YesRide Blog
Monday, September 18, 2006
Final Word
The idea for the Yes Ride developed from my kitchen table one night when I was reading about foreign aid. Over the next few months, the ride grew to from an idea to an investment. I invested over 12,000 dollars of my own money, hoping to pull the ride off. At the end of February we had zero riders committed beyond Kelley, Eamon, and myself. I remember one night freaking out about this fact, I kept thinking “what are we going to do? How are we going to pull this off?” That night Kelley and I made two huge commitments, 1) we were going to bicycle across America regardless if anyone joined us and 2) we were going to work out asses off to get riders to join. Over the next couple of days Kelley and I emailed 2200 bicycle clubs and I began to post blogs on every cycling website we could find. People responded to our hard work, and we had 19 total people register for the Yes Ride. Still organizing the ride was crazy, there were constant phone calls from parents, potential riders, reporters and potential sponsors. In the spring of 2006, Kelley and I gave every spare hour to the Yes Ride. While we were working, my Aunt Est., Uncle Jim, and my mother served as the accommodations team. They made thousands of calls across the nation to find the Yes Ride housing and food. The ride truly wouldn’t have been possible without the help of these three individuals.
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Before I run I want to give thanks to some people: My mom, Aunt Est, and Uncle Jim, I can honestly say the ride wouldn’t be possible without you finding us meals, showers, and places to stay; to Eamon and Kelley for believing in this crazy idea I would just be certified insane if it wasn’t for you two; to Dan Pallotta for inspiring me and giving me this idea; to the Springboard team including Paiwei for the bad ass site, it was worth every penny; to Paul Horne for the constant advice; to Kelley’s dad for being the Yes Ride legal team; to Vincent Aloyo and Ellen Codd for attempting to get us sponsorships; to Circles of Ten and Sarah Hartzell for being our fiscal sponsor; to 13 crazy Yes Riders for believing in Kelley, Eamon, and I, I am so glad each of you made it; to Billy Manes for our first press; to Al Roker for interviewing us on the Today Show, you’re my boy; to every person who donated a dime to us, I promise I allocated every dollar as if it was given by my family; to Sirius radio for cranking good tunes across the nation; to Adventure Cycling for building a safe and beautiful route; to every person who bought a Yes Rider a beer, you are awesome; to the people at Rocky Mounts thanks for the support; to Cannondale for the publicity; to Champion Ford in Boulder for a great deal on a reliable vehicle; Michael for creating the Yes Ride jerseys; to Jonah Soolman for some mean PB&Js; to SRAM for some free bicycle parts; every bicycle shop that gave us a discount, free stuff or discounted maintenance; and most importantly thanks to every place, organization or person that offered a shower, meal, or a place to stay to the Yes Ride, you are all true humanitarians!
Sincerely,
Chris Markl
Founder: The Yes Ride
Thursday, June 01, 2006
New Blog
We are about to Begin the 2006 Yes Ride! Its amazing, we have riders, donations, a route, food, and places to stay; this truly is amazing. I want to thank each of you for helping to make this ride possible. Check out our .mac account where we will be documenting the entire ride!
http://web.mac.com/yesride
See you in Boston!
Chris Markl
Founder: The Yes Ride
Monday, May 15, 2006
Purpose and Compassion
Organizing this ride is a complete emotional roller coaster. There are times that I am flying high, in awe of what has been created and there are other times that I get down on myself and my work a lot. I mean a real lot, I start thinking of what this ride is really about, how there is no safety net, I mean if something goes wrong I am responsible, if this ride doesn't succeed that I have blown my entire savings and thousands of hours. Last night, I got down upon the ride. I voiced my opinion in a manner I shouldn't have and it may have negative consequences. But you know I try my best, I try every day to make this ride amazing and I try to focus on the possibilities of this event. I mess up, I make mistakes, and I get down on myself, in fact right now as I'm writing this I'm beating myself up for my actions last night. I have learned many things since last October when I began to create this ride, but the most important thing I have learned is that I am not perfect, and I definitely am not superman. Luckily I don't have to be perfect to pull this ride off, I have parents, relatives and friends who are huge help, Kelley and Eamon to keep me from going crazy, 50 some organizations who have offered us their homes, 18 other riders who inspire me through their actions, and hundreds of donors who believe in us.
