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SALT LAKE CITY - Sept. 24, 2008 - Bikes for Kids Utah, a non-profit
501(C)3 organization that annually provides 1,000 new bicycles to
underprivileged Utah children, today announced the combined fundraising
efforts of its annual Dinner Auction and time trial event raised
$10,000.
“Bikes for Kids Utah had, yet again, a successful year,” said Debbie
Reid, founder of Bikes for Kids Utah. “Whether it was through donating
items for the auction, purchasing seats at the dinner or riding
in the time trial up Traverse Ridge, we are so grateful to all the
community members who came out and supported our efforts to provide new
bikes for Utah children.”
Bikes for Kids Utah Dinner Auction
The Bikes for Kids Utah Dinner Auction was held at La Caille on
Wednesday, September 17. The fundraiser had dozens of items for the 180
guests to bid on, including a weekend getaway at Snowbird Resort,
dinner and brunch at La Caille, a private bike ride with Eric Heiden
and a session of speed skating at the Olympic Oval with Derek Parra.
Parra, the first-ever Mexican American to win a medal in the Olympic Winter Games,
spoke at the Dinner Auction about the confidence cycling gave him to
pursue skating and the positive influence it can be in the life of a child who has the opportunity to own a bike.
“Whether it is confidence on skates, or confidence on a bike,
learning something new gives kids the opportunity to be challenged and
have personal success,” Parra said after he reflected on the
confidence-building experiences he had on his bike as he was riding to
his skating training sessions.
Parra continued, “I promised my daughter that I would buy her a new
bike as soon as she learned to ride her first bike without the training
wheels. The first time she got on that new bike, she rode it from
Draper to Taylorsville without falling, a three hour ride. It really
hit me that her first cycling experiences are preparing her to live a
confident and successful life.”
Red vs. Blue Time Trial
To raise funds for Bikes for Kids, close to 80 cycling club and team
members, alumni and fans of Brigham Young University (BYU) and the
University of Utah (Utah) gathered at Traverse Ridge for a three-mile
hillclimb time trial with an elevation gain of more than 1,300 feet and
10 percent to 12 percent grades in some locations.
According to Millisecond Sports Timing, which averaged the top 10
speeds of each university’s official cyclists, Utah cycling team won
the team race with an average time of 18 minutes, 39 seconds. BYU’s
club followed with an average time of 20 minutes, 13 seconds.
However, when including the schools’ fans and alumni in the average,
BYU finished the race in 22 minutes, 4 seconds and Utah finished in 22
minutes, 21 seconds.
The Utah cycling team was awarded a $1,000 cash prize to help with
its future racing efforts and BYU was awarded the O.C. Tanner Cup for
the fastest overall time, including fans.
“As a cycling club, it was exciting to race against the team from
the University of Utah,” said Patrick Davis, president of the Y Cycling
Club. “We even had tryouts to select the 10 fastest members for the
race.”
Joel Hsia, University of Utah cycling team president, was excited
about his team’s success and the cycling support the event generated.
“For the majority of the team members, it was their first time on
the course,” Hsia said. “It was great to have a change of scenery and
exciting to race the BYU riders. This event really demonstrated the
strength cycling has in Utah.”
Michael Romero of the Bad Ass Coffee Co. racing team faced Traverse
Road as confidently as he hopes the Bikes for Kids recipients will
approach the opportunity to own a bike. “Hello hills!” Romero said to
introduce himself to his cycling challenge for the day. “My name is
Michael. I’m here to conquer you.”
Romero started building his cycling confidence as a child. “I first
learned how to ride on a bike that probably cost around 50 bucks,”
Romero said, “If I can give a kid a new bike, helmet and lock for that
same price, I want to donate what I can to make that happen.”
The next Bikes for Kids Utah event will be the annual bike giveaway scheduled to take place on May 30, 2009.
Bikes for Kids Utah
Bikes for Kids Utah, a non-profit 501(C)3 organization, has provided
1,000 new bicycles annually to underprivileged Utah children since its
inception in 2006. Proceeds from annual bicycle fundraising events,
auctions and corporate donations allow Bikes for Kids to give
pre-selected children in the Salt Lake Valley recreation, learning and
confidence-building opportunities by giving them free bikes, helmets
and locks. www.bikesforkidsutah.org.
source: Chip Smith, for Bikes for Kids Utah
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