Cycling for Charity: Richard DeBernardis

Richard DeBernardis started riding, not like you or I might — he got on his bike and kept on going. Alaska to Mexico one year, the perimeter of the US another, then the edge of Japan. These rides placed him in the Guinness Book of Records, not once but twice. I suppose that’s why he named his non-profit Perimeter Bicycling.

Today he and a staff of 14 manage huge group rides; he’s done almost 100. One of the biggest is El Tour de Tucson in November that attracts about 10,000 riders. I’ll ride it for the first time this year.

A ride this big, it could never be organized from scratch today; the 109 mile route requires coordination with 5 police jurisdictions including the county. It’s running like a well-oiled machine today; his committed staff handles the route, the marketing, the website, and according to Richard, the most important of all, the database of registrants going back decades.

Want to organize your own big ride? Listen to Richard as he describes his 3 essential steps to successfully organizing mega rides. But it’s this man’s big heart that makes this operation hum; it seems the entire community wants to be a part of this event each year.

Show #18

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