We’ve got our routes finalized!

Click here to see map

15KM = START at the EECO centre, go down to Lakeshore and back the EECO centre – you’re done!

30KM = START at the EECO centre, go down to Lakeshore, back up to Ziprick, back down to Lakeshore, then back to the EECO centre – you’re done!

30K Club is very excited to have the support of Axel Merckx for this year’s Bikeathon. Axel has agreed to be a guest rider in our Bikeathon taking place June 16, 2012 at the Mission Park Greenway.

As you may have heard, Axel now lives in the Okanagan and hosts his own event, the Valley First Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan.

Axel Merckx is a world-renowned Belgian bicycle racing champion who retired to British Columbia, Canada, in 2007. Born in 1972 in Uccle, Belgium, Axel is the son of five-time Tour de France champion Eddy Merckx. Although proud of his father’s exploits, Axel has himself enjoyed a superb racing career, including winning an Olympic Medal in 2004.

Axel began his professional cycling career in 1993 as a member of Team Motorola. Axel married Canadian triathlete Jodi Cross in 1997, and upon his retirement from bicycle racing in 2007, he moved with his family to Kelowna, British Columbia.

Winner of the 2000 Belgian National Championship, he has participated in eight Tours de France, finishing as the highest-placed Belgian rider six times. Axel’s other accomplishments include winning the Belgianstage wins in the Giro d’Italia and Dauphine Libere. He has also won the GP Sanson, the Tour de la Region Wallone, the Grand Prix de Wallonie, and the Tour de l’Ain.

As a member of the Belgian Olympic Cycle Racing contingent, Axel participated at the 2004 Olympics held in Athens, Greece, where he captured a bronze medal among 75 competitors. In a race that showed numerous break away attempts, it wasn’t until Paolo Bettini from Italy and Sérgio Paulinho from Portugal broke away from the group with a couple of laps remaining and opened up a comfortable gap on the final lap that an idea of the medal positions could be gained. With the peloton giving up the chase of the leaders, Axel Merckx from Belgium broke away to open up a sufficient gap for him to take bronze. Only 8 seconds separated a third place finish from the Gold Medal winner.

So we encourage you to Gear UP! Join 30K and Axel Merckx on June 16th!

Bikeathon takes place June 16, 2012 at the Mission Park Greenway. It is a non – competitive, family friendly, fun event suitable for all ages and abilities.  Register to ride, either 15km or 30km, and gather team-mates and pledges to help us reach our goal of  $30,000.

This year we are very excited to announce Belgian national cycling champion and Olympic medalist, Axel Merckx, will be a guest rider in the Bikeathon!  As you may have heard, Axel now lives in the Okanagan and hosts his own event, the Valley First Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan. So we encourage you to Gear UP! Join 30K and Axel Merckx on June 16th!

All monies raised go to the 30K Club, a monthly donor program which supports services offered to Kelowna’s Gospel Mission clients who are taking steps to transition from dependence to independence. Each month, your gift helps these clients find a home and connect with programs that ensure their long term success. To find out more about the work the 30K Club does in your community check out the website.

This year’s Bikeathon could not have happened without some great community sponsors who have come on board. We would like to make special mention of our Presenting Sponsor Vital Waters and our media sponsors Power 104 & Q 103.1.

To participate in the 4th Annual Bikeathon click on the Event Details tab.

The 4th Annual 30K Club Bike-a-thon is coming your way June 16, 2012. Mark your calendars now and stay tuned for more details!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Kelowna Cycle is on a Mission

Kelowna, BC – Thanks to Kelowna Cycle and their Refurbished Bike Program clients of Kelowna’s Gospel Mission will now get an opportunity to help others get back on their feet.

A local family, along with two other clients of the Mission received ‘new’ bikes on Tuesday. Not only will the wheels help their lives, they can now participate in the 3rd Annual Kelowna’s Gospel Mission’s Bikeathon, in support of the 30K Club this Saturday June 19th.

“We are so excited,” says mom Joanne. “Having a simple item like a good quality, working bike will allow us to do more things together. It brings my family closer when we can spend time together. It also allows us to ride in the Bikeathon as a family.”

