[Cross-USA Ride] Participant Email April 3

Food on the Road

During training you will find that you are eating a lot more than usual. You may double your intake after the first two weeks of the ride! Rest assured we will have your very large appetites covered. Do you have any food restrictions, allergies or additional needs? Stayed tuned for the logistics form, which will help us learn about your needs, especially related to food.

As an organization, Hazon strives to have food that is ethical, fair trade, healthy, kosher, sustainability produced, and cost effective. The food provided by the ride will be kosher. We will not have a mashgiach, kosher supervisor, on site, but we will ensure that our crew and riders will be versed in our internal policies regarding kosher food. At times, we may be joining other communities for meals that may have varied kashrut practices. However, when needed, we will be able to augment their meals with food we prepare.

Although staff will be responsible for food, we will all pitch in! We will be creating a food rotation to help out the staff cook the food, chop the veggies, and clean up after meals. Being involved in the food process reminds us of the significance of being able to consume food for energy.

Cross-USA Ride Apparel

All riders will receive one jersey (two if you’re riding five or ten weeks)! Windbreakers will be for sale at the ride for $60.

Ride Jersey	Cycling Windbreaker

Fundraising Incentives

In addition to the items above, we have more Hazon gear available as fundraising incentives. We encourage you to set a goal higher than your required minimum, so that you can be decked out in Hazon gear as you ride! Keep fundraising and keep on fighting for that top spot!

Hazon Bike ShortsRaise $700 above your minimum	Camelback CanteenRaise $1500 above your minimum
$400 rebate towards your travel to and from the ride
Raise $3000 above your minimum	Cyclist SculptureRaise $10,000 / Top Fundraiser

Fundraising Deadlines

You must reach your minimum fundraising requirement by one week before your start date.

However, fundraising continues until September 15, 2012. If you have not yet reached your minimum by one week before the ride, we will charge the credit card that you used at registration to make up the balance. After this date, you can continue to fundraise and either earn incentives for surpassing your goal, or opt to have the charges on your credit card reversed to reflect the late fundraising.

Training: Endurance and Stamina

The most important part of building stamina is to increase your time in the saddle. This doesn’t mean that you need to go on multiple long rides each week. Rather, you should try to get out on your bike multiple times a week, even if just for a half-hour for a short ride. This will train your body to be ready for multiple days of cycling.

In addition, you should try to do one longer ride per week, two hours or more, which you should increase in length and difficulty as the Cross-USA Ride nears. If you are just starting to train, you do not need to be setting speed records or conquering hills on these rides, but you should focus on building stamina by riding steadily for long periods of time.

Some riders find it beneficial to track their cycling to see improvement over time. Getting a cycling computer, or speedometer, for the bike can help your training as you track your mileage and speed. A computer with a cadence, or pedal speed meter, can help you keep a consistent tempo in your pedaling and can be helpful this summer, which in turn leads to a smoother ride for your knees and body as a whole.