Do you know anyone crazy enough to get on a bike, ride from San Diego to Seattle, and raise over $4500 for charity to do it?  The 12 cyclists on Blood:Water Mission’s Ride:Well Tour are doing just that but they aren’t lifelong activists, they aren’t expert fundraisers, and some of them have never even owned bike shorts before.  They are ranch-hands, software developers, teachers and students, biking up the West Coast to raise awareness and funds for clean water and HIV/AIDS projects in Africa.  The Ride:Well Tour stopped by the Causes office in Berkeley, CA last week and got us all thinking about what happens when passionate people are given the opportunity to make a difference.

Between tales of puking-while-biking and the dangers of an ill-fitting bike seat, the Ride:Well Tour cyclists explained their personal motivations for doing the ride.  One woman, who spends the rest of the year teaching art in an inner-city school, said she signed up for the ride because she wanted to have a positive impact on the world.  The group’s leader revealed that she signed up for the tour last year because she got a bulletin about it through a cause and wanted a challenge.  Blood:Water Mission recognizes that every person in their causes could be a potential rider, a potential long-term donor, or a potential (insert needed volunteer here), so they make sure they provide opportunities for them to step up.  The riders laughed at the thought of Blood: Water just asking them to write a check – these individuals wanted to do so much more.  Blood:Water Mission has found that Causes and other social media platforms are powerful tools for connecting with future super-activists.

Thanks to the Ride:Well Tour for including a stop at the Causes office on your incredible adventure.  Even though you kicked our butts up the hills of San Francisco, you’re invited back anytime.