Your first charity ride
You don't need to be a cyclist. You need twelve weeks, a working bike, and the willingness to ask people for money for a good cause. Everything else is provided.
Charity rides are built for first-timers. That's the part nobody tells you. The events want you there — the rest stops are stocked, the routes are marked, a mechanic follows you around all day, and nobody, anywhere, cares how fast you are.
Pick the right first event
One-day rides with distance options are the ideal start — something like the Hill Country Ride format, where you can choose 25 or 50 miles. If you're drawn to a three-day ride like Center Ride Out, that's doable as a first event too — just give yourself more runway.
Twelve weeks of training, roughly
Weeks 1–4: ride three times a week, short and easy, one slightly longer weekend ride. Weeks 5–8: stretch the weekend ride — 20, 25, 30 miles. Weeks 9–11: get within striking distance of your event distance at least once. Week 12: ride easy, sleep, don't buy anything new.
The training rule that matters: the long ride grows, everything else just keeps you honest.
The fundraising part
It's easier than the miles. Most people's networks want to give to something real — a person they know, doing a hard thing, for a cause with a face. The fundraising guide has the scripts.
Event day
Eat breakfast. Start slow — slower than that. Stop at every rest stop for the first half. Talk to people; the stories are the actual event. The finish line will get you in the chest in a way you won't expect.
I do the miles. You decide who they’re for.
In 2027 I ride 10,000 miles, all on the bike, every one of them for queer communities. You pledge a few cents a mile and pick which org it goes to. It starts January 1.