Editor’s note: Last week we ran a story about Tour of the Gila possible being canceled because a major sponsor dropped out. This week we learned that a new, anonymous title sponsor has supplied the funds and that the race is back on.
Almost exactly one week ago, Josh, our town’s Wednesday night trivia host announced that in lieu of tips, he’d like for trivia regulars to support Tour of the Gila by offering their guest beds to visiting racers. In addition to hosting trivia and raising a family, working at Silver City’s artisan tile company, and riding bikes, Josh is Tour of the Gila’s host housing coordinator this year.
“And if you or anyone you know has forty thousand dollars lying around, speak up. Tour of the Gila is still looking for a title sponsor,” he said.
I understood that hosting a race of this caliber is expensive and was aware that the race had trimmed all the fat and kind of knew that they didn’t yet have a title sponsor in place. But last week, I didn’t realize how dire the situation was or how much money the race actually still needed.
And then, after spending the next morning drinking coffee and following all of cycling’s new teams and up-and-coming riders on Twitter and Facebook, I received this text while getting ready for work: “Have you checked your e-mail yet?”
I set down my mascara brush and opened Gmail. Tour of the Gila co-director Michelle Geels had written to give volunteers and sponsors a heads up that the severe lack of funds could mean cancellation for the race.
That can’t happen. My first thoughts were defiant. Silver City needs Tour of the Gila. The money will come. The race will go on.
But my next thought was more realistic. How?
I started brainstorming possible title sponsors, mentally scanning the list of cycling brands that I assume have the business to support a race this size or that I felt I could approach personally. None of the brands that came to mind are based in New Mexico or would have any sort of stake in supporting a race in the middle of nowhere. So I began considering New Mexico’s industries, hoping to come up with a company that would possibly benefit from exposure to this audience, but eventually realized that New Mexico really doesn’t have many industries to speak of. Mining is the big business in our town, but Freeport-McMoRan already donates to the race. What else is there? Maybe a software company in Albuquerque would be interested. Perhaps a renewable energy firm somewhere wants publicity.
None seemed like viable options.
If those were the thoughts going through my head, I could only imagine what race directors Jack Brennan and Michelle Geels were feeling.
The cycling world was abuzz; on social media, everyone discussed the possible ways in which Tour of the Gila could find funding.
A few people wondered whether Tesla’s sister company SolarCity, which recently expanded into New Mexico, would step up. Others speculated that Freeport might donate more. Some blamed the Town of Silver City and all local business owners for the funding shortage.
Lance Armstrong tweeted a plea to save the race. Many individuals suggested that Tour of the Gila run a crowd-funding campaign. One team manager publically offered to kick in a thousand bucks and challenged older (and presumably richer) racers to donate a hundred dollars each.
Feeling powerless, I wrote a story.
There’s only so much sponsorship money to go around, and the cycling community knows better than anyone that corporate budgets are tight. Companies that want to support teams already give as much as they can. Or do they?
Some insiders guessed that the money would come from an attending team whose sponsors have deep pockets. Professional cyclists can’t get results at races that don’t happen.
Over the weekend, Tour of the Gila did what so many had recommended and revealed that a Kickstarter campaign was under review. But by Monday, the race’s social media pages announced that Kickstarter is not equipped to support sporting events. The posts basically just said, “Hang tight.”
And then the updates just stopped.
Another text arrived while I was standing in line at the post office yesterday afternoon. “Jack has really good news.”
My arm and fist flew into the air and my feet left the ground. I jumped up and smiled.
A bicyclist from Colorado who’d heard about Tour of the Gila’s possible cancellation felt heartbroken at the possibility, like many of us. But this guy actually had what so many of us wished for: $40,000 that he was ready to part with.
He dialed Jack’s cell number on Sunday morning.
“You don’t have any idea what to expect. At least I don’t,” Jack said, explaining that he couldn’t have predicted an amateur racer would come out of the woodwork to make 2015’s Tour of the Gila a reality. “It’s amazing that our title sponsor stepped forward. He’s a cyclist, he’s been racing for years, and he’s been to Silver City a number of times. He knew what the race was about and what Silver City is about, and he’s willing to invest in that. He knows who we are and what we try to give back to cycling.”
In the spirit of giving back, Tour of the Gila just launched a crowd funding campaign to raise money for programs the organizers want to resurrect at the race.
Plus, a percentage of these crowd-sourced funds will be given to two charities important to the title sponsor and to the race directors. Ten cents from every dollar raised through Tour of the Gila’s RallyMe campaign will go to the Amy D. Foundation, and another ten cents will go to the Western New Mexico University Foundation Lanny Olson Scholarship for Leadership.
The race’s new major donor proposed that the Amy D. Foundation be one of the benefiting charities. Growing the already-endowed LJO memorial scholarship was Jack and Michelle’s idea.
Tour of the Gila’s anonymous title sponsor is making the race possible, and the fans who give now will help make the race an extra fun and beneficial event.
“It’s just really nice that our community is helping us out,” Jack concludes.
Thank you, everyone.
About the Amy D. Foundation and the WNMU Lanny Olson Scholarship for Leadership:
The Amy D. Foundation
The Amy D. Foundation is a nonprofit organization created in honor of Amy Alison Dombroski, whose love for cycling and life touched many people around the world. Amy Alison Dombroski passed tragically at age 26 while training abroad in Belgium. She was a versatile cyclist with U23 National Championship titles in road, mountain, and cyclocross. Still early in her career, she was considered by many in the sport to be a rising talent and serious contender at world-class cycling events. The Amy D. Foundation encourages and supports young women through cycling, inspiring the celebration of healthy challenge and empowering the confident pursuit of lofty dreams.
Western New Mexico University Foundation Lanny Olson Scholarship for Leadership
Silