First Wheels North Jersey

We just picked up a prototype of the Wheels North jersey the riders will be wearing next year.  It features the same artwork as our T-shirts (which can be ordered online at www.wheelsnorth.org) on the back, front, and sleeves.  The ride jerseys (part of the rider package for each rider who signs up for the entire ride) will include sponsor logos.

Online Fundraising is Now Available

The Wheels North secure, online fundraising site is now up and running! Click here to visit the site. If you're a Wheels North rider, you can sign up there and track your donations. If you want to donate to Wheels North and the Histiocytosis Association of America, you'll find easy-to-use donation tools. Direct link to the fundraising site is http://wheelsnorth.kintera.org/2009

Sponsors!

Sponsors have started signing up! We are proud to announce that the world famous Davis Bike Club and equally famous bicycle painter Joe Bell as sponsors. They will help make the ride possible, and to help find a cure for Histiocytosis. They join PMC as sponsors.

The 1909 Postcards

We will be using the latest technology to report back from the ride next year: cel phones, digital cameras, computers, etc.  Vic and Ray also used the best technology available to them: pen and paper.  Along the way, Vic sent back postcards, which we are pleased to be able to present for the first time in high-resolution, full-color scans at the Wheels North web site.  We've included clear scans of the backs, so it's now possible to read Vic's original words.

Click here to see the first set of scans.  The full postcard collection will be available soon.

Thank you to Evelyn McDaniel Gibb for loaning us the original postcards so that we can provide these scans.

Big Dawg's "Big Fix Walt"

Readers of this blog will recall that Wheels North rider Walter "Big Dawg" Dawes crashed about 8 hours short of his 24-hour bicycle riding goal.  A broken collarbone and two broken ribs have sidelined him for a while, although we're pleased to report that he is doing much better (spoke with him on Tuesday).

Now, Walter's friends in the Houston bicycle messenger community are organizing an event to help Big Dawg get back on his feet. No firm date yet, but look for something happening around the end of May.

Walter has promised us that he'll be riding and fundraising and on the starting line in Santa Rosa next year.

Billiken!

Readers of "Two Wheels North" know that Vic and Ray carried a Billiken with them in 1909.  Billiken ("The God of Things As They Ought to Be") was the patron of the Alaska Pacific Yukon Exposition, and they had purchased one of the small ceramic figurines from a traveling publicity show.  

In keeping with the spirit of the ride, Wheels North will carry a Billiken with us.  We have an authentic, 1909 Billiken, which will ride back to Seattle for a 100-year homecoming.

In addition to Billiken, our own Groovy Boy will be along for the ride, continuing his own world travels.

Green Wheels

Vic and Ray tread lightly upon the land during their epic ride, and so will we.  Wheels North will incorporate a number of practices to reduce the impact of our event on the land, water, and air.  Click here for more information on how we will go "green."

Event in Chehalis

We'll be stopping in Chehalis, WA, at the end of our first day in Washington state. While we're there, we'll stop at the Antique Motorcycle Museum, which includes in its  collection one of the first US-made bicycles. A nice stop for our historic ride!

Videos from the Big Fix 500

Videos from the Big Fix 500. Be sure to watch the Texas Gold Sprint--it's amazing.

Walter Hits 1000 Laps

Walter Chalks Up Another Lap

Walter Circles the Track

Texas Gold Sprint Final

Wheels North Day-by-Day Itinerary Released

Here is the day-by-day itinerary for next year's ride!  Check the Wheels North web site for additional information, including potential special events that we are working on for each day.

July 4 - Santa Rosa to Winters
July 5 - Winters to Corning
July 6 - Corning to Dunsmuir
July 7 - Dunsmuir to Yreka
July 8 - Yreka to Ashland (First Day in Oregon!)
July 9 - Rest day in Ashland
July 10 - Ashland to Grants Pass
July 11 - Grants Pass to Eugene
July 12 - Eugene to Salem
July 13 - Salem to Portland
July 14 - Rest Day in Portland
July 15 - Portland to Chehalis (First Day in Washington!)
July 16 - Chehalis to Seattle
July 17 - Special Events in Seattle

Big Fix 500 Photos

Photos from Walter Dawes' "Big Fix 500" ride are now online, here.

Walter crashed before reaching his goal, but he promised to be in Santa Rosa next year for Wheels North!

Dawg's Big Ride Ends Early

Katy, TX -- Walter Dawes' attempt to ride 500 miles in 24 hours ended early when another rider slid down the track and into his bike.  More photos and videos from Walter's big ride will be posted soon.  

Walter promises to be healed and ready for Wheels North next year.

Big Fix 500

Houston, TX--We have just arrived here for tomorrow's (today's?) start of the Big Fix 500, an attempt by fellow Big Fix alumnus Walter "Big Dawg" Dawes to ride 500 miles in 24 hours on a fixed gear bicycle.  Watch for photos (and video, if possible) from the event!

More Wheels North History

We are very fortunate to have the support of Evelyn McDaniel Gibb, author of "Two Wheels North," as we plan for our centennial commemoration of the original ride.  Evelyn has been very generous with her time, but she has outdone herself now.

Evelyn has loaned us her entire collection of the postcards sent back to Santa Rosa by Vic McDaniel, her father and one of the heroes of Two Wheels North.  What an incredible piece of cycling history!

We'll be scanning all of the postcards (some of which have never been published) and posting them at Wheels North.  Evelyn also sent copies of a number of maps and articles that she used in the writing of Two Wheels North, and we'll be posting those as well.

Thank you, Evelyn!

T-Shirt Sales Begin!

We've added a secure "Buy Now" feature to the Wheels North web site to buy our fantastic WN T-shirt online.  Check it out:  www.wheelsnorth.org

Remember--proceeds from T-shirt sales benefit the Histiocytosis Association of America.

Shirts Are Here!

The first test run of Wheels North T-shirts has arrived.  Sarah models one for us.

Check back for info on ordering your own shirt--be a part of Wheels North!

T-Shirts are Coming!

The first batch of Wheels North t-shirts will be delivered soon!  Here's a mockup of the shirt--photos of the real thing will be posted soon.  This first run is reserved for some special folks, including Evelyn McDaniel Gibb, but don't worry, shirts will be available for sale soon on the web site.  Check back here at the blog and at the WN web site for info: www.wheelsnorth.org

#2 in Google!

Check it out:  Go to Google and search for "Wheels North"

Wheels North Logo Unveiled

Thanks to graphic artist Louis Lillegard, we have a new logo, which will be used on the web site, T-shirts, and other promotional materials. Thanks to Oregon University Press for permission to use the original photo of Vic and Ray at the start of their ride in Santa Rosa for the logo.

Coming Soon: Wheels North T-Shirts

Thanks to a graphic artist friend, we have a new Wheels North! logo, which will be unveiled soon.  We'll be turning it into a Wheels North! T-shirt that will be available for purchase on the web site, proceeds benefitting Histiocytosis.