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Sara Tolchin is riding 300 miles in 4 days on Highway 1!

Sara Tolchin is taking on the challenge of riding 304 miles in just four days! She’s heading out her front door on July 4th, 2019 to raise money for the Climate Ride cause and her beneficiary choices 350.org and Climate One in her fight to help our planet. We took the chance to pick her brain ahead of her ride. Climate Ride: How’d you hear about Climate Ride Independent Challenge Program?

ST: I did my first CR last May, NorCal. I had only got on a road bike for the first time the previous October, but my riding buddies had done numerous Climate Rides, and I joined the Climate One team in December and signed up for the ride.

Climate Ride: What motivated you to do an event like this? And have you ever done something like this before?

ST: I had never done anything remotely like a Climate Ride. My fitness regime consisted of scurrying quietly to the gym in the early mornings or after work. But the first time I got on a road bike, I realized I was hooked. It was just a matter of time before I succumbed to doing a Climate Ride.

The reason I’m doing an Independent Challenge is that I had signed up for the 2019 Climate Ride California Central Coast and then discovered that smack in the middle of it is my daughter’s high school graduation. There was no way I could miss the walk of her life for the ride of mine. So I signed up for an Independent Challenge and I’m actually really excited to do a solo ride of this length. It’s a whole new set of challenges. How to pack enough snacks and water? How to carry repair gear? How to stay motivated on those lonely stretches of the highway?

I plan to carry a very light pack and stay in motels or Airbnb’s. I hope to carry my iPad so I can blog and post to social media along the way. I also hope to have some friend support along the way. A friend might meet me in Mendo, or maybe even at each night stop. But if I have to do the ride alone, that’s fine too. It’s my favorite stretch of road in the entire world, apart from the Beara Peninsula in the south of Ireland, and riding it solo would definitely be a big dream for me – out my door in Fairfax (no driving!) and approx 150 miles north along Highway One to Mendocino and back over 4 days from Jully 4th-7th, for a total of about 304 miles, so 70+ miles/day.

Climate Ride: We’re excited for you! Thanks for including us in your epic personal challenge! Here’s hoping for clear skies and tailwinds! If you are interested in following Sara’s ride, check out her fundraising page here.