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The BIG ride
To sponsor a rider follow this link to our secure donation page.
2013 Bike RideWell of course it is on again. We will be running two rides after the success of the 2012 rides. The first will be from Nong Khai to Yasothon and this is a brilliant ride down the Mekong River. It's over 8 days and besides the country side differing so much from the southern ride, it is almost devoid of hills and if this year was any indication bring your jumper with you! Of course following the first ride we will head to Bangkok for the ride down to Khao Lak. Both rides will finish at one of our orphanages and both cover similar distances in very similar time frames. All details of the ride remain very similar to the 2012 rides. The dates for the rides are: Ride 1: Nong Khai to Yasothon 4th to the 12th of January 2013 POSITIONS STILL AVAILABLE Ride 2: If you would like more information or have questions, please forward them through on this email and we will respond just as soon as we can.
Registrations Open for 2013 ridesTo register for one or both of the 2013 rides please follow this link and complete the required registration form. Your $500 non-refundable deposit which is required to secure your position can be made by visiting this secure link. The rides will be launched at our Gala Dinner "A Night of Celebration" at the Sydney Hilton Hotel on the 18th of May 2012. Difference between the two rides: Ride 1, from Udon Thani to Yasothon. The ride is in the north east of Thailand and will be through areas that seldom sees many foreign visitors. For this reason the accommodation will be quite modest and you will experience the 'real' side of living in rural Thailand. The course takes us down the Mekong River which is the border between Thailand and Laos. We will finish at the Yasothon orphanage that is filled with smiling faces and has been the location of much work by the Hands crew in the last 12 months. The ride is around 800kms and will be covered in eight days, with a rest day in the middle.
Ride 2, from Bangkok to Khao Lak is the ride that we have done on five occasions now, so for those who have ridden it a number of times we know what to expect. So what can you expect on this ride? Well we ride down the east coast, crossing over the mountains and down the west coast into Khao Lak and the home of the kids at Baan Tharn Namchai orphanage. The accommodation on this ride varies, but again is of a modest level in some parts, however, we finish at something which is quite special. The distance is 800kms and it too will be covered in eight days, with a rest day in the middle.
Costs: Ride 1 - $1500 AUD Ride 2 - $1900 AUD The difference between the two is the accommodation charges that are imposed between the north and south of Thailand.
Fund raising: It is a requirement that each rider raise $10,000 AUD to participate in the ride. This is not used to cover your costs or flights it is money that is used to improve the lives of the kids that we support. We have a riders mentor program and each rider will be supported by their own mentor who will provide ideas and share how they raised their $10,000. It really is achievable once you have a plan and commit.
What is included in the costs: 10 nights accommodation (the night prior and last night of the ride) All your meals Your bike Support crew and bike mechanics Riders jerseys x 2 What is not included in the costs: Your return flights to Thailand Personal travel insurance Spending money
2012 Bike Ride
The 2012 rides were two of the most successful yet and with 57 riders raising almost $600,000 AUD in total it was a massive success on all fronts. The ride down from Nong Khai to Yasothon exceeded all our expectations and will become a permanent fixture on the Hands touring calander.
2011 Bike RideFor the first time two bike rides were run back to back due to the demand on numbers. The timing of the rides allowed those who needed to return to work earlier the chance to join us, which was not there previously. Again improvements were made from lessons learnt in the previous year and the riders comment how hard it is to sum up the experience and put it into words. We had representation from both the orphanages join us on the ride and their presence certainly added to each ride. The combined fundraising total has pushed past the half a million dollars which is a representation of the hard work put in by all the riders in the lead up. 2012 is set to be much bigger with two rides again being run and strong demand for places already present. To view the team in action check out this video 2010 Bike RideThe 2010 ride has been and gone, but the memories of the ride will last a lifetime. Many of our supporters followed the 2010 ride via the blog on this website and your support was felt along the way. It was hard to imagine that the 2010 ride could be any better than 2009, but it was. I guess we learnt from the 2009 ride and made the improvements for the 2010 ride. You can only imagine how good 2011 will be.
2009 Bike Ride
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