Bike East Bay member and Oakland resident Keith Hermanstyne is riding the California North Coast Climate Ride this May, and he’s riding for Team Bike East Bay. This time last year, Keith had never ridden long distances or hills extensively. This year, he is ready to ride over 300 miles and fundraise for organizations he believes in.
After becoming a member of Bike East Bay in 2016, Keith became interested in challenging himself to go on longer rides. When he saw that Bike East Bay’s spring ride series was open to all, he saw an opportunity to make new friends and build up his endurance for longer and harder rides.
Keith came on six out of the seven spring rides last year. He said learned a lot about long group rides, from pacing and bike repair to camaraderie and collaboration.
After the last ride, a 70-mile haul from Pleasant Hill to Davis, Keith remembered thinking, “Well, if I can do all this, maybe I should add in fundraising!”
Keith took that fundraising leap last December by volunteering to make friendly membership renewal calls to Bike East Bay members. After phone banking, Keith realized he was willing to push his comfort zone to fundraise for something he believed in.
Today, Keith is two-thirds of the way to his goal of raising $4,500 for bike advocacy as part of Team Bike East Bay. It is not as hard as he thought, he said. With support from his friends, family, and colleagues, Keith is currently the top fundraiser on Bike East Bay’s Climate Ride team.
Keith said that he is feeling good about tackling training this year and has already signed up for Bike East Bay’s 2018 spring ride series. He is looking forward to exploring new places in California while raising important funds for organizations fighting climate change. When he starts feeling a little nervous about what he has taken on, he reminds himself that he’s not competing with anyone.
“It’s not a race,” Keith said, “It’s an adventure!”
You can follow Keith’s Climate Ride and fundraising journey on his adorable fundraising page, where he is posting updates from his training rides.
Want to join the ride?
You can still join Team Bike East Bay for the California North Coast Climate Ride, from the Redwood Empire to San Francisco on May 20-24. Sign up today.