Zwift hosts Ride with Reason charity events on Nov. 12, 13 to 19 and Dec. 2
Zwifters pedal together for charitable causes alongside pros
Zwift is bringing cyclists from around the world together to train indoors with a cause. Ride with Reason is a charitable initiative that an expected 20,000 cyclists will participate in to support and raise funds for ALS research, Quebeka and the World Bicycle Relief Fund. Notable WorldTour riders such as Mark Cavendish, Andre Greipel, Marcel Kittel, Thomas De Gendt, and Jens Voigt are amoung those who participants will have the chance to rub shoulder with in the virtual world of Zwift.
“When an entire community comes together, it can really make a difference,“ explained Eric Min, co-founder and CEO of Zwift. “Zwifters are some of the most generous and open-hearted people I’ve met and that our platform can be the way we bring together this global community makes us feel, honored we can play that part.”
André and Friends Fight ALS Ride Nov. 12
On Nov. 12 at 8 am EST, the André and Friends Fight ALS ride takes place. Greipel’s mother was diagnosed with ALS, also know as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, in 2013 making the cause close to the prolific sprinters heart. The 60 minute ride will support financing research at Rostock University into the disease that impacts nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.
Alongside Greipel his Lotto-Soudal teammates Marcus Burghardt, Thomas De Gendt, Tomasz Marczyński and Marcel Sieberg, and rival German sprinter Marcel Kittel will join for the ride. To donate to the cause visit http://andregreipel.de/en/fight-als_en/.
“Obviously, this cause is close to my heart and I want to help anyone suffering from this terrible disease,” said Greipel. “Through this event, I can raise awareness of ALS by connecting with thousands of cyclists around the world, while we raise money to drive research.”
Team Dimension Data and Zwift Ride for Quebeka Nov. 13 to Nov. 19
Beginning on Nov. 13 and running until Nov. 19, Team Dimension Data and Zwift Ride for Quebeka takes place. The WorldTour team will be dropping in to rides from their training camp in South Africa with 19 events scheduled throughout the week. Mark Cavendish, Edvald Boassan-Hagen and Steven Cummings are amoung those who will be leading riders.
The goals is to raise funds to distribute 500 Qhubeka bikes throughout South Africa to help facilitate transportation to healthcare, jobs and education. Zwifters can donate at givengain.com/cc/ and will unlock a virtual Team Dimension Data fan kit and Qhubeka bike if the donate.
World Bicycle Relief – 24 hours on Dec. 2
The final ride is in support of the World Bicycle Relief on Dec. 2 and is a 24 hour ride with the likes of Jens Voigt, Fumiyuki Beppu (Trek-Sagafredo), Laurens Ten Dam (Sunweb), Lawson Craddock (Cannondale-Drapac) and Greg Henderson (Lott-Soudal) dropping in. The aim is to raise US$250,000 and have the Zwift community collectively ride 1,6 million virtual kilometres. World Bicycle Relief works to empower students, healthcare workers and entrepreneurs with bicycles in rural Africa. If the distance goal is exceeded, Trek has vowed to donate an additional US$40,000. If you want to donate to the WBR, setup a fundraising campaign, or join a fundraising team visit zwift.com/ride-with-reason.
