An
annual fundraising bike ride from the
Twin Cities to
Chicago, started in
1996 and run by the
for-profit promotion organization,
Pallotta Teamworks. The 500 mile ride lasts for
6 days, during which time the riders are provided with
food,
entertainment and a mobile
tent city to sleep at. Also, because
Pallotta is
in it for the money, they'll also help you
train for not only for riding, but more importantly, for fundraising. Here are the
specs for the
2002 ride:
Pallotta has been criticized for being a for-profit enterprise running a
charity event. I'll leave that particular debate alone, but for your consideration, here are some numbers I've culled from their latest
financial disclosure brochure:
Year | Riders | Contributions | Expenses | Pallotta | Net to Charity
-----+--------+---------------+------------+----------+-----------------
1996 | 1,352 | $4,733,000 | $1,929,000 | $360,000 | $2,444,000 (51%)
1997 | 1,640 | $5,200,000 | $2,069,000 | $320,000 | $2,811,000 (54%)
1998 | 1,783 | $5,771,000 | $2,499,000 | $450,000 | $2,822,000 (48%)
1999 | 1,776 | $6,154,000 | $2,537,000 | $330,000 | $3,287,000 (53%)
2000 | 1,471 | $5,008,000 | $2,859,000 | $320,000 | $1,829,000 (36%)
2001 | 1,517 | $5,705,000 | $3,523,000 | $297,000 | $1,885,000 (33%)
This is one of 4 AIDS Rides organized by Pallotta. The other 3 are the California AIDS Ride, the Northeast AIDS Ride and the Washington, D.C. AIDS Ride. For registration information, check out http://www.bethepeople.com/