doing it to help charities across the world seemed like the ideal inspiration" says Gavin Romanis, who has no prior experience in mountain bike racing, but was seduced by the challenge's combination of travel and outdoor adventure.

Milano and Romanis wanted to create something that would have a global impact - hence the campaign's tagline: "Twitter has no boundaries - neither should we". Tweetmyride will demonstrate the power of social networking and show that contributions - no matter how small - all help to build something incredibly worthwhile.

The participating charities (including twitter names) being supported in the campaign are:

 1.  charity: water, USA - www.twitter.com/charitywater
 2.  First United Church, Canada - www.twitter.com/fucm
 3.  Fred Hollows Foundation, Australia - www.twitter.com/FredHollows
 4.  M decins Sans Fronti res / Doctors Without Borders, Canada -
    www.twitter.com/MSF_canada
 5.  National Breast Cancer Foundation, Australia -
    www.twitter.com/NBCFAus
 6.  Oxfam Canada, Canada - www.twitter.com/oxfamcanada
 7.  Starlight Children's Foundation, Australia -
    www.twitter.com/Starlight_star
 8.  Team Fox for The Michael J. Fox Foundation, USA -
    www.twitter.com/TEAMFOX
 9.  The CREAR Association, Costa Rica - www.twitter.com/CostaRicaCREAR
 10. World Vision, UK - www.twitter.com/WVUKnews

"There are literally thousands of charities out there doing incredible work, and we're thrilled to have these carefully chosen charities on board. For some, this will be their first foray into experimenting with social networking and they have all embraced this unique style of fundraising and awareness with keen enthusiasm," says co-founder Le oni Milano.

Twitter allows each of the charities the opportunity to connect and communicate on a more tangible level with their followers, donors and supporters, which in turn helps develop relationships for a deeper impact. It gives the charities a voice that helps people connect on a personal level, rather than just being a donor.

The campaign's vision is to also encourage others to hold their own 'tweetmyride' biking events around the world and have family and friends donate (towards their rides) to the participating charities, which they can then tweet about.

Donors get to go online to the tweetmyride website and choose which charity they wish to support from those participating in the campaign. All donations will go directly to each charity. www.tweetmyride.com / www.twitter.com/tweetmyride

Source: Tweetmyride Charity Foundation

CONTACT: Nora Weber, Media Relations, Terracom Communications,
[email protected], (425) 418-4555; Leoni Milano, Co-founder,
tweetmyride, [email protected], (778) 237-7840

18th Annual Fat Tire Classic

PRESS RELEASE

18th Annual Fat Tire Classic Benefiting the National Sports Center for the Disabled & the American Red Cross Mile High July 17th - 19th, 2009

DENVER, June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Sports Center for the Disabled and American Red Cross Mile High Chapter will be hosting the 18th annual Fat Tire Classic from Friday, July 17th to Sunday, July 19th at the Winter Park Resort in Winter Park, CO. Experience world class mountain biking and fantastic hiking with a wide variety of well-marked trails for all levels of riders and hikers! Join this summer tradition with:

 -- World Class Mountain Biking!
 -- Fantastic Hiking!
 -- 6 Catered Meals!
 -- Fat Tire Amber Ale!
 -- Family Fun!
 -- Two Great Organizations!


 Register now at www.fattireclassic.org

The Fat Tire Classic is a Colorado summer tradition offering fun for the whole family. The weekend mountain biking and hiking event raises funds to support the vital work of two great Colorado organizations; the American Red Cross Mile High Chapter and the National Sports Center for the Disabled.

Whether you are an advanced rider, an avid hiker or you just want to take your time and enjoy beautiful Winter Park, CO, there is something for everyone at the 2009 Fat Tire Classic. They can also raise pledges from family and friends to provide even more support for the Red Cross and the NSCD.

The National Sports Center for the Disabled, founded in 1970, is a world leader in the field of adaptive sports and recreation. The NSCD raises five million dollars annually to teach and provide equipment for over 20,000 lessons in over 20 sports which positively impact the lives of people with disabilities. With specialty trained instructors and a state of the art equipment lab, NSCD athletes take to the slopes, trails and playing fields to learn more about sports - and themselves. For more information, please visit www.nscd.org.

The American Red Cross Mile High Chapter helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, more than 3000 volunteers helped victims of nearly 300 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to tens of thousands; and provided support to U.S. service members and their families in Colorado. The Mile High Chapter is affiliated with the American Red Cross and is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Locally seventy-nine cents of every dollar is spent on humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time and money to do its work. For more information, please visit www.denver-redcross.org.

 Media Contact: Rachel Hirt
 Marketing Director
 303.633.5802
 [email protected]

Source: National Sports Center for the Disabled

CONTACT: Rachel Hirt, Marketing Director of National Sports Center for
the Disabled, +1-303-633-5802, [email protected]

Web Site: http://www.fattireclassic.org/
http://www.nscd.org/
http://www.denver-redcross.org/