Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the moment that you have been waiting for…..Here is my official announcement that I will participate in the Pelotonia 2024 Ride Weekend as both a rider and virtually as a challenger. As I mentioned in the video above, I will be heading back to New Albany, OH to ride the 35-mile New Albany Loop Route on August 4, 2024. Since Pelotonia is primarily a cancer fundraiser, I have made a commitment to raise $1,250 towards funding the innovative research and treatment development that takes place at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute at The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. I created a video to help launch my fundraising efforts this year (you can view that video on the newly launched YouTube channel for this blog.)

I have learned a lot about myself as I have become a more active participant in this organization. This year’s campaign launch (on my end) is designed to reflect that growth, and to avoid a repeat of the many mistakes that I have made throughout the years. To that end, I will be launching a fundraising campaign over on Facebook as soon as I register on Thursday (February 29) that will run for the duration of this year’s campaign. I hope to raise $625 of this year’s fundraising commitment on that platform. As usual, I will use my fundraising page at Pelotonia.org as my primary fundraising tool. I will also continue to use printed material that I order from VistaPrint as soon as it is ready to go.

I started off-bike training for this year’s campaign in late January, with a goal to start my outdoor training rides in April (or late March, depending on the weather in Northwest Columbus.) At the conclusion of last years’s campaign I acquired an exercise bike in my bedroom, and a Meta Quest 2 to help me with my preparations this year. I will primarily use VZFit to help me simulate the actual route conditions, while I will use Supernatural and Holodia for Cardio (I will go into more details on these apps in my series of posts about my acquisition of a Meta Quest 2 during the holidays last year.)

Following along with my campaign this year will be easier to, as I plan to post as much behind the scenes content as possible leading up to the main event in August. You will find that content on the usual places (This Blog, Instagram, Facebook and Threads) and a few new channels that I will launch in the coming weeks. I am still working a few things out (like tracking my ride on ride weekend and my challenger goals), and should have some more information on that soon.

If you would like to join me on the greatest team ever, registration opens on Thursday at noon. In addition to the ride weekend, there are other ways to participate in this event, including volunteering, and participating virtually (if you can’t make it to Columbus during the ride weekend.) There is also a gravel day in September for any participants who want an off road experience. More information can be found at pelotonia.org