July 29-August 1, 2010
Rider Information
ACT 8 is a ride for people of all bicycling abilities, not just experienced bikers. It is a ride, not a race. You can take your time, enjoy yourself, and know that we will leave no one behind. We'll have a crew that will take care of all your needs, from meals to pit stops along the way, from medical support and technical support (provided by Williamson Bikes & Fitness) to sleeping arrangements, from carrying your gear to carrying you if you need it.
It costs $70 to register as a rider. The registration fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.
All riders must raise an additional $1,200 in pledges. To help everyone raise this minimum (and more), ACT 8 will provide mentors (all experienced AIDS Riders) for first time riders, fundraising advice, and house party speakers. We want to return a maximum of funds to AIDS Network (keeping administrative and overhead costs as low as possible.)
As an incentive to raise more money for AIDS Network, we have some great prizes from our sponsors, including an awesome road bike from Williamson Bikes & Fitness.
Rider Fundraising Incentives
- $1250 - Victory Ride t-shirt, given out at Holding on Day Four
- $1400 Super cool ACT 8 Mug (+Victory T)
- $1600 Commemorative biking jersey (+Surprise +Victory T)
Training
ACT 8 will be over 300 miles, many of them up and down hills. We encourage you to start training as soon as possible.
- Take a spinning class
- Run or walk
- Lift weights or do floor exercises like push-ups and sit-ups.
From May to August, you can find a training ride every day of the week.
If you're an inexperienced rider, we strongly encourage you to participate in several training rides each week. You'll learn valuable riding skills, build up your strength and stamina, and have a great time riding with fellow ACT participants.
> Look up Training Ride Schedule
Safety
Safety is very important on training rides and throughout the 4 days of ACT 8. Familiarize yourself with the ways to ride safely. Training rides may be cancelled--either before the ride takes place, or at the ride itself--due to poor weather (especially thunderstorms.) If the weather looks doubtful, check the training ride schedule or contact the ride leader for confirmation before going to the ride.
> Review safety rules and other tips
Fundraising
We want to help you meet your fundraising goals. We even developed a six-week plan for raising $1200 and a list of 75 fundraising ideas.
- Set your fundraising goal.
- Start talking to people in your life about why you choose to ACT.
- Sit down and write a fundraising letter to send by e-mail or snail mail.
- > Check out some example pledge letters
- Choose a date for your house party and start a list of the people who will come out to support you on your journey.
