The 2020 Empire State Ride will be here before we know it! In addition to all the fundraising and training our amazing road warriors are doing to prepare for the upcoming challenge, they are also getting to know each other. We were able to catch up with a few of our new riders as well. Check out our Q&A with Harold.
New Jersey resident Harold Bolton is ready to take on the Empire State Ride, an adventure of a lifetime. He learned about the 500+ mile, 7-day cycling tour through social media and he expressed that he is “blessed that I did.” While he has been cycling for three years now, he has never complete a challenge quite like this one. He posted on his Facebook page: “I’m am so looking forward to July 26 to August 1st when I take this ride to help end cancer and make new friends.”
So, we asked him, what inspired you to sign up?
“I have lost family and friends from cancer, and if I can endure a 7-day ride to help out, it doesn’t compare to what they go through on a day-by-day basis,” said Harold. “I hope to make a difference by raising funds for research. And to say I rode 500+ miles to help make that difference — I can jump for joy.”
500+ miles over 7 days is no joke. That’s why we call our participants road warriors! So, we wanted to know how Harold is preparing for this cycling challenge.
“I am cycling as much as I can outside and inside on the trainer, focusing on doing more hilly terrain, steep and long inclines,” said Harold. “I have been cycling for 3 years and this year is my most productive with one 50 miler, seven 60+ milers, one 100 miler and countless 20 milers to and from work.”
But the seat time isn’t the only necessary preparation for this event. Since the Empire State Ride is a charity cycling event, our amazing riders also push themselves to raise funds that will support cutting-edge cancer research that could impact the lives of patients around the world. Harold said that to fundraise for #ESR20, “I am using social media, posters at work and word of mouth.” And he is off to a great start with his fundraising! Through connecting his fundraising page to Facebook, posting about his upcoming endeavor on, emailing and more, Harold has already raised more than $1,000.
Nice work, Harold!
