Leah Toeniskoetter
This will be my fourth year riding in the Death Ride in support of TurningWheels for Kids. This trend really began when I was in high school with the start of a list of “Things To Do Before I Can’t”. One of those goals was to train for and complete a demanding athletic event. I chose the Death Ride because it fit that description and would require a great deal of training in order to finish. In 2005, I bought a road bike as a first step towards accomplishing that goal. That winter I was randomly selected as one of 2,300 riders to participate in the Death Ride, but felt there was a piece missing. If I was going to take on the task and put in the effort and time to prepare for this event, it made sense to me to support a charity I believed in at the same time. That’s when I discovered TurningWheels for Kids. It is this team of volunteers dedicated to supporting our community’s at-risk youth that has proven to motivate me more than I ever could have imagined. Three years later, I’m signed up for my fourth Death Ride and more excited than ever to beat this year’s goal of raising $10,000 and complete all 5 passes of this massive cycling event.
This year’s efforts will be more challenging than ever for both of my goals. I had the misfortune of a major bike accident in August resulting from a collision with a deer. The road to recovery has been long and I have barely ridden since that time, so training will bring a new challenge. I know my second major obstacle will be raising donations in these tough economic times – which is why I have not increased my fundraising goal this year. We reached it last year – please help me do it again!
Make your donation to Leah and support her ride!