Hey WheelBrothers! Are you a fan of quiet forest rides, but still enjoy the company of others? Then this is the perfect ride for you! Gear up for the 2014 Pedel Thru The Pines, taking place on March 8, 2014. Here is our exclusive interview with the host, Charlotte Pietsch.
Why join your ride?
1. It’s a great way to support the Center and the services we provide and have a fun day.
2. The event is also a recommended training ride for the BP MS 150 event in April. We have worked with the BP MS 150 Lone Star Chapter for at least 10 years now and are a very good steward of their ride criteria.
3. And the third reason to do our ride, each year we change our ride t-shirt and have many folks that look forward to receiving a t-shirt as they collect the Pedal ride shirts!
How long has your ride been around?
12 years
What was the motivation behind starting the ride and who benefits from it?
The motivation behind creating the Pedal event was to offer a unique fundraising event for the Center that no one else was doing in our rural area. The proceeds raised from the Pedal event help provide critical services to victims of domestic and sexual violence in our 4 county service area of Bastrop, Colorado, Fayette and Lee counties.
How have they been able to utilize funds in the past?
Proceeds from the event help support a wide range of services; some of the services are 24 hour hotline services, emergency shelter, counseling services, crisis advocacy, protective order assistance, court and hospital support, resource and referral to other social agencies, school based prevention focusing on healthy relationships, bulling, teen dating violence, parenting and anger management classes
Logistically can you give us an idea of how many volunteers, finances and planning it takes to put on this event?
We work on this event all year long, it takes up to 75 volunteers to help support the event. We do offer sponsorships to local businesses and that helps defray some of the cost of putting the event on.
Do you have a map of the start facility showing registration, parking, all toilets, water/snacks, start line?
The start and finish live are located at Vernon L. orchards RiverbendPark, located on Hwy 71 in Smithville, Texas. All rest stops are stocked with water, Gatorade, and snacks for the cyclists.
What is the most rewarding experience of hosting this event?
There are several for me- To see the cyclists come out, support the Center and have a blast doing the ride. Also to see returning cyclist that we have formed friendships with, and to see those that are new to the sport of cycling enjoy completing the ride and see the success on their faces as they cross the finish line. Another rewarding thing for me is the event’s longevity and knowing that cyclists look forward to doing our ride each year, and that the volunteers that we have come back year after year to support the event.
What is the average number of participants?
The average number of participants of course depends of the weather, if we are having great weather we will see 1500, if it’s rainy, windy and cold we will drop to around 800.
What can folks do to support you and your mission?
I think the best way to begin to support any non-profit or issue focused event is to learn about the issue that you are going to support by participating in the event. The mission of the FamilyCrisis Center is to be the expert resource and service provider in eliminating domestic and sexual violence in Bastrop, Colorado, Fayette and Lee Counties. I think having an awareness of the issues of domestic and sexual violence can help everyone. One in three women (and one in four men) will experience some form of abuse in their life time, it is important to know who in your community offers services. You personally, may never need these services for yourself, but it could be that you have a friend, a sister, a mother or aunt or neighbor who will need these critical services.
Do you ride, and if so, what kind of bicycle do you have?
I do ride, I have a Jamis bike. I have been riding for several years now and enjoy getting out and riding the back roads of Bastrop and Fayette counties when I can.
Anything else you’d like to tell folks about this ride?
The Pedal event is an well organized ride, we have a seasoned SAG Team, great rest stops, wonderful volunteers, and we have awesome routes. We have the support of local law enforcement and community and we provide a fun day for cyclists to enjoy. Thanks WheelBrothers for thinking of us and for the opportunity to share a little about our ride.
CLICK HERE – for more information about this great ride!
Hope to see you in the pines! WheelBrothers out.
