May 19th, 2019
On May 18 the Richard Tom Foundation (RTF) hosted our fourth annual Richard’s Ride. We had 200 plus riders and we couldn’t have been happier with the turn-out! We’d like to thank Jimmy Cochran and the whole Cochran Family for providing us with the perfect venue to host Richard’s Ride. Cochran’s Ski Area has been the host for Richard’s Ride since our first ride – we are so happy to have their support.
Vermont Bicycle Tours and Walking Vacations and Event Set were also essential parts of our fun day. VBT has been our title sponsor for the past two years and provided us with the means necessary to bring this ride to our community. Event Set provided truss, fencing and bibs to keep our riders safe and organized throughout the race. We thank them for putting safety first!
Our Sponsors
Riders and spectators were greeted at the start and finish line by our local sponsors. Earl’s Cyclery and Fitness was there with tech support and raffle prizes. Cowbell Mobile Bike Shop also supplied tech support and Richard’s 70-mile sag support. Before the ride even started our riders were fueling up with delicious waffles from Little Bellas and then hydrated with drink mixes supplied by Untapped. Our riders enjoyed a wonderful post-ride meal catered by SugarSnap with meats and cheeses from Dakin Farm and cold beer from Stone Corral Brewery.
Ski Rack, Heart of Steel Bikes, Down’s Rachlin Martin, ATC Group Services, Aquatic Environmental Inc, Terry Bicycles, Synergy and BelGen Cycles generously donated to the ride. We encourage our community to shop locally with all of the above businesses that were sponsors to Richard’s Ride and support their communities throughout the year!
The RTF Velo Village
Our Velo Village was outstanding this year with so many local participants. Thank you to our friends from the Kelly Brush Foundation, Local Motion, AMBUCS and SunCommon who provided our young riders with a bouncy house.
Paying It Forward
Thanks to rider participation and sponsors at Richard’s Ride 2019, RTF has been able to pay-it-forward with contributions to Little Bellas Cycling Camps, scholarships to Catamount Outdoor Family Center Mountain Bike camps and extended support to Local Motion, our local advocacy group. These groups offer tremendous benefits to both young riders and to the safety of all who use our roads.
Updated Courses
Our riders may have noticed that we updated the courses from the previous year. We introduced a slight variation to Richard’s 35 and 70-mile courses this year by sending riders east on Cochran Road and then west on Route 2 to Richmond Village. We believe that this allows a bit more warm-up before tackling the climb to Jericho!
At the last minute we substituted a gravel ride route for our planned Mountain Bike route due to wet conditions. Although some of our riders braved the conditions with the help of a guide, we thank the riders who opted to participate in the substituted gravel route. Their feedback has encouraged us to include a gravel ride for Richard’s Ride on May 16, 2020!
View the entire photo gallery here!
Sincerely,
The Richard Tom Foundation Board of Directors