Tour d’Afrique has been known for making some epic rides, with tours in Africa, Asia, South America and Europe. Next year will see a coast to coast ride from Pacific to Atlantic, making it the longest North American tour currently available and the only one that will journey through the United States and Canada. It will also be doing a whole lot of good along the way.
This week the Tour d’Afrique Foundation announced that it is planning its first ever North American bike tour, and that it has partnered with the national bike charity Trips For Kids to raise money and awareness about these efforts. Trips for Kids is a nonprofit organization with 69 chapters operating in the United States, Canada and Israel, with a goal of bringing the world of cycling to at-risk youth through mountain bike rides and Earn-a-Bike programs. In 2011 the Tour d’Afrique Foundation will take part in the North American Epic Bike Tour help the group with visits numerous chapters including TFK Yarmount, Nova Scotia; TKF Chicago Voyaters; TFK Pontiac, Michigan; TFK Marin, San Francisco; and TFK Tallahassee, Florida.
The tour will visit each chapter along the 8,000 km (4,971 mile) route from San Francisco to St. John’s in Newfoundland. Along the way the group will make donations and help raise awareness about the work being done by Trips for Kids.
“Cycling is a great way to introduce kids to a healthy lifestyle and the environment,” said Tour d’Afrique Foundation Director Paul McManus. “Trips for Kids Chapters are getting tens of thousands of kids on bikes that otherwise would never have the opportunity.”
The group works to give back to the communities with each tour it undertakes. To date the Tour d’Afrique Foundation has donated more than 1,300 bikes and raised more than $1million dollar for various charities. The North American Epic will begin on May 29, 2011. We wish we could ride with them.
Trips for Kids Official Website