Here come the Tacoma MOB Riders!
On an unrelated topic, don't forget that TBR is raffling some cool swag to raise money for child abuse intervention. Make a donation HERE to enter the drawing. Thanks!
27 July 2010
Next Booz Cruz
On an unrelated topic, don't forget that TBR is raffling some cool swag to raise money for child abuse intervention. Make a donation HERE to enter the drawing. Thanks!
15 July 2010
T-Town Throwdown
The T-Town Throwdown Bike Trials Competition is happening this Saturday along the Ruston waterfront in Tacoma. I took the kids to this event last year and witnessed some amazing riding skills in action. It's free to watch.
14 July 2010
Bike to the Ballpark AND More Swag!
We took the whole family to the Harmon Bike Club's Bike to Ballpark event over the weekend. About 25 people biked with us and enjoyed a great game by the Tacoma Rainiers.
*Raffle Rules:
1. For every $5 that you donate to my online Courage Classic fund-raising effort, you will have your name entered one time into a drawing to win. (Example: You make one online donation of $25, and I place five separate entries into the hat, each bearing your name.) If you've already donated, you are already entered.
2. For the purpose of this raffle, all donations must be made by 4 pm PDT on August 9. My daughter will randomly draw one winning entry from the hat that evening and I will announce the winner on August 10 here on TBR. I will contact the winner by email, so make sure you enter a valid email address when you donate.
3. I will pay to ship the hat and swag to the winner via USPS Priority mail to anywhere in the US.
4. DONATE HERE! Online donations through firstgiving.com are easy and secure. Plus, the hospital is a registered 501c(3) non-profit organization, for you tax-deduction seekers.
In honor of the event, I'm adding this brand new, limited edition Tacoma Rainiers jersey to my Courage Classic Swag Bag Prize Pack which you can enter to win by donating just $5 here* and help the Child Abuse Intervention Department at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. I need your help if I'm going to reach my $1000 fundraising goal! Who's with me? Donate today!
*Raffle Rules:
1. For every $5 that you donate to my online Courage Classic fund-raising effort, you will have your name entered one time into a drawing to win. (Example: You make one online donation of $25, and I place five separate entries into the hat, each bearing your name.) If you've already donated, you are already entered.
2. For the purpose of this raffle, all donations must be made by 4 pm PDT on August 9. My daughter will randomly draw one winning entry from the hat that evening and I will announce the winner on August 10 here on TBR. I will contact the winner by email, so make sure you enter a valid email address when you donate.
3. I will pay to ship the hat and swag to the winner via USPS Priority mail to anywhere in the US.
4. DONATE HERE! Online donations through firstgiving.com are easy and secure. Plus, the hospital is a registered 501c(3) non-profit organization, for you tax-deduction seekers.
07 July 2010
Bike to the Ballpark
We'll be bringing the whole family to this awesome event. It's another fundraiser for Courage Classic. Ride there if you can, but even if you drive, walk, or bus, this is a great deal and helps a great cause.
I'll be leading a slow ride from the 6th and Skyline P&R to Cheney Stadium at 11am. We'll take the Scott Pierson Trail to the ballpark and go slow enough to keep the group together. The Rainiers are arranging a special bike coral just for us!
I'll be leading a slow ride from the 6th and Skyline P&R to Cheney Stadium at 11am. We'll take the Scott Pierson Trail to the ballpark and go slow enough to keep the group together. The Rainiers are arranging a special bike coral just for us!
Stop Child Abuse and Win TBR Swag!
If you've been paying attention, you know that I found three great reasons to ride this summer, and that there's only one reason left: COURAGE CLASSIC!
The Courage Classic Bicycle Tour is a fundraising ride that benefits the Rotary Endowment for the Intervention and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. This endowment is the largest single source of funding for the Child Abuse Intervention Department at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma. For the third consecutive year, I will be riding my tiny bicycle over three large mountain passes in an effort to raise money for this cause and to Stop the Cycle of Abuse.
We need to do this together. I'll be riding the bike, so that means I need you to donate a few dollars. And since online raffles are so fun, I've decided to do it again with an emphasis on the things we love at TBR: bikes, beer, Tacoma, and free stuff.
You could win all of this!
*Raffle Rules:
1. For every $5 that you donate to my online Courage Classic fund-raising effort, you will have your name entered one time into a drawing to win. (Example: You make one online donation of $25, and I place five separate entries into the hat, each bearing your name.) If you've already donated, you are already entered.
2. For the purpose of this raffle, all donations must be made by 4 pm PDT on August 9. My daughter will randomly draw one winning entry from the hat that evening and I will announce the winner on August 10 here on TBR. I will contact the winner by email, so make sure you enter a valid email address when you donate.
3. I will pay to ship the hat and swag to the winner via USPS Priority mail to anywhere in the US.
4. DONATE HERE! Online donations through firstgiving.com are easy and secure. Plus, the hospital is a registered 501c(3) non-profit organization, for you tax-deduction seekers.
