I knew that creating our event for St Jude Children's Hospital would be difficult. I have often heard that nothing worthwhile is easy. This event proved that old axiom to be true once again. With the help of my fellow riding buddies, we made countless phone calls for support. After working hours on the web site with Matt Stocking from Rikablade, the Web site became a reality and a vehicle for spreading our message was born.

We obtained the permit from the City of Baltimore to stage our event at Loch Raven Reservoir. Initially our plan was for a group ride but we later found out that the permit would only allow four riders. So our inaugural event would be just four riders trying to make a difference. We worked on partnering with sponsors to marketing the ride. The individuals and companies that joined our cause to help these sick children at St Jude were amazing and we are eternally grateful for making the leap with us in this inaugural year.

Ride Day was a beautiful morning and the heat wave that engulfed Baltimore this summer took a respite just for us. We started out promptly at 8:00am and went into the trails two at a time, switching every hour. Other riders accompanied us to show support for our cause. I would especially like to acknowledge two individuals for their efforts that day: Dan Abate, Account Manager for Metro Sports Magazine, was unbelievably supportive to our cause; assisting us in publicity, and then posting at the event to ride with us the entire day. It was terrific to meet Dan and I thank him for his involvement. Ray Mercado, avid mountain biker and Cycling Coach/Owner of RCI Racing, had emailed asking how he could help. Ray showed up early for the event with his 29er single speed and rode with us for the first six hours straight.

Throughout the day at the staging area, a steady stream of riders signed up for next year, bought T-shirts and made donations. As the loops grew more difficult for the weary riders, the words of encouragement from this stream of support kept our motivation high. Shortly after 8:00pm, we completed our 12 hours and exceeded our expectations with a collective mileage total of 215 miles! It was a tremendous day for everyone involved and when all pledges are collected, we will have raised just over $8,000 for St Jude Children's Research Hospital in our first year!

We have begun organizing for next year and will be changing the location to Patapsco State Park. We would like to sincerely thank all the sponsors, riders, volunteers and donors that made our first event a success! We look forward to next year's Second Annual 12 hours for St. Jude.