Tour Divide For NOLS (Big Picture)
Donation protected
“If you dare nothing, then when the day is over, nothing is all you will have gained.” - Neil Gaiman
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In June of 2019, I plan to embark on the adventure of a lifetime by Racing the Tour Divide - a mountain bike race that follows the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route which is the world's longest mapped, off-pavement cycling route. The route extends 2,774 miles, from Banff, Alberta to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, and I plan to ride the route as quickly and efficiently as possible. While preparing for the race, I am raising funds for NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) - an organization that I owe so much to and feel a deep need to give back to.
Last Spring, I was lucky enough to complete a semester-long NOLS course in Baja California Sur, Mexico. The course taught me wilderness survival skills, communication skills, leadership skills, and much more. I can honestly say that my time in Baja was the most challenging yet rewarding experience I've had in my entire life. My instructors were the most passionate, genuine, competent, role models I could have ever asked for and they pushed me to grow in directions I may not have grown otherwise. The experience as a whole gave me the confidence to sustainably take care of myself and others, be a leader in my community, and continue to prioritize my passions in my day to day life. I truly believe that if everyone in the world took a NOLS course, the world would be a much better place. Without my own NOLS alumni scholarship combined with my AmeriCorps Education award from doing a service year post-college, I would have not had the opportunity to take my course. By raising funds that will be donated to The NOLS Fund, I am taking an active step to give others who may think they can't afford a NOLS course the opportunity to do so, just like I was given.
As for a little more about me, I have always been an athlete. In middle school and high school, I was on a nationally and internationally competitive jump rope team and in college, I decided that after not pursuing collegiate Track & Field, I would become more of a "self athlete" and begin to do medium to long running races and eventually triathlons. After college, one of the hardest parts of the working world was keeping myself off of my bike to get my work done. I moved to DC and my 5 mile bike commute across the Anacostia river became my favorite part of my day. I fell in love with the DC Capital Bikeshare system and rode 3207.5 miles (estimated on their website) on those (45lb!) bikes within 2 years. I joined a bike racing team (Bike Rack Racing), raced road and cyclocross, and started doing a little work for Capital Bikeshare during my time in DC. Last summer, I moved to Chapel Hill, NC where I found a job as a bike courier, thus allowing me to ride my bike for pay - a dream come true. This past May, I started working part-time at The Clean Machine bike shop as a part-time mechanic in order to educate myself on bike components and how to fix bikes so that I can be as self-supportive as possible while working to achieve my lofty cycling goals. After doing NOLS, I knew that road riding/racing wasn't going to cut it (had been considering the Trans American race for a year or so) but I knew I could, instead, commit myself to train for the Tour Divide. I could not be more thrilled about the path I am taking and hope to inspire others to take the paths that call them in life as well.
That all said, this is where you come in! Please help me support this incredible, life-changing organization by donating to my Tour Divide Big Picture campaign. If you choose to support me, you'll not only just be supporting an ambitious individual who wishes to push the limits in the history of female endurance off-road cycling, but ALSO, you'll be supporting the bigger cause of funding the opportunity for others to take a NOLS course. I pledge to give half of each donation to The NOLS Fund, and all donations over $5000.00 will be donated to NOLS in full. As for donation size, no amount is too small and each and every donor will be wholeheartedly thanked in a creative, to-be-determined way. Please feel free to reach out to me by email: [email redacted] with any questions and please help share this campaign to anyone who you think may be interested in giving their support. Thank you so much (:
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You can find more information about NOLS here: https://www.nols.edu/en/
You can find more information about The Tour Divide here: http://tourdivide.org/
You can find more information about Adventure Cycling (the organization responsible for mapping The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route) here: https://www.adventurecycling.org/
...
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the Earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” - Rachel Carson
“On the other hand, you have different fingers.” - Jack Handey
...
In June of 2019, I plan to embark on the adventure of a lifetime by Racing the Tour Divide - a mountain bike race that follows the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route which is the world's longest mapped, off-pavement cycling route. The route extends 2,774 miles, from Banff, Alberta to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, and I plan to ride the route as quickly and efficiently as possible. While preparing for the race, I am raising funds for NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) - an organization that I owe so much to and feel a deep need to give back to.
Last Spring, I was lucky enough to complete a semester-long NOLS course in Baja California Sur, Mexico. The course taught me wilderness survival skills, communication skills, leadership skills, and much more. I can honestly say that my time in Baja was the most challenging yet rewarding experience I've had in my entire life. My instructors were the most passionate, genuine, competent, role models I could have ever asked for and they pushed me to grow in directions I may not have grown otherwise. The experience as a whole gave me the confidence to sustainably take care of myself and others, be a leader in my community, and continue to prioritize my passions in my day to day life. I truly believe that if everyone in the world took a NOLS course, the world would be a much better place. Without my own NOLS alumni scholarship combined with my AmeriCorps Education award from doing a service year post-college, I would have not had the opportunity to take my course. By raising funds that will be donated to The NOLS Fund, I am taking an active step to give others who may think they can't afford a NOLS course the opportunity to do so, just like I was given.
As for a little more about me, I have always been an athlete. In middle school and high school, I was on a nationally and internationally competitive jump rope team and in college, I decided that after not pursuing collegiate Track & Field, I would become more of a "self athlete" and begin to do medium to long running races and eventually triathlons. After college, one of the hardest parts of the working world was keeping myself off of my bike to get my work done. I moved to DC and my 5 mile bike commute across the Anacostia river became my favorite part of my day. I fell in love with the DC Capital Bikeshare system and rode 3207.5 miles (estimated on their website) on those (45lb!) bikes within 2 years. I joined a bike racing team (Bike Rack Racing), raced road and cyclocross, and started doing a little work for Capital Bikeshare during my time in DC. Last summer, I moved to Chapel Hill, NC where I found a job as a bike courier, thus allowing me to ride my bike for pay - a dream come true. This past May, I started working part-time at The Clean Machine bike shop as a part-time mechanic in order to educate myself on bike components and how to fix bikes so that I can be as self-supportive as possible while working to achieve my lofty cycling goals. After doing NOLS, I knew that road riding/racing wasn't going to cut it (had been considering the Trans American race for a year or so) but I knew I could, instead, commit myself to train for the Tour Divide. I could not be more thrilled about the path I am taking and hope to inspire others to take the paths that call them in life as well.
That all said, this is where you come in! Please help me support this incredible, life-changing organization by donating to my Tour Divide Big Picture campaign. If you choose to support me, you'll not only just be supporting an ambitious individual who wishes to push the limits in the history of female endurance off-road cycling, but ALSO, you'll be supporting the bigger cause of funding the opportunity for others to take a NOLS course. I pledge to give half of each donation to The NOLS Fund, and all donations over $5000.00 will be donated to NOLS in full. As for donation size, no amount is too small and each and every donor will be wholeheartedly thanked in a creative, to-be-determined way. Please feel free to reach out to me by email: [email redacted] with any questions and please help share this campaign to anyone who you think may be interested in giving their support. Thank you so much (:
...
You can find more information about NOLS here: https://www.nols.edu/en/
You can find more information about The Tour Divide here: http://tourdivide.org/
You can find more information about Adventure Cycling (the organization responsible for mapping The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route) here: https://www.adventurecycling.org/
...
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the Earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” - Rachel Carson
“On the other hand, you have different fingers.” - Jack Handey
Organizer
Eleanor Christopher
Organizer
Chapel Hill, NC
