FAQ

Forming a team for an upcoming Climate Ride event is easy! One person should designate themselves as the Team Captain, and can be the first person to register. Teammates can register any time thereafter, and elect to join the already-created team. There’s no minimum or maximum number of participants per team.

There are few different types of teams, including Beneficiary Teams and Corporate Teams, so read about them to help decide what is best for you or your organization.

Team Captains manage their teams and keep track of overall team fundraising via our online fundraising software. Team Captains can also support and encourage team members, organize training rides, arrange for team transportation, and serve as the main point of contact with Climate Ride staff. If your team needs to change its captain at some point during the fundraising, please let us know, and we'll switch it over for you.

The fundraising minimum for teams is based on the number of team members. Teams should multiply the number of participants by the individual fundraising minimum to calculate the team goal. Each team member needs to raise $2400 (or $2800 for 2014 events).

You can, but it requires a bunch of mouse-clicks on our end of the system. If you think you'll eventually create a team, better to register as a team. But if you want to join a team after registering as an individual, email andrew@climateride.org and tell him the name of the team you want to be on, and he’ll transfer you.

There are definitely ways to support fellow riders on Climate Ride!

If you’ve already reached your fundraising goal, and would like to help someone else out, you may ask new donors if they would like to support your teammates’ efforts instead.

If you're on a team and hosting a fundraising party or event, you can mail a check for the proceeds to the office with specific instructions on how to divide it up. You can also split checks to your team from individual donors, as long as they are for more than $200.

Please note that each rider must reach the fundraising minimum in order to participate in Climate Ride. With the exception of the special circumstances above, donations must be made to individual participants, and once they’re in the system they cannot be split, transferred, or moved.

Yes! The only thing is that it takes a while -- most companies mail out matching gifts only quarterly. We'll post the matching donation to your fundraising page as soon as it arrives, but in order for it to go toward your minimum, it has to arrive before the ride's fundraising deadline. Talk about a great reason to get started fundraising early! If you're waiting and counting on a match to meet your minimum, but it doesn't come until after the ride, we can hold a check from you as a guarantee until the match arrives.

The process is pretty simple: First, your donor makes a gift. Then, they talk to someone in their HR department, where they'll have to fill out a form with the information about their gift. They'll have to provide Climate Ride's Tax ID #, which is 27-1777457. Their company will then contact Climate Ride to confirm their donation. Once it is confirmed, their company will send the matching gift by check in the next cycle (this is the part that might take time).

For more details, check out our Matching Donations page, or email andrew@climateride.org.

Yes, we encourage you to! Many teams on Climate Rides in the past have worn custom-made jerseys. We ask all participants to wear their Climate Ride jersey (included in registration) on Days 1 and 5, but the other days of the trip are fair game for team jerseys. Email andrew@climateride.org if you need logos. We like Voler, Mt. Borah, Blackbottoms, and Primal.

In fact, if you order jerseys through Primal, they will donate 15% of your order towards your team fundraising account, moving you closer toward your fundraising goal!

Be aware that custom jerseys require a long lead time - as many as 3 months, so if you’re thinking about ordering some for your team don’t waste time getting started.

Get in touch with Andrew at andrew@climateride.org, and he'll help you out.

YES!

This is one of riders’ biggest concerns. But we want you to know it’s easier than you think! And we'll help you in every way we can. We've put together an easy-to-use fundraising page that you can set up after you register. We also have compiled a list of fundraising strategies and tips to help you get started.

For the 2013 NYC-DC ride, participants must raise $2400 by September 14. You must also commit to raising $500 of that total by August 31 to secure your spot on the ride and allow us to cover expenses.

For the 2014 California Ride, participants must raise $2800 by May 8, with $500 to be raised by April 25.

First, please feel free to call or email us if you need further advice on how to fundraise successfully. If you are unable to raise the fundraising minimum by the deadline, you can self-pledge the remainder of the balance.

Yes. All donations made to support your fundraising are fully tax-deductible. All donors will receive an e-tax receipt via email as record of their donation.

Climate Ride
114 West Pine Street
Missoula, MT 59802
406-322-3448
Tax ID #27-1777457

All donations made to support Climate Riders' fundraising are fully tax-deductible. All donors will receive an e-tax receipt via email as record of their donation.

When you register, the online software will lead you to create a personal webpage that you can use for fundraising. Look at your webpage once you have registered and it will explain how how donors can pledge funds toward your ride (they can use a credit card). When you meet people you can ask them to visit your webpage to donate. Or you can send a link to your personal webpage in an email and then your friends can click and donate. The donation software tracks and records all of your donations.

Yes. There is an "offline" donation form that donors can use to send in a check. Here's the link to the page where you can download the form. While credit cards make it easy for people to donate quickly online, more money goes to beneficiaries if they write a check, due to credit card and software fees. So, if you want to ask people to write a check, print out a few offline forms. Also, the non-profit taxpayer ID# is listed on the forms, so that donors can write off their donation.

