Event Schedule is updated!

The schedule of events has been updated to include a Community Yoga class at The Wheel Yoga studio at 4pm. We should be back in plenty of time for everyone to participate, so bring a yoga mat, or you can rent one of ours.

Also a little clarification on registration. Since this event is free with a donation to Team Rwanda, we will only need riders to sign a release (these will be available the morning of the ride). A pre-registration form will not be required. So please come early to sign your release and give your donation. Thank you!

Date Set!

The Rising From Ashes Charity Ride is on!

Support Team Rwanda and their mission to bring the joy of cycling to everyone with this FREE group ride. 

Where: Start at The Wheel Cyclery, ride to Westport, and loop around back

When: Sunday October 6th @ 10:30am

Cost: FREE with a Donation to Team Rwanda

We'll stop at one or two coffee shops downtown, and pretty much roll together. The pace will be casual! 

Helmets required!

RSVP at The Wheel Ride Club

Ride POSTPONED- to be rescheduled this fall

The Rising From Ashes Charity ride is canceled until further notice. We are hoping to be able to reschedule the ride to this fall. All registrants have been contacted, and registration fees will be refunded. We are sorry for the inconvenience, but hope that you will be able to ride with us this fall.

Call for volunteers!

We are looking for a few volunteers for the ride. We need a couple of people to man water stops for our thirsty riders on Saturday, June 1st. If you know someone who may be interested please pass this information along! All of our volunteers get free entry into the Rising From Ashes After Party at The Wheel Cyclery where you can cool off with refreshments. You can contact Heather or Jen at (816)455-2453 to sign up to volunteer. Thank you so much for your help!

Rising From Ashes is Coming!

In just 21 days...

Riders from all over Kansas City and the Midwest will join forces behind a single cause that unites us all. The joy that cycling brings is something we can all relate to, from the wind on your face to the weightless feeling you get coasting down  hill, we've all experienced that feeling of youthful exuberance! Team Rwanda Cyclists keep that feeling close at heart during their training and racing, they know all too well how lucky they are to not just be cyclists, but simply to be alive and have survived one the the world's most devastating genocides. 

         June 1st you can help support and encourage these Rwandan cyclists by riding the Rising From Ashes Charity Ride- there is something for every level of cyclist. Choose from 25, 40, or 62 miles and enjoy food and refreshments at The Wheel Cyclery at noon following the ride. Register by May 13th for just $20, or by May 31st for $25. You can access Online Registration here, where you can process your credit card by clicking the Checkout with PAYPAL link at the bottom of the page. Or come by the shop and drop off your registration forms there, where you can pay with cash, check, or charge.

Schedule of Events

The Wheel Cylery

 Friday, May 31st 

4p-8p: Packet Pickup

Saturday, June 1st

7:30 am -8:30 am : Packet pickup and same-day registration

9:00 am : Ride roll-out for all routes

Noon : food and refreshments for all riders!

Film Screening Tomorrow!

A reminder that tomorrow, Friday, April 26 is the film screen of Rising From Ashes. The film screening is FREE, and features a Q&A session with Film Director T.C. Johnstone and Kimberly Coats, who works with the team and it's Board of Directors.

Friday, April 26th
 MCC Maple Woods Campus Center Arbor Room (Room CC110)
Film Screening and Q&A Session with Director T.C. Johnstone
and Kimberly Coats, who works directly with the team in Africa

We'll also be there with flyers for the Rising From Ashes Charity Ride, taking registration forms and answering questions.    

Important Update!!!!

We have been getting a lot of feedback from riders that the spring weather has not been very condusive to getting outside and riding. And it is true, a lot of people just haven't been able to get out and ride yet, and a 25 or 50 mile ride seems pretty daunting. So with that in mind:

The date for the Rising From Ashes Charity Ride has been moved to Saturday, June 1st.

All of the other events will stay the same.

Friday, April 26th 6:30p- 9p
MCC Maple Woods Campus Center Arbor Room (Room CC110)
Film Screening and Q&A Session with Director T.C. Johnstone
and Kimberly Coats, who works directly with the team in Africa

Sunday April 28th - 11:00am
Random Sunday Ride
Come and preview the 25 mile route with us! We will leave The Wheel promptly at 11a.m.

Saturday, June 1st
Rising From Ashes Charity Ride
8am -9am Packet Pickup
9:30am Charity Ride Roll Out

Online Registration is OPEN!

Online registration is now open! You can pick your route, order a jersey or cycling cap if you like, and be sure of getting a commemorative travel mug in your packet when you pre-register using this link. Price is just $20 if you register before April 10!
PLEASE NOTE- to pay using your debit or credit card, click the yellow "PayPal" link at the bottom of registration to process your transaction.

http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=debp4tcab&oeidk=a07e77sqg114edcfbd2

25 mile Route is Up!

Yesterday we took advantage of the sunshine to get out and pre-ride the route that we had in mind for the 25 mile course. It is a great route! You can check it out at MapMyRide. The route features good roads, rolling hills, and two rest stops. Keep checking back for info on a training date, where you can pre-ride the route with The Wheel Cyclery Ride club.

Team Rwanda Jerseys!

We have been in contact this week the Board of Directors for Team Rwanda! They have been extremely helpful and appreciative, and to be honest, it makes me even more excited to be helping such a passionate group of people. One of the members, Kimberly Coats is actually from the Kansas City area, so that may be a name that some of you recognize. One of things that we discussed is the Team Rwanda Jersey,which can be purchased here.

 

It is a great looking jersey, with really high quality contruction. After talking to the Team Rwanda folks, they have decided to allow us to sell their jeresys through our registration page (registration will be open this week, by March 15th). so now, when you register online by April 15, you can also order a licensed Team Rwanda jersey, and we will have it there for you at packet pick-up!

 

While I have your attention, please remember to "follow" this blog, and pass along to friends, to receive all the latest updates and information, thank you!

"Rising from Ashes” is a feature length documentary from Director T.C. Johnstone and narrated by Academy Award Winner and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Forest Whitaker about the first Rwandan National Cycling Team and their six year journey to the Olympic games in London. It's not about the bike. It's about second chances, how our past doesn't have to define our future, and the impossible triumph of the human spirit over one of the world's most devastating genocides.

Thanks in part to a grant to Metropolitan Community College, (MCCKC) Director T.C. Johnstone will be taking part in a screening of the film “Rising from Ashes” and answering questions via Skype about the struggles  that the team has faced in their path to the Olympics.Many of the racers on Team Rwanda have never ridden a multi-speed bike until they get their first race bike from the team. We have planned a weekend of activites that allow you to get involved and help these cyclists rebuild a sense of pride in their country.

Friday, April 26

    *Rising from Ashes film screening
    *Q&A session with Director T.C. Johnstone
@ MapleWoods Community College

Saturday, April 27
     *Free Bicycle Safety Check
     * Packet pick-up and pre-registration
@ The Wheel Cyclery

Sunday, April 28
     *Charity ride (12, 25, or 50 miles)
     *Free Community Yoga Class
@ The Wheel Cyclery and The Wheel Yoga



Stay posted for more details on events, training rides, and other ways to get involved!