I talk a lot about where the money will go from this event and how it will change the lives of the recipients, I firmly believe in our beneficiaries and we will save peoples lives through this event. But the real reason I am a co-founder of the Yes Ride, is to build a world that is based on kindness and compassion. For 57 days, I want our riders to experiment with kindness; I want to help other riders up a massive hill and then go back and encourage other people, I want our riders to stop and talk with children about possibilities, and I want a few of us to set up the sleeping arrangements for everyone not because we 'have to' but instead because we think it would be a nice thing to do for other riders. It is through these small actions that the Yes Ride will have the biggest impact on the world.
Sincerely,
Chris Markl
Thursday, May 04, 2006
A flat tire? Keep peddling
Today's blog is written by Yes Rider Gerard Pinto. Gerard is a high school senior in the bay area and he is such an amazing person. He is meeting with us in Montana and riding the rest of the ride, he needs a ton of help, he doesnt even have a road bike at this point, so if you are in California email me and ill get you in contact with him.
Here is his story:
I just discovered that I have been training on a bike that has had a flat tire this whole week. At first I thought it was just how a mountain bike was supposed to feel because I only ridden on bmx bikes before when i was a little kid so I just ignored it. Then during my initial ride I was riding down contra Loma which is a local park near my house and three other riders came out of nowhere and passed me up! "Geeze I must be out of shape or something if they can past me up like that" so I peddled much harder but i could still not close in on them. Disgruntled at that i just promised myself i would try harder next time.
So Today i went out on another ride with my friend Sean, but i had problems keeping up with his pace because it seemed like he would exert only little amounts of energy and glide past me, while I peddled like a maniac. "Sean, do you know how to work the gears on a MT. bike i thought maybe that’s why i am going slow"
"You have a flat"
" Oh crude, hahah that’s why "
" hey its better training your putting much more resistance on yourself keep it up bro"
He is right.. It might have been slowing me down but this flat in essence has helped me get better trained for this event
Thank you flat tire.. for all your hard work and contributions = )
Help and Inspiration
For the last two-days we have been waiting to hear from a major bike company about their decision to sponsor us. The partnership with this company would be huge for our riders, it would provide us with a ton of gear, it would make sure we have jerseys, possibly bikes, and it would be a big PR opportunity for us and the company. I have been very anxious waiting for this decision checking my email every 5 minutes.
But I have realized it really doesn't matter. 18 Yes Riders are doing something amazing this summer. We will take to our bikes cross a continent and change the world. It would be awesome if a company sponsors us, but with or without
sponsorship our commitment to this ride is unwavering. My idol and the inspiration for the Yes Ride, (Dan Pallotta) said when he was planning the first ever cross country bike ride to end poverty that he would tell companies that "we are doing something amazing, come join us, and if you choose not to join us we are still going to do something amazing".
So yeah donations and sponsorships are amazing, they will make this ride a lot more comfortable for riders and they will enable us to send a ton more money to the developing world, but our determination and the amazingness of this event will not be based upon them. We have already had massive responses from people including 18 riders who believe in us, people who have donated of thousands of dollars, and volunteers who are giving their most.
Come join us, donate to the Yes Ride, Sponsor us, come ride with us, but not because you are forced to, but because you are inspired by us and because you want to be a part of what we are doing.
Sincerely,
Chris Markl
Project Coordinator
The Yes Ride
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Can I Get a Title Sponsor?
Do you know of a small company that is seeking to go nationwide? Or a large company that needs a 2 month PR campaign? Are you sitting next to a pile of cash?
