Climate Ride is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that organizes life-changing charitable events to raise awareness and support sustainability, bike advocacy, and environmental causes. Learn more about the work that we do year-round:
The Rides
Each year, Climate Ride holds two week-long events: Climate Ride NYC-DC and Climate Ride California.
By participating, Climate Riders make an extraordinary contribution to a cause they care about. They are helping to provide much-needed financial support, raising awareness, engaging other riders, and helping to build a national network of supporters.
The reward for this commitment is the ride of a lifetime through some of America's most beautiful landscapes. Riders meet and network with leaders in sustainability, renewable energy, and environmental causes while raising awareness of our cause.
The organizations that you support by joining Climate Ride are doing important work and the money you all raise makes a crucial difference. Proceeds from the ride benefit a collection of environmental and bike-related non-profits. Riders can choose to direct grants to the non-profit of their choice. Learn more about our beneficiaries and read common questions asked by participants in the FAQ.
Climate Ride NYC-DC: The ride begins with a pedal through the heart of Manhattan to a ferry that will carry us off the island and across New York Harbor. From there we travel along country roads passing through Princeton, crossing the Susquehanna River, and into Pennsylvania Amish Country. After a day of pedaling past farms and silos in, we reach Maryland horse country. On the fifth day, riders cycle past the iconic Washington Monument to arrive at the U.S. Capitol. A highlight of the ride is that Climate Ride arranges appointments for every rider to personally meet with her/his Congressional representative. It makes a big impression to pedal 300 miles to meet your senator.
Climate Ride California: The new 2014 California ride begins in San Francisco where we ride across the scenic Golden Gate Bridge to Marin County. From there we travel along the coast, soaking in expansive ocean views and coastal bluffs before turning east toward Petaluma. Riders cross several coastal ranges to the top of the famed Napa Valley, considered some of the best cycling in the US. The final day is an exciting ride across California’s Central Valley to the Golden State’s Capitol in Sacramento.
The Speaker Series
The Expert Speaker Series: Each evening of the ride, expert speakers educate and inspire Climate Riders about sustainability, climate, the green economy, and energy issues. Our riders and the communities we pass through learn that our government, businesses, and each individual American will benefit from a cleaner, healthier energy system. This is a unique event — a fundraiser and green conference on wheels. Learn more about our speakers here.
The Congressional Appointments
Lobby Meetings: The Climate Ride staff schedules hundreds of appointments for riders to meet in person with their senators and representatives when they arrive by bike in Washington DC at the end of Climate Ride NYC-DC. In 2012 alone, we trained and scheduled more than 100 riders to meet with Congress. We're helping to create a grassroots force of 'people-powered' lobbyists.
The Beneficiary Grants Program
The Climate Ride staff handles hundreds of inquiries from potential beneficiaries and manages a process to vet and approve the organizations that riders wish to support. We assist organizations in making Climate Ride a useful and meaningful part of their development plans. We process tens of thousands of donations and handle every aspect of the rides so that these organizations can benefit without any risk or cost - so they can focus on acheiving their missions.
Community Building and Awareness
Climate Ride strives to build a engaging new community around sustainability, bike advocacy and climate issues. Our staff works to publicize these causes and promote engagement. We work to keep past and present riders engaged with the issues and the beneficiaries they support.
Who Runs Climate Ride?
Climate Ride was created by two women, Geraldine Carter and Caeli Quinn in 2008. A year later Blake Holiday joined as Ride Director. Together, the three of them have a combined experience of more than 25 years of professional, high-end bike trip leading and development. Their expertise ranges from custom trips in far-flung locales to largescale charitable events. The three have have put together a volunteer staff of professional trip leaders and guides to host these extraordinary and lifechanging charitable cycling events. In 2012, Andrew Valainis joined the staff to help every single rider meet their fundraising and training goals.
Why We Ride
We ride to support a collection of beneficiary organizations that are working to engage citizens in the possibility of a green economy, educate the public about the interconnected web of environmental issues related to the climate crisis, mobilize government and businesses to enact sound energy policies that promote renewables, and raise the profile of the bicycle as a crucial form of green transportation. Your fundraising helps these beneficiaries continue to provide the critical services and education needed to address sustainability and bike advocacy issues. Right now, your fundraising and your effort to raise awareness are more critical than ever.
We can create communities with cleaner air, where we ride bikes, drive efficient cars and live and work in energy-saving, healthy buildings. If you demand it, our legislators and business community will promote clean energy and smarter transportation systems. By joining Climate Ride, you can take a step in this direction.
So ditch your car and join us for a week of pedal power—all for a good cause. This transformative bicycling event is ideal for anyone who believes that change is possible and that America can take the lead in a green economy.
On Climate Ride I met experts from every field of work and climate enthusiasts from every state. Together we brainstormed how to solve climate change -- while taking in the beauty and challenge of transporting ourselves, carbon-free, from New York to DC! Once there, I had a chance to meet my U.S. Senator. We had a half-hour, one-on-one conversation that confirmed our ride did raise awareness, that politicians are listening, and that we can work together toward a clean energy future.
-- Allison Smith, Climate Rider, Cambridge, MA