Countdown: Three months to go!
The Cross-USA Ride community is growing, and we’re now a team of 28 riders. As someone who signed up for this amazing ride, we know how you would love to have a friend on the ride with you. Talk about this ride! Tell everyone you meet! Talk to your rabbi to see if you can speak about it at your synagogue. Tell your colleagues, teachers, and fellow bike enthusiasts about the trip. You never know who might be excited to sign up for this ride!
![[Image: Wendy Levine]](http://hazon.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Wendy-on-a-bike-May-2011-225x300.jpg)
We have posters available to download that you can print out and post in your community. We can also mail you some oversized ones. If you are a part of a listserv, Yahoo group, Google group, or have access to an e-newsletter, pleaseemail Wendy and we will send you an materials to send across those outlets.
Dreaming of the mountains in Montana,
Wendy
This is the third email for Cross-USA Ride participants. If you missed one, they can be viewed here.
Accommodations
We will be staying in many different places. The majority of our overnights will be in campgrounds and high school gyms. Sometimes we will be in college dorms, floors of churches, hostels, and Hillels. On a few occasions, we we’ll stay as guests in private homes, and in motels or hotels. As we finalize our overnight accommodations, we’ll post them online with an update daily route mileage.
Tents and Gear
The tent you bring should be easy to set up, using fewer poles, and using poles that are attached by clips rather than sleeves will make set up easier. The tent should be freestanding, meaning it should stand without tent stakes. This also makes it easier to set up. The size of the tent should be able to accommodate you and your luggage; beyond that, it is up to you what size you will be most comfortable with. A dome tent will offer a fair amount of headroom while inside.
To read more click on the “tents” and “bike gear” tabs on the bikes and equipment page.
More Information on Tents and Gear
Fundraising
Creating your fundraising letter to email or mail
![[Image: talk to friends]](http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6013/5978208510_5e40d18100_m.jpg)
Your fundraising letter is, above all, a letter from you to people you know and care about. The most important thing to keep in mind when writing your fundraising letter is your recipient. Who is going to be reading this? What would they like to read? There is no single magic fundraising letter but there are a lot of ways that you can make your letter great to help you raise more money.
More Information on Composing Fundraising Letters
Training
![[Image: Downhill!]](http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6145/5978213720_95a2f35aa8.jpg)
The Cross-USA Ride is a challenging ride, regardless if you are doing 10 weeks or 10 days of the trip. Whether you’re an experienced rider or a beginner, you’ll want to train to get ready for your ride. if you have never trained for a ride like this, start by reading our training tips.
Your training should focus on getting you ready for the following components of the ride:
- Skills: make sure you master using your gears, brakes, and general bike handling
- Distance: be comfortable riding 100 miles in one day
- Endurance: get in plenty of “time in the saddle,” if possible on consecutive days
- Climbing: the ride is hilly, and you should be prepared for both the ups and downs
- Group riding: try to ride with a cycling group or participate in a local community ride
- Nutrition: learn how much food and water you need to stay active
In the coming months, we will be sending out training tips in these emails and updating our website. If you would like to connect with other riders from your area, please email Wendy Levine wendy.levine@hazon.org and we will happy to connect you.
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