Cycle of Hope

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE VIRTUAL PARTICIPANT GUIDE

Thank you for being a part of this year’s Cycle of Hope!

We’ve been hard at work putting together an incredible ride experience to connect our Cycle of Hope community while keeping each rider safe and healthy. So, while we’ll miss seeing you at the start line, we’re excited to kick off the 2021 Cycle of Hope and cheer you on at a distance! 

Below is EVERYTHING you’ll need to know for an enjoyable ride! In case we miss anything, please reach out to Hilda Schmelling with additional questions at HSchmelling@HabitatEBSV.org.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Packets and Prizes

The cost of mailing your packet and any prizes you’ve earned is included in your Virtual Cyclist or Virtual DIY ticket! Below is the shipping schedule. If you are riding at the in-person event with the packet mailing upgrade, your items will also be shipped to you on the schedule below. 
Shipping Dates 
-    Monday, September 20, 2021
-    Friday, October 1, 2021
-    Monday, October 18, 2021
-    Friday, October 29, 2021

October 1st: Ride Period Begins

October 24th: Finish Line Celebration Livestream at 3 pm (PST).

October 24th: Ride Period Ends

Get your results uploaded after completing your participation, and share photos with us by tagging us on social media. Follow Cycle of Hope on Facebook for news and updates on the 2021 event! #CycleOfHope #TogetherWeRide

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING CYCLE OF HOPE! 

VIRTUAL CYCLISTS 

As a Virtual Cyclist, you’re cycling for one of our official distance goals (10, 37, 66, or 100 miles) in a single ride. You can choose to ride the Silicon Valley course curated at your distance for our in-person riders, which will be available through RaceJoy. Or cycle your own course, anywhere, at your distance. 

WHEN TO RIDE
Riders can ride anytime between October 1st and October 24th. Things to think about when choosing a time to ride:
1.    Weather and air conditions – earlier rides allow for cooler temperatures, and be sure to check PurpleAir.com to be mindful of air quality.
2.    Traffic – choose a time of day when you can anticipate safe riding conditions.
3.    Friends – if you’re riding with friends, make sure you coordinate a time when you can all safely ride.

WHERE TO RIDE
Official Cycle of Hope Courses
Even though you won’t be joining us in-person on the 24th, we’ve still made the beautiful, curated Silicon Valley courses available for you to ride on your own time! These will be available through RaceJoy. Things to keep in mind when riding an official Cycle of Hope course:

• No roads will be closed.
• No signage will be on the road directing riders. RaceJoy can provide directional cues to help keep you on track.
• Since you won’t be riding on the in-person event day, aid stations will not be available along the course – so, please be sure to prepare yourself with hydration, provisions for bicycle maintenance and repair, and planned places to take breaks.
• No on-site medical support will be provided. Please call 9-1-1 if you experience an emergency.

Anywhere
You can also cycle for your distance goal on a course of your own design, anywhere you like. If you have a course mapped through a routing app, we recommend that you use both that app – so that you can receive directional cues – and the RaceJoy app using your distance’s “anywhere” option – so that you can hear audio cues from Cycle of Hope and submit your results.

Not sure where you want to ride come ride day? No problem – Hop on your bike and ride where the wind takes you with the RaceJoy app open and started. You’ll get progress updates on your mileage as you move. Just make sure you know where you are going, since the “Anywhere” option does not include directions.

HOW TO RIDE

1. If your child is riding the Virtual Kids’ Course, this is a fully customized experience, and you can let us know your little one completed their ride by submitting results manually during the ride window of October 1st-24th. Do that here. For all other Virtual Cyclists, read below!
2. Download RaceJoy: Download the RaceJoy app to your smartphone from the App Store or Google Play. It's free!
3. Search for your route: Go to Featured Races to locate Cycle of Hope, and click on your route. If you’re riding one of the official Silicon Valley courses, select the one for the distance you’ve registered for. Otherwise, select a Cycle of Hope “anywhere” route at the distance you’ve signed up for.
4. Set Up: Follow the prompts carefully to get properly set up for the ride. The app will ask you for your bib number, which you can find here. Make sure you give the app permission to track you so that the GPS can monitor your progress and provide audio cues!
5. Ride: Keep your smartphone with you during the ride and click START MY RACE immediately before you begin cycling! Remember, even if you’re using a separate routing app to map your course, we recommend using RaceJoy at the same time so that you can get audio information from Cycle of Hope and have your results uploaded automatically.
6. Submit your results: As a Virtual Cyclist using RaceJoy, when you complete your distance, your results will be automatically uploaded. It’s as simple as that! If you haven’t used RaceJoy, you can still upload them manually here.

