My fundraising link for TheOceanCleanup.com:
https://fund.theoceancleanup.com/fundraisers/colleenproppe/community-usd
Hello, all!
I am happy to say I have recently completed my first, long-distance, solo endurance cycling ride and fundraiser for TheOceanCleanup.com If you haven’t had a chance to donate yet, you may do so here.
I left Hobe Sound, Florida on Earth Day, April 22nd, 2024 carrying 50lbs. of gear and a new, Martin Backpacker Guitar with my fundraising sign and scan code attached to it, and began my journey, North. I did not plan my route, but I knew I wanted to cycle as close to the coast as possible, as I was raising funds to help clean our world’s most polluted rivers and oceans. I successfully completed the tour in NYC/CT on May 23, 2024. It was incredible to see so many coastal towns along the East Coast I had never seen before.
However, it was not an easy tour— the infrastructure I want for our most direct roads, like I-17, I-13 and I-9, are not perfect for cyclists and there are many dangerous spots. I learned that the more scenic roads can take longer and, though beautiful, may also be treacherous and full of logging trucks and commuters too. There was no “perfect route”, but there was “the best route for me on any given day or moment”— this means that depending on the time of day, conditions and traffic on the road, the weather, and my energy levels, I chose the best route out of the paths available to me. There really was no way to plan this out in advance, because I did not know what my body was capable of each day. My first day had wind from the North, pushing directly into me, and I made it 50+ miles from Hobe Sound to Northeast, Vero Beach. I didn’t know if I would finish the trip after that first, long day with wind, but on my last, long day of the trip, I biked 107 miles, from Marmora, New Jersey, to The Highlands. One of three century days, I definitely pushed myself and surprised myself many times. There were incredible roads, full of wild blackberries and bakeries, and there were equally difficult spots, with bad infrastructure, poverty and things no one would want to see.
I used visualization techniques from my training rides in Florida, from earlier in the year, to help me finish long days that required me to push through to the next town, 10-21 miles further when I was already tired. I have raised close to $800. for the OceanCleanup.com, the nonprofit on target to remove 90% of floating trash and ocean plastics from our world’s rivers and oceans by 2040. With your donations, they can scale up operations to remove the plastics in less than 16 years, saving whales, turtles, birds and fish from ingesting plastics.
You can follow my month long journey on my Instagram at @cproppe where I have been posting photos and videos along the way. If you would like to donate to theOceanCleanup.com via my fundraising link, please click here to donate. Thank you! 🙏
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