If so, help us find a title sponsor for the 2006 Yes Ride. There is a 15,000 dollar minimum donation to become the Title Sponsor of the 2006 Yes Ride and in exchange we will provide a company with massive media coverage and cross country exposure. Some cool benefits of becoming the title sponsor include: The Yes Ride will now be presented by your company, exclusive logo placement on the front page of yesride.org, exclusive name logo on the front of Yes Ride shirts and jersey's, sponsorship of Yes Ride podcasts, and massive name and logo placement on 4-sides of our support vechicle. This truly is a 57 day PR opportunity for an organization.
For more information about becoming the title sponsor check out our sponsor kit on our contact page, or call the Yes Ride headquarters.
Chris Markl
Project Coordinator
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Inspiration from a Scholar: Thomas Pogge
Today's blog is written by one of the world's most noted scholars on global poverty, Dr. Thomas Pogge. Dr. Pogge obtained a Ph.D. in philosophy from Harvard University 1983 and he has given over 477 lectures about global justice in 32 countries. Currently he is a professor in the Political Science Department at Columbia University. The Yes Ride is honored to have our work recognized by such an amazing individual.
"Many in the poor countries think of the US as the country that is snatching their raw materials with huge environmental damage, is supplying arms and landmines used against them, is propping up their corrupt rulers, is suppressing the generic manufacture of life-saving medicines, and is blocking their access to world markets through huge subsidies to US exporters and other trade barriers. The Yes Ride shows another face of this nation. By supporting these young people in their mission, we can help heal the damage and help light up the path to a just and honorable foreign policy."
~Thomas Pogge
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Older and Wiser: A Parent's View of the Yes Ride
The Yes Ride welcomes guest bloggers to share their thoughts about the Yes Ride. The following note is posted by Ron Sikes, father of Yes Rider Kelley Sikes. He practices business law in Orlando, Florida.
My first thought was that Kelley must be out of her mind to take two months off to ride a bike across America when she needs to be working to meet her expenses. Was she so irresponsible that she would put her career on hold and have no income for two months? Who is she kidding, thinking that she and a few friends could really make an impact on ending world poverty?
As Kelley's father, I found myself angry and concerned that she would take on such an apparently futile cause. How would she handle failure and personal financial setbacks? How could I encourage such a risky venture?
Then I remembered myself as a college student in the early 70's when I turned down a chance to spend a month one summer in Hampton Beach, NH, working with the homeless (then known as "panhandlers"). I wondered how that experience would have changed me -- not to mention those whose lives I would have touched. I tried to calculate what it would have cost me in lost income that summer as opposed to what it has cost me in my life experience. I wondered how the passion I had as a twenty year old was compromised by saying "no" to an opportunity I had then and only then.
As I have watched Kelley prepare for this ride, I see her gaining an education that she can never get in a classroom. I see her developing relationships with new friends with whom she will share an experience of a lifetime. I watch as she learns to write letters asking for donations. She is learning about business, about politics, about people and about helping others. She is growing.
And, I see her passion growing, as well. To think that people who are alive today will die tomorrow from starvation if they are not helped motivates her. To break the spiraling catastrophe of the AIDS epidemic -- to equip the impoverished with livestock and gardens and training to sustain themselves -- to encourage traditionally suppressed women to contribute all they are capable of giving to our society -- these propel her.
I also see her growing as a young woman who is saving money now to pay the rent while she is on the ride. I see responsibility -- not irresponsibility. I am proud of my daughter. My passion is kindled by hers. She is giving to me an opportunity to do now through her what I took a pass on in 1972.
If any parent of a prospective rider reads this, please be open to allowing your child to ride, for in doing so, he or she will grow beyond your greatest expectation. Please be open to contribute, for in doing so you will benefit from knowing that you have done something real to help. Thank you.
Ron Sikes
Orlando, Florida