For a video walkthrough of RaceJoy and its features, take a look here! 

VIRTUAL DIY-ers

You’re the creative types in the Cycle of Hope community! Whether you’ve chosen the DIY because you wanted to set your own goal, or meet your goal over multiple sessions, or “ride” in a different way – like a stationary trainer, on foot, or something less conventional – you’re participating in Cycle of Hope to the beat of your own drummer.  

WHEN TO PARTICIPATE
DIY athletes can complete their activity (or activities) anytime between October 1st and October 24th. Things to think about when choosing a time to do a Cycle of Hope activity:
1.    Weather and air conditions – earlier activities allow for cooler temperatures, and be sure to check PurpleAir.com to be mindful of air quality.
2.    Traffic – choose a time of day when you can anticipate safe conditions for your activity.
3.    Friends – if you’re meeting up with friends, make sure you coordinate a time when you can all safely participate.

WHERE TO PARTICIPATE
Anywhere!
The Virtual DIY is Cycle of Hope’s most flexible option, so the sky is the limit as to where you complete a Cycle of Hope activity! Maybe it’s in your living room on your stationary bicycle. Maybe you’re hitting the road every weekend between the 1st and the 24th. Maybe you’re hiking your favorite trail or putting an oar in the water in the nearest waterway! 

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

1. Set a goal: Starting with the ride window on October 1st, you can set your distance goal (this option is only available between October 1st to 24th). In your profile, scroll down to find your Virtual DIY listing under Upcoming Events. On the right side, you’ll find the option to Submit Virtual Results. Click that, and on the next page, you can personalize your goals by scrolling to the bottom of the page, and clicking on “Edit Personal Goals.”
2. Submit your activities: When you follow step 1, you can submit one or more activities on the top section of the Submit Virtual Results page. You can even return to this page as many times as you like between October 1st-24th, whenever you complete a Cycle of Hope activity and want to count it toward your participation!

Click here for a video walkthrough of how to set goals and submit activities.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY… VIRTUALLY!

GET SOCIAL

After a year and a half of keeping our distance, we know better than ever the importance and power of staying connected. And since you aren’t riding with us in person on October 24th, it’s even more critical that we keep our community together virtually. 

Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and share photos and highlights from your ride using the hashtag #TogetherWeRide. Your photos may be featured during our finish line celebration and could even earn you prizes!

CELEBRATE!

Speaking of celebration… Join us on October 24th at 3 p.m. Pacific for a finish line celebration to remember! Our virtual party will honor your hard work, share stories of your impact, and celebrate the accomplishments of our entire Cycle of Hope community with prizes and music! Stay tuned for more information.

Participating virtually but interested in joining us in person for the celebration on October 24th? We’ve got you covered! Just find your registration here, click “Manage Registration,” then select the “Add-Ons” menu option on the next page. That’s where you can add a celebration ticket to your registration, or manage any of your other add-ons!

FUNDRAISING AND REFERRALS

We know you’re not just participating in Cycle of Hope because you love a good athletic event. You’re with us because you know that Habitat for Humanity’s work matters. Like never before, stable, decent housing is foundational to healthy, thriving families and communities. When you raise funds to support our work, or bring more people to our mission through referrals, you offer a hand up to thousands of families. 

Of course, a world where everyone has a decent place to live – the vision of Habitat for Humanity – is its own reward. But, we’re happy to sweeten the pot a bit for those who go the extra mile in fundraising or referring more Cycle of Hope participants! Even right up to the end of the virtual ride period on October 24th, you can keep on fundraising and friend-raising (using your personalized referral link) for Habitat – and continue being eligible for some terrific prizes!

MORE QUESTIONS?

CHECK OUT CYCLE OF HOPE’S FAQ AND VIRTUAL FAQ