THE ASK - Raising some DAMN money for Fresh Energy!


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Hey all!

Well, there used to be only one (major) thing I did each year that made many of you question my sanity --- jumping into Lake Minnetonka every January 1st.  Then there was this gravel bike event introduced last year -- The Day Across Minnesota, aka "The DAMn" -- and that brought the list to two.

For anyone new to this topic of my gravel cycling meanderings, the DAMn is a 240-mile gravel route across the entire state of Minnesota, starting in Gary SD at midnight on Friday night (Saturday morning at 12:00a).  Riders must complete the full 240 mile route in under 24hrs, so this means riding in the dark, through the dawn and daytime and into the next evening ... and no sleeping on the job!  Last year, our trio completed it in 20hrs, arriving at 8pm Saturday evening to a very satisfyingly cold beer at the finish line in Hager City, WI.

Some of you may recall that last year I used my silly adventure to raise some smart money for Fresh Energy (www.fresh-energy.org) --- the energy-focused non-profit on whose board I serve with great pride(!).  

So, once again, I will do something sorta crazy and you can do something smart: support Fresh Energy with a donation of some amount, any amount. I promise that they will turn it into something that helps us all.  An economy that grows with cleaner power is good for everyone ... globally ... so even if you are not in MN, you will still benefit from Fresh Energy's success.

And, oh yeah, like last year, I plan to "document" my adventures in my cheeky "Gravel News Network" blog.  Here's a link to last year's "report": http://gravelnewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2017/08/ride-report-05aug2017-damn-day-across.html

So --- here's the ask --- please help me raise some funds for Fresh Energy and I promise I will do these things:
  1. Ride really hard and think of all of you along the way -- hopefully finishing in under 17hrs.
  2. Write a ride report and send it to you
  3. Ensure that your donation to Fresh Energy delivers the greatest possible impact, driving Minnesota to a cleaner energy future
NOTE: if you live in MN, you should consider attending the Benefit Breakfast on October 3rd (https://fresh-energy.org/october-3-fresh-energys-third-annual-benefit-breakfast/)

LINK to the DAMN website is here: http://the-damn.com/

Again, I am extremely grateful for the support received last year and I hope you can help me to repeat that.  Many thanks in advance for this year's support!  

Wish me luck and speed, and hope you enjoy the post-race write-up!!

-ng

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