Your donors should make their checks out to Climate Ride, and it's helpful for us if they put your name in the memo line. If a donor has already written a check out to you, you can sign it over to Climate Ride by writing "Pay to the order of Climate Ride" on the back where you endorse it. Otherwise we won't be able to accept it.

We cannot accept checks that are written out directly to a beneficiary.

There are definitely ways to support fellow riders on Climate Ride!

If you’ve already reached your fundraising goal, and would like to help someone else out, you may ask new donors if they would like to support your teammates’ efforts instead.

If you're on a team and hosting a fundraising party or event, you can mail a check for the proceeds to the office with specific instructions on how to divide it up. You can also split checks to your team from individual donors, as long as they are for more than $200.

Please note that each rider must reach the fundraising minimum in order to participate in Climate Ride. With the exception of the special circumstances above, donations must be made to individual participants, and once they’re in the system they cannot be split, transferred, or moved.

Yes! The only thing is that it takes a while -- most companies mail out matching gifts only quarterly. We'll post the matching donation to your fundraising page as soon as it arrives, but in order for it to go toward your minimum, it has to arrive before the ride's fundraising deadline. Talk about a great reason to get started fundraising early! If you're waiting and counting on a match to meet your minimum, but it doesn't come until after the ride, we can hold a check from you as a guarantee until the match arrives.

The process is pretty simple: First, your donor makes a gift. Then, they talk to someone in their HR department, where they'll have to fill out a form with the information about their gift. They'll have to provide Climate Ride's Tax ID #, which is 27-1777457. Their company will then contact Climate Ride to confirm their donation. Once it is confirmed, their company will send the matching gift by check in the next cycle (this is the part that might take time).

For more details, check out our Matching Donations page, or email andrew@climateride.org.

Many riders provide a link to their fundraising page in their email signature, as well as in fundraising letters. However, that long string of nonsense that make up the URL link can feel a little unwieldy. Fortunately, there are some ways to whip that link into tighter shape. At tiny.cc, you can paste your long link to your fundraising page into the box in the center of the page. Then, in the little box below labeled 'tiny.cc customurl,' type in what you want it to be, like "sarahsride" or something. Then click Tiny! and it will make you that custom link.

If you want to add the new and improved link to your email signature in Gmail, click the gear icon (upper right of your Gmail page) and go to "settings". On your settings page, under "general", scroll down to find the "signature" box, where you can customize your email signature. Paste your custom URL into the signature box and voila! Your tiny url will be attached to the bottom of all your emails.

Yes! If you would like to change your beneficiary choices, please email Andrew (andrew@climateride.org) and indicate which beneficiaries you would like to support.  Please note that beneficiary choices must be finalized by May 31st for the California ride, and September 30th for the NYC-DC ride.

Get in touch with Andrew at andrew@climateride.org, and he'll help you out.

All riders need to bring a bicycle, helmet, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and a small suitcase or duffle containing clothes, toiletries, and anything else necessary for five days on the road. In the Climate Ride Travel Planner, you will find suggestions from the pros on proper clothing, equipment, and packing for the ride.

Climate Ride provides breakfast, dinner, and energy-rich snacks, including the cyclist's favorite on-the-road lunch -- PB&J.

We also encourage you to enjoy a sit down lunch or indulge in a daily ice cream cone in the small towns along the way, so bring some extra cash. We'll tell you about all the best places to stop each day.

It's very important that you have a bicycle that you will be comfortable riding for most of the day- up to six hours in the saddle. Talk to your local bike shop about proper bicycle fitting. Most people choose to ride road bicycles, but hybrid bicycles are fine. You may also ride a mountain bike, but consider putting "slick" tires on your wheels, as wide, knobby tires tend to move slower on paved roads.

This is a personal choice. The three choices, in descending order of pedaling efficency are: clipless, cages, and platform. If you are new to biking, consider using platform pedals. Once you get used to cycling, you could advance to cages, and get used to the feeling of having your feet attached to the pedals, or you could skip cages altogether and get clipless pedals. Clipless pedals will improve your efficiency, but they are definitely not necessary for the ride. Be sure to practice riding with any new clipless pedals on quiet streets before you go out on busier roads. Whatever you choose, any of these three options will work fine for Climate Ride.

If you have the option - you own or have access to two different bikes - go with a triple chainring, as there will certainly be hills to contend with on both rides.  If you only have a double and/or prefer them, that'll work just fine too. Either way, make sure you incorporate hills into your training!