The Courage Classic Bicycle Tour is a fundraising ride that benefits the Rotary Endowment for the Intervention and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. This endowment is the largest single source of funding for the Child Abuse Intervention Department at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma. For the third consecutive year, I will be riding my tiny bicycle over three large mountain passes in an effort to raise money for this cause and to Stop the Cycle of Abuse.
We need to do this together. I'll be riding the bike, so that means I need you to donate a few dollars. And since online raffles are so fun, I've decided to do it again with an emphasis on the things we love at TBR: bikes, beer, Tacoma, and free stuff.
You could win all of this!
The TBR 3-Reasons SWAG BAG PRIZE PACKAGE includes:
- A combination bandana/bike map of Tacoma!
- A LiveSTRONG Hat and matching yellow wristband!
- Bikey blinkies, stickers, and decals!
- Tacoma MOB Ride Spokecards so you can booze cruz like the pros!
- Even more free stuff that I've saved just for this purpose!
and of course, it wouldn't be a TBR raffle unless you could also win:
- A 100% genuine, upcycled-in-Tacoma, Rainier Beer Tall-boy Can Hat!
Don't delay. DONATE HERE to enter the raffle for this awesome prize package and to help stop the cycle of child abuse. I'll likely keep adding swag to the bag over the next month, especially stuff from the Courage Classic.
Many thanks in advance for your continued support!
-Matt in Tacoma
UPDATE: I'm adding this brand new, limited edition Tacoma Rainiers jersey to the Swag Bag! This was a giveaway to the Rainiers' tweeps around St. Patrick's Day. Goes great with the hat!
UPDATE: I'm adding this brand new, limited edition Tacoma Rainiers jersey to the Swag Bag! This was a giveaway to the Rainiers' tweeps around St. Patrick's Day. Goes great with the hat!
*Raffle Rules:
1. For every $5 that you donate to my online Courage Classic fund-raising effort, you will have your name entered one time into a drawing to win. (Example: You make one online donation of $25, and I place five separate entries into the hat, each bearing your name.) If you've already donated, you are already entered.
2. For the purpose of this raffle, all donations must be made by 4 pm PDT on August 9. My daughter will randomly draw one winning entry from the hat that evening and I will announce the winner on August 10 here on TBR. I will contact the winner by email, so make sure you enter a valid email address when you donate.
3. I will pay to ship the hat and swag to the winner via USPS Priority mail to anywhere in the US.
4. DONATE HERE! Online donations through firstgiving.com are easy and secure. Plus, the hospital is a registered 501c(3) non-profit organization, for you tax-deduction seekers.
Chehalis Western Trail
After completing a 35 mile loop on the Chehalis Western Trail over the Independence Day weekend, I saw an awesome orange bike pull into the parking lot.
Chainguard, basket, flat pedals, step through frame, fat tires. I commented to the owner about how much I liked this setup, and Susan, the owner, was very excited to find someone who could appreciate it. She has 7 fused discs in her back, and this bike gives her the correct riding position to continue riding comfortably. Although it looks like an Electra Townie, it's a Fuji that she bought as a 3-speed for just over $200. She swapped out the rear hub for an 8-speed for another $200 and created a very affordable dream bike. Happy Trails, Susan!
The trail mostly cuts through wooded rural residential areas, staying relatively flat and straight. We started at Woodard Bay and rode to the Monarch Sculpture Park, a free outdoor art gallery. We didn't have time for a full exploration, but I'm already planning to bring my kids down here for a visit.
04 July 2010
Show Your Colors
Few activities in life can embody a feeling of independence, freedom, and liberty like cycling. Even though its popularity has come and gone repeatedly over the last twelve decades, the bicycle has remained a revolutionary vehicle for generations of dreamers. I'm not usually a flag waver, but riding around with the Stars and Stripes blazing on the back of my bike overwhelms me with patriotism and a sense of hope for the future.
Our nation's flag is not only a reminder of battles fought and lives sacrificed, but also of a great land full of natural beauty and a bounty of resources that should be shared, respected, and enjoyed. While celebrating our nation's independence, remember to respect the freedoms of others. Happy Independence Day from TBR!
Our nation's flag is not only a reminder of battles fought and lives sacrificed, but also of a great land full of natural beauty and a bounty of resources that should be shared, respected, and enjoyed. While celebrating our nation's independence, remember to respect the freedoms of others. Happy Independence Day from TBR!
03 July 2010
Strength in Numbers
I registered for the ride last winter and just a few months later, my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer. He was ready to fight it, despite it's advanced stage, however other complications with his health were compounded by the cancer and he lost his battle before it ever really began. His death just two months later was a huge loss to my family.
My friend Blaine, who visited from Colorado for the Courage Classic last summer, ended up at our house on vacation over the LiveSTRONG weekend in June. Rather than hang out while I rode the course, Blaine signed up for the ride, too, and raised over twice as much money as me. It was a dreary, rainy day (in fact, the darkest June day in Seattle in 15 years) and we opted for the 45 mile course. We rode along with John, another friend who signed up at the last minute and who's family has had it's share of losses to cancer over the years. It was humbling to ride behind riders decorated with "Survivor" tags and certainly motivated us to overcome the small discomfort that the weather provided.
Many thanks to everyone who donated to my fundraising effort and who rode or supported the ride.