SOUTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS – Jeremy Powers, of the Jelly Belly p/b Kenda Cycling Team, and the JAM Fund/NCC Cycling Team are pleased to announce the fourth-annual Grand Fundo for Sunday, July 21, departing from Southampton, Mass.’ Black Birch Vineyard. The yearly fundraising ride, which tours Massachusetts’ gorgeous Pioneer Valley, will once again give all of its proceeds to the JAM Fund, a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization committed to helping young cyclists grow and achieve their goals.
“I’ve explored just about every road possible in Western Massachusetts, and this route is one of my favorites,’” said Jeremy Powers, the creator of the event and one of the co-founders of the JAM Fund. “It’s great that the Fundo helps me share this with everyone! After I showed Al and Mukunda, my JAM Fund co-founders, we came up with the name ‘Grand Fundo.’ We knew we could get the cycling community to help us make a great day of riding out of it, and that it could help us achieve our JAM objectives. It’s a big part of our long-term plan, and it helps our project keep on growing.
The Grand Fundo is a unique opportunity to rub elbows with some of cycling’s most well known names. Returning for another year is Fundo veteran Brad Huff, who is bringing his Jelly Belly p/b Kenda teammate, local neo-pro Ben Wolfe with him. The Rapha-Focus Cyclocross Team will be out in force, as Zach McDonald and Gabby Day will be on hand, as will six-time cyclocross national champion Tim Johnson of Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com. The Optum p/b Kelly Benefits duo of Michael Creed and Jeremy Durrin (a JAM Fund alumnus) will be there, as will 5-Hour Energy p/b Kenda’s Shawn Milne.
The Grand Fundo comes in three distances: the Grand Fundo, the Grand Hundo and the Mini Fundo. The Grand Fundo is the event’s signature distance, and at 64 miles long, will challenge anyone with its 20 miles of dirt and gravel and 5,300 feet of climbing. The Grand Hundo lays down the gauntlet for the fittest riders out there, adding another 20 miles and upping the elevation gain to 7,600 feet. At 38 miles and 1,900 feet of climbing, the Mini Fundo is engineered to give riders the Fundo experience, but not leave them out on the roads all day.
There’s more to the day than just a ride. Along the way, riders are treated to the best roads and best scenery that Western Massachusetts has to offer. Midway through, riders are encouraged to stop at the ride’s unique ice cream truck rest stop for refreshments.
The famous Fundo Barbecue returns this year, promising plenty of food, including the traditional pig roast and plenty of High & Mighty Beer as a reward for a hard day in the saddle. Relax and spend the rest of your day socializing with members of the JAM Fund and the Pioneer Valley cycling community.
Also returning in 2014 is the much-anticipated Grand Fundo Raffle. This year, two of Jeremy’s race-ridden Focus Mares CX complete bicycles headline the raffle. Each bike is #3 in a limited run of six, 54cm frames, and each has been lightly race ridden. One disc-brake equipped and one cantilever-brake equipped models are available. Further raffle prizes are available from Rapha, Giro, Oakley, Thule, Fi’zi:k, Mad Alchemy, Jelly Belly and more.
The raffle for the bicycles is open to anyone, no matter whether in attendance or not. Winners do not have to attend the Fundo to win the bicycles, though attendance is definitely encouraged to do so. Only attendees are eligible for other raffle packages. Raffle tickets are available on BikeReg.com or at day-of registration.
As in years past, all of the proceeds from the Grand Fundo will go directly to the JAM Fund. Its mission is to enrich the lives of young and determined cyclists in the Pioneer Valley through financial and equipment grants as well as coaching and mentoring. The JAM Fund is the co-creation of Powers and his longtime friends, Alec Donahue and Mukunda Feldman.
“The JAM Fund is our to give back to the community in the way it helped me when I was a young rider,” says Powers. “I wouldn’t be where I am without the community’s support when I was growing up, and I know it’s essential to younger people now.”
“Our mission is to give back the same kind of nurturing environment I was in earlier in my life to the kids that are out there now. Too many good riders get lost early in their careers because they don’t have the support and structure they need. The JAM Fund is all about making sure these up and coming riders can focus on their training and learn how to be good riders and better members of the community.”
The key to the JAM Fund is its commitment to developing young riders from the Pioneer Valley and the New England region. Its focus is on providing the resources young riders need to develop – the support and guidance that allows them to improve – on top of easing some of the financial burdens inherent to cycling. It’s this hands-on approach that allows JAM Fund program members to succeed.
Please join the JAM Fund and Jeremy Powers at this year’s Grand Fundo on July 21. Registration is available at the Grand Fundo BikeReg Page, as are raffle ticket purchases.