YES!! We highly recommend getting your bike tuned up before Climate Ride, especially if it's old and/or your bike mechanic skills are limited. We recommend using your local bike shop (support local retailers!). While we will have mechanics on the ride to help you if something goes wrong, the line can be long, and there's nothing worse than seeing your friends peel out of camp while your bike is getting a shifter fixed. You'll have a lot more fun riding a smoothly running bike than standing around in your chammy, waiting. Also, the mechanics on the ride ask that you not use them as your free yearly tune-up. It's poor form. Please go support your local bike shop and get your bike tuned pre-ride! We suggest doing this at least two weeks ahead of the ride, in case your bike needs a new part that has to be ordered.

Probably. Please email us to discuss the possibility of bringing a special bike. These types of bicycles most likely will not fit on our support vehicle's bike racks, depending on the size and style. Generally, you can bring a special bike if you are physically able to ride every mile of the route, since we will not be able to transport it. We cannot put special bikes into vans, cars, or vehicle trunks because that space is reserved for support supplies and to support riders in need of transport. If you are thinking about bringing a special bike on Climate Ride, please email us at info@climateride.org.

Sure! REI is a great source for rental camping gear. On their website, you can look for a store near you! And in the NYC are, you could also try: www.geartogooutfitters.com. 

We also highly recommend reaching out to your friends and family! You'd be surprised who has a tent, sleeping bag, and pad that would be happy to share it with you for a week.

Yep! If you are traveling to the trip start with a hard-shell bike case, email blake@climateride.org to reserve your space. We will likely have space for a limited number of hard shell bike boxes in the luggage truck. If we do, we'll carry it for you. If we don't, you'll have to ship it forward to the trip end and meet it there.

Yes. Just collapse it so it is flat.

Get in touch with Andrew at andrew@climateride.org, and he'll help you out.

We encourage it!  There's absolutely no rush on Climate Ride. You can take all day to complete the ride, if you like. In fact, many of our riders take it easy, stopping often for photos, coffee, and to check out historic towns and sites. Be assured that no matter what your pace, you'll meet people to ride with!

We encourage it! If you want to get up and go, and do some hard riding, have at it. On a typical 60 mile day, some riders arrive at camp around 2pm, while others take a more leisurely pace and arrive around 5pm. Climate Riders come in all speeds!

Climate Ride has an experienced, friendly, and professional support staff. All you need to do is ride. We'll provide plenty of rest stops, snacks, healthy meals, restful camping, vehicle support (the 'sag' wagon), bike mechanics, luggage transport, and showers. You can also expect an unlimited supply of camaraderie and encouragement from the support staff and your fellow riders.

Climate Ride has arranged for a stellar line-up of expert speakers to meet us at camp in the evening to enlighten and inspire us about innovative sustainable technologies, climate science, and easy ways to reduce our carbon footprint. So you can kick back, hang out with your new friends, and delve into fascinating topics! You receive all of this and a great night's sleep.

Yes. When you register, you can choose either option.

Don't worry! We give you directions at the start of the day, and we mark each turns with signs, so route finding is really easy.

Yes! There will be HOT showers available every night of the ride.

Yes, we bring along power strips.

On Climate Ride NYC-DC, there is good cell service along most of the route. All campgrounds/retreat centers have wi-fi, but be prepared for slower bandwidth if many riders are attempting to connect their smartphones to the network.

On Climate Ride California, there is very limited cell service along the route. Verizon has some service; AT&T has almost none. You may get a decent signal when we're closer to some of the towns. Our campgrounds have wi-fi, however be prepared for slow bandwidth as all the riders try to connect to the network. Be prepared for reduced connectivity!

Mostly, yes.

On Climate Ride NYC-DC, we camp for three nights of the ride, and the other night will be spent at a retreat center (think modest hotel rooms). You are responsible for bringing your own camping gear (tent, pad, sleeping bag are recommended), which we will transport along with your luggage. There is an option to 'rent-a-bunk' at two of our camps, which would mean you would only set up a tent for one night. Email andrew@climateride.org for more information. 

On Climate Ride California, we camp each night. You are responsible for bringing your own camping gear (tent, pad, sleeping bag are recommended), which we will transport along with your luggage. When you arrive at camp, all you have to do is set up your tent and relax.

Being in camp during Climate Ride is one of the best parts of the experience: it's where people connect. If you prefer not to camp any of the nights, please email Andrew at andrew@climateride.org. He can give you more information about cabins, hotels and options near the campgrounds. If you choose to use any of these indoor accommodations, you will be responsible for making your own reservations, arranging transport to and from the campground, and associated costs.

Sure! REI is a great source for rental camping gear. On their website, you can look for a store near you! And in the NYC are, you could also try: www.geartogooutfitters.com. 

We also highly recommend reaching out to your friends and family! You'd be surprised who has a tent, sleeping bag, and pad that would be happy to share it with you for a week.

Get in touch with Andrew at andrew@climateride.org, and he'll help you out.