Client Stephan is very grateful. “It’s so great that they are so generous. I’m looking for work and this will make it easier for me to get around to possible employers. I really feel having a bike will help me find work. I’m in recovery now, and I’m glad that I will be able to help others get back on their feet.”

Kelowna Cycle owner Pat Rosen says, “the idea for the Refurbished Bike Program came about after a bike rodeo at a local school. I noticed that more kids were walking the course, not riding it. I realized that not all families can afford to have bikes. So, I decided to do something about that. The public donated their old bikes, and my staff helped fix them up and make them safe. We are a community driven business, and we wanted to make sure we were contributing to our community.”

“I remember the feeling of confidence I had when I was a kid, the first time I was on 2 wheels, and I want every kid to feel that confidence.”

The 3rd Annual Bikeathon, on Saturday June 19th, is a fundraiser for the 30K Club, which provides recovery and transition homes and programs for those in need. The 30k Club is a sustainable effort to purchase and maintain recovery and transitional homes for men, women, and children where those individuals choosing to change their lives for good can continue to access counselling, support, life skills training, education, and friendship.

More information on the 30K Club, or the Bike a thon
Please contact:
Ami Catriona
Marketing and Communications Director
Kelowna’s Gospel Mission
250-763-3737 x 207
www.kelownagospelmission.ca

Everyone’s getting into the bikeathon spirit! The ladies at our very own Harmony House are getting geared up! Terra (Director of Women’s Recovery Services) and Becky went shopping for new bikes and are all ready to roll!

And those Men Of Destiny are on board too! They’re riders AND volunteers! Their team is the MOD Squad and they’re pumped to give back to the program that’s given them so much.

Kelowna, BC – Kelowna’s Gospel Mission is proud to host their 3rd Annual 30k Club Bikeathon on June 19th, 2010. Cyclists will ride the Mission Creek Greenway in support of the 30k Club campaign which helps provide recovery and transition homes and services to those in need. Kelowna’s Gospel Mission is inviting everyone to this family-oriented, recreational cycling event for people of all ages and abilities. It is not a race; it’s simply a big ride for a great cause!

The Mission Creek Greenway EECO Centre (at the South end of Leckie Road) will be the rallying point for this fundraising event on Saturday, June 19th, 2010. The day will kick-off with a healthy breakfast for registered riders starting at 8:30am, Check in begins at 9am, and the ride starts at 10am. There will be local entertainment to get the energy pumping, and there are three different routes that cyclists can choose from: 6km, 12km, or 30km.

We encourage everyone to participate – and it’s easy! Register online prior to the event at http://www.30kclubbikeathon.com; registration is only $15 for adults – kids under 14 are FREE! Funds are raised through the online pledging system where each team and rider has their own personal fundraising web page.

The 30K Club is an effort by Kelowna’s Gospel Mission to provide recovery and transitional homes and services within the community of Kelowna through programs that will lead homeless men and women into a life of wholeness and hope. Members of the 30K Club commit $30/ month with the funds going towards the recovery and transitional homes and services.

More information on the 30K Club, or the Bike a thon
Please contact:
Ami Catriona
Marketing and Communications Director
Kelowna’s Gospel Mission
250-763-3737 x 207
www.kelownagospelmission.ca

David’s excitement helped him become the top fundraiser in 2009. “Fundraising isn’t hard. The first thing to do is get some friends or co-workers together – it’s easy with friends.” Once you register online – which is really easy to do – you can use the tools on the site to send out letters to you own contacts asking friends to sponsor you. It’s just a simple email. “I find that competition is always good! Make it a friendly rivalry!” says David. “you can’t get much better than supporting people in your own back yard. And the result – helping people out of homelessness is so positive.”

Grab a friend – teams can be as few as 2 – or as big as 10! We are looking forward to more teams than ever on June 19th. See you there!

Here’s some of the topics that are covered in the Website Help document:

• One-time Donors and Non-Rider Supporters
• Managing Your Account
• Personal Web sites
• Send email
• Collecting and processing pledges
• Offline pledges
• Monitoring pledges