Our 3rd Annual National Mayors' Ride is set to kick off soon (May 14 from Seattle) and the excitement continues to pour in. From antique HiWheel riders to World Record holding unicyclists to a Mayor riding one of our legs to a movie star riding another to a musical entourage introducing our ride to cities along the way, etc, etc, we are filled to the top with firepower.
Many of our relay legs are covered by a lead rider but there a few key legs that need coverage as per our 2004 schedule http://www.BikeRoute.com/NationalMayorsRide2004 .
We need coverage in Tampa where they are really turning on the afterburners as a new participant, like Seattle, in this year's event. As the southeast send off point for the ride that joins Northeast riders coming down from Boston, NYC, Philly and Baltimore in Washington DC on July 2, they have devoted staff from their Greenway division to our ride. And these guys are all over it!
For example they have already gotten an enthusiastic commitment from mayor Pam Iorio to be at our celebration and have even asked us if there is any limit to the number of people who can be present for the ceremony. And it was already a good while ago now that they were asking for the NBG logo so they could run it on the t-shirts they are to producing for all of this!
Which brings me to a point. The rider we had felt pretty confident would take this leg just pulled out. Instead of building other riders around him, we are back to where we need a lead rider for this leg.
So if U have been thinking about doing a tour this summer but haven't located a group or for that matter a cause that could make you feel like your time was well spent, how about biking from Tampa to Washington DC ?
Like all of our rides you would be on your own for lodging, food, routing and your cycling needs but your ride will be much celebrated. As well, we will loan you a Pocket Mailer so you can chronicle your daily manuevrings as you head north. The distance to DC is approximately 936 miles. The Tampa NBG Day celebration is June 1. And if we hear from you soon enough, we can build your name into the Tampa NBG Day proclamation. You can leave whenever you need to after you show up on June 1 just so long as you are in DC on July 2 where Mayor Antony Williams will help send our riders west to Chicago.
Individuals and groups a re encouraged to apply but only one of you will get a Pocket mailer. Apply at http://NationalBicycleGreenway.com/Forms/newriders.php !!
BTW: We als0 need to get the Seattle to Portland leg covered. We had been hoping that last year's superstar, Mighty Jim Muellner would take that route as he had intimated he might but we couldn't get him to commit. We had thought he would surprise us as last year we never got a commitment out of him either. And even as he rode from Washington DC to San Francisco, we never knew from one NBG Day city to the next if he would continue.. Hey but I guess if you're 68 and independently wealthy there is no need to be on anyone else's schedule but our own.
That still leaves us with the need to get Portland to Seattle covered. So if you want to make a little bit of history with us, and want to ride the 172 mile distance on a route the Cascade Bike Club can supply while covering all your own expenses for a weekend ride please go to http://NationalBicycleGreenway.com/Forms/newriders.php