Written by Kevin Avery
I learned early on that if you want people to rally around your cause, you have to do something big–something epic. So a few days ago on my radio show, the Kevin and Taylor Show, I announced that I, along with with Hincapie Ambassador Joey Heard, would be riding the “Guatemala 300,”–300 miles in three days.
Why would you do such a crazy thing, you ask?
It’s pretty simple, actually. I love riding my bike, and I wanted to do something to help women farmers in Guatemala.
Not long ago I visited Guatemala, met some of these women, and witnessed firsthand their determination to create a livelihood and income for themselves and their families. To say these women are hardworking is a huge understatement. Every day, they rise before the sun, tend to their crops, and take care of their families with little to no resources.
Here in America, we are lucky to have access to a variety of resources and opportunities, so I only think it’s fair that we help our fellow mankind. In the cycling world, we would be these women’s “team car” or domestique, providing assistance to them so that they can possibly climb out of poverty and break a generational cycle. And to be sure, these women are not looking for a handout. They simply need a hand-up, and they’re willing to put in the work and time.
Our Guatemala ride is October 5 – 7 on the Silver Comet Trail outside of Atlanta. It’s going to be hard and it’s going to hurt, but we are going to love every minute of it! We’ve been touched by the amount of people who have reached out already to support our efforts. Hincapie has provided us some great swag for folks who ride with us. Cycology, our local Hiram, Georgia bike shop, is going to help SAG, and the “Kevin and Taylor Show” listeners are behind us all the way!
If you feel the call to help in some way, you can donate or ride with Joey and me for all or part of the route. To donate, visit our Food for the Poor website. To learn more about the ride, check it out on Strava.
