The Mid-Atlantic Water Tour is a fully supported trip that spans nearly 400 miles along the East Coast from the beautiful shores of Nag’s Head, NC to the lively beaches of Ocean City, NJ. Cities en route include Elizabeth City, Virginia Beach, Salisbury, Chincoteague, and Harrington. Throughout the tour, the team will help create awareness for the global water crisis and, in particular, the way in which that crisis affects villages and communities in northern Africa. The donations generated from this trip will allow Compassion Corps to provide access to clean drinking water to thousands of people in the villages we serve.  You can learn more here.

Trip Details

Dates: July 8th – 14th, 2012. All riders are required to be at the kickoff meeting on July 8th at 5:00PM. Riders are expected to stay at the arranged hotel with the group that evening. We start the ride at 7:00AM sharp on July 9th.

Trip Cost: $2,000; we will provide resources to help riders fundraise for the tour. Any additional money raised will be put into the Wheels for Wells general fund and will go toward reducing the overall costs incurred by the trip. Read more about Compassion Corps on their website.

Challenge Level: Intermediate; meaning that “prior to the event” training will be necessary. This event is recommended for cyclists who can sustain 12 mph or more for over 50 miles per day or can work their way to that goal by the time of the ride in July.  Upon registration, WfW provides our riders with a progression-based training curriculum, which is designed to support and guide specific stages of preparation for the bike tour. Appropriate grouping of riders according to speed and skill level will also be arranged during the event.

Support Level: Fully supported tour; multiple Support Vehicles (SAG) will accompany our riders during every mile of the trip. The SAG vehicles will carry gear, equipment and extra food and water. They will be manned by our dedicated team of support staff (including medical personnel), who will be taking care of every aspect of logistics along the way.

What’s Included? First, our riders are provided with all of the prior planning and support of a devoted team of volunteers, who spend months leading up to the event preparing for the ride and securing all of the details. During the ride, food, accommodations, transportation, and team apparel will all be provided. The logistics of the daily schedules, routes and all other details will be fully planned and provided for the riders. In addition, WfW provides each registered rider with their own personal webpage to be used as an online fundraising tool. This allows family, friends and other supporters to contribute to your account and track your progress through a secure online donation mechanism.

Hotel Accommodations: Accommodations will be provided at a comfortable hotel each night during the trip except for the evening of the final day, Saturday July 14th, 2012. Arrangements will be made to have 2 riders to a room, unless specific requests are made otherwise. Please contact WfW if you wish to have a room to yourself.

Food Accommodations: WfW will provide 3 meals a day plus snacks and water for the riders throughout the trip. We’ll have breakfast each morning before departing, a moderate lunch on the road, and a healthy dinner at the end of the evening when we arrive at our destination for the night. Riders will need to bring their own refillable water bottles, but water and sports drink mixes will be provided. Light snacks such as fruit, crackers and energy bars will also be available during the ride, but riders should plan to bring any extra snacks or specific food items that they may feel they’ll need. Registered riders will receive a food survey from our support staff prior to the ride to assess any specific needs, allergies, etc.

Support Details: At least two larger vehicles (a van and a shuttle) will provide SAG support throughout the ride. These vehicles will be used to protect the riders on the road, lead the route and specify turns, and also carry equipment, food and support staff. One of the SAG vehicles will ride ahead and park at the next designated rest stop (about every 20 miles) to indicate to riders where to pull off of the road and reunite for rest and rehydration along the way. If need be, additional motorcycle support may also be arranged.

Activities: WfW has a goal of providing our riders with a unique, memorable experience of a lifetime! In order to best accomplish this mission, we may arrange some casual social activities or outings during the evenings at our destination spots. (Example: a walk to the beach, a ride to a local ice cream shop, or even a little pickup softball game) These activities are completely optional and what minimal costs may be involved are not built into the price of the trip. We do look forward to making new friendships during the ride and enjoying the unique social experience presented by a week of riding together with a dedicated group.

What’s Not Included? Items not provided include: transportation to Nags Head for the launch of the tour, transportation home from Ocean City at the end of the tour, a bicycle, personal gear, and any personal purchases along the way. WfW will be glad to provide addition information and help in any way that we can. Please send us an email at info@wheelsforwells.org should you have any questions or suggestions.

Goals: Through the momentum and attention generated by the Wheels for Wells Mid-Atlantic Water Tour, we hope to create awareness for the water crisis in Africa. In addition, we have a goal of better exposing a larger audience to the amazing work and impactful projects that Compassion Corps is carrying on throughout northern Africa in their effort to fight against extreme poverty and all of its consequences. WfW exists to:

• Create an challenging, fun and meaningful experience for all participating riders and supporters
• Engage and challenge riders’ minds, bodies and souls
• Build a team of advocates that will take the message of the clean water crisis back to their communities and social networks
• Raise $200,000 or more over the next several years for clean water initiatives in Africa
• Develop new community relationships and networks of support from various parts of the United States
• Educate Americans about the catastrophic effects of poverty (and specifically, about the shocking lack of access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation that exists in northern Africa)
• Create friendships that will last a lifetime

Expectations: As a registered rider for the 2012 tour, here is what you would be able to expect from WfW:

• Online fundraiser tool that allows all registered riders create a rider bio, email friends with the ride details, and request pledges (each individual who pledges to a rider account will receive a tax deductible receipt via mail from Compassion Corps)
• A welcome packet that includes ride details, a training schedule, a schedule of events and payment deadlines
• A rider jersey that will be provided prior to the ride
• Lodging provided each night between July 8th and July 13th  (check in on July 8th is at 3:00 p.m.)
• 3 meals per day; a complimentary breakfast through the hotels, one lunch per day on the road and one meal for dinner. (Keep in mind that in July, the average rider participating in this caliber of event will burn between 3,000-5,000 calories in a single day on the road. Replacing those calories and hydrating our riders is one of the most important concerns we have.)
• Rider insurance, which is provided through USA Cycling. For details, please go to: USA Cycling
• SAG Support, which ensures that while riders are on the road, there will be 2+ support vans and/or shuttles to handle medical, mechanical or any other type of issues that may arise
• Tolls and ferry ride fees will be taken care of by WfW and are included in the event price (Our team will be crossing the Chesapeake Bridge on day 3 of the trip. Because bikes are not permitted to ride on the bridge, all riders will put their bikes in our support van and we will drive the bikes and riders across the bridge. Once on the other side we will begin riding again. On Day 6, the group will be riding across the Lewes/Cape May Ferry. We will board the Ferry with our bikes.)

Thank you for your interest in the 2012 Wheels for Wells Mid-Atlantic Water Tour. If you are able to give one week of your life, you will change the lives of thousands of people for generations. Next year when you see the video footage of African families drinking from the clean water well you helped provide, you will have confirmation that the effort to raise your funds and train for the ride was well worth your time.  If you are considering the ride but have hesitations, please contact us with any questions or concerns by emailing info@wheelsforwells.org

We are looking forward to riding with you.

Thanks again!

The WfW Team