As you may know, for the last couple of years, a small group of Omahan’s have trekked to Leadville, Colorado each August to embark on the physically grueling Leadville 100 mountain bike race.  In the past, we have done so to conquer our own self doubt and physical limitations of what we can do on a bicycle.  This year, in addition to our own aspirations to finish, we are doing it to conquer the children of Leadville not having opportunity for an education due to financial constraints.   We are asking you to help us meet this challenge of raising $4,000 to contribute to the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Scholarship Program.

The 100-mile course is a 50-mile out and back race within the beautiful, high altitude mountains and valleys of Leadville, Colorado. The majority is on back-country roads with some short sections of paved road. The entire course is above 9,000 ft and climbs to almost 13,000 ft.  If you have been lucky or perhaps unlucky, you have read one or more of the detailed race “recaps” that one of us have written(http://www.midwestcyclingcommunity.com ), regaling the events of race day, which usually lasts 7-11 hours.  Or maybe you have seen the movie “Race Across The Sky” (http://www.raceacrossthesky.com/ )a documentary that captures the beautiful scenery as well as the spirit of this event.    As flat landers, this race is a physical and mental challenge like no other.

But the real challenge in Leadville lies in its extreme poverty rates. In the late 1800s, Leadville was the second most populous city in Colorado, after Denver. Catastrophically, numerous economic forces caused the Climax Mine to close and Leadville was devastated. Retail businesses closed, unemployment hit eight percent, and the county’s tax base dropped from $250 million to $44 million. One-third of the population left Leadville shrinking it to only 2,688 in 2005. The median annual income for men in Leadville as of 2000 was $28,125 and over thirteen percent of the population lived in poverty. Most devastating, the local schools fell into disrepair, forcing Leadville subsequently become part of a lawsuit against the state of Colorado seeking funds for educational capital construction.

To help rebuild the educational opportunities for its youth, the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Scholarship Program was started. In May 2009, the Legacy distributed a $1,000 scholarship to all graduating Lake County High School seniors who were going forward with some form of higher education. By removing the financial barrier to students accessing the opportunity for a higher education, Leadville hopes to begin to build back the civic infrastructure, opportunity, and vibrancy of its city. The Leadville Trail 100 Legacy is a 501(c) (3) non-profit charity and donations are tax-deductible.

Together, we have committed to raise $4,000 to go towards the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Scholarship Program.  We ask that you help us meet that commitment. We are committed to not only put in the time to train for the grueling race, but also give back to a town who has given so much to us.  There are a few ways to help us reach that goal:

·         Join us for a Fundraiser July 30^th at Lucky Bucket Brewery in Omaha, Ne at  7pm.  Stay tuned for details on  our Facebook pages or follow us on twitter @KJMCNEILL.

lucky-bucket-fundraiser_2_.pdf

·         Send your tax-deductible donation to via paypal here : https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=L3GQWVKHVZXZW

Sincerely,

Chris Peterson and Kent McNeill

Midwest Cycling’s Chris Peterson put’s his take on this year’s experience.  An excellent read.  Enjoy!

leadville-100-take-2-comp.pdf