Welcome!
Thank you in advance for any support you can offer for this fundraiser for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.
http://www.challengedathletes.org
Please contribute any amount you can, big or small, to help exceed my modest fundraising goal of $1,000. (There's nothing wrong with exceeding it by 5X!) Your contributions are fully tax deductible since the CAF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit [Tax ID 33-0739596] charitable organization helping physically challenged athletes find acceptance and respect at the same level as able-bodied athletes.
I hope this "Belgian Waffle Ride" journey I take on April 15, 2018 will inspire people much younger & stronger than than me go outside their comfort zone in the name of fitness, adventure, and charity. I haven't done much off-road cycling since I almost killed myself back in 2009. The Belgian Waffle Ride has become a venerable race in recent years, with many pro cyclists participating. I'm doing the short "Wafer" version, and I'm not so much "racing" it as I am trying to finish it as an amateur entering the 60+ Masters category...if there is one! Even the Wafer has its challenges...
- 109 km (68 miles) of road/dirt/gravel/sand/ugly trails
- 1,981 vertical meters (6,500 feet) of climbing, including multiple categorized climbs
- Foot bridge & water crossings
- Sprint/KOM/MTB segments
- Fortunately...some feed zones!
I've never done this event before but I've heard from many cyclists in San Diego that it's very challenging and very fun. I better get out there and start training. Wish me luck!
Love & hugs,
Dan
www.CyclingSalvation.com
The 2018 Canyon Belgian Waffle Ride
The most unique cycling event in the country, the Canyon Belgian Waffle Ride, is back for its seventh edition of pedaling perversity. Created as an extremely challenging cycling event in the spirit of the great one-day spring classics of Belgium, the Canyon Belgian Waffle Ride (BWR) will return to North County San Diego on April 15, 2018. There will also be a shorter, and only half as painful Belgian Wafer Ride, as well as a NEWLY revised BWR Lifestyle and Fitness Expo Festival (Friday, 4/13 – Saturday, 4/14), hosted at Canyon Bicycles in Carlsbad, California.
The Canyon Belgian Waffle Ride is a one-day cycling fête nestled in the shadow of the area’s tallest peak, the famous Double Peak, which will cause serious pain near the end of the two-wheeled march of death that’s become known as the Hell of the North (County).
THE RIDE SPECS
– 140 Miles/227 Kilometers | 68 Miles/109 Kilometers (Wafer Ride)
– 13 Categorized Climbs (Including Three Category 2 Climbs)
– 13,000 Feet of Climbing | 6,500 Feet of Climbing (Wafer Ride)
– 17 Dirt Sections totaling over 40 miles (Long, Sandy, Wet, Rocky, Hilly, Ugly)
– 14 Water Crossings, or Foot Bridge Crossings
– 3 King of the Mountain segments
– 3 King of the Dirt segments
– 3 King of the Sprint segments
– 10 Feed Zones
BWR LIFESTYLE AND FITNESS EXPO
This year we’ll be moving the dates of the Expo Festival to Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14, 2018. We’ve also changed the location to the Canyon Bicycles facility in Carlsbad, CA. This campus is called “Make” and is also home to GoPro. It is off Palomar Airport Road, just West of the I-5 at 5600 Avenida Encinas, Carlsbad 92008.
Both days will serve as the event’s check-in for all the athletes and we’ve extended the hours to serve the masses. Sunday late registration is not allowed and check-in at the race start is strongly discouraged with additional fees equired.
The Friday and Saturday Expo Festival is FREE and open to all riders, their families, and the local cycling community. Both days will include a myriad of cycling friendly brands showing their wares as well as food trucks, music, free-flowing Lost Abbey beer, and highly sought after Course Reveal showings.
The Expo is a powerful, fun way for brands to share their message and products with more than 3,000 cycling enthusiasts. The Expo attracts cyclists from all backgrounds and disciplines, all engulfed in the excitement of the unique weekend. It’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate the glories of cycling with a group of fanatics.
BWR WAFFLE FEAST AND RIDES | POST RIDE CELEBRATION
As in years past, the Start/Finish will be held at the Lost Abbey Brewery in San Marcos. Sunday, April 15, 2018 is the complimentary pre-ride Belgian waffle feast, punctuated by both the Canyon Belgian Waffle Ride and it’s shorter sibling, the Belgian Wafer Ride (half the distance). Both during the events and after revelers enjoy the Belgian inspired Ales of the Lost Abbey and a feast from Gear Grinder Grill. Finishers are treated to all sorts of culinary delights, delicious beverages, post-ride comforts from sponsors, and the elation that only an accomplishment like finishing the Canyon BWR can provide. Spectators and fans are especially welcome to partake in the race day festivities as well.
What began as three friends’ kindness and compassion to help one athlete paralyzed in triathlon has now grown into a powerful current that has carried and supported those with physical challenges – empowering them to find community, confidence, and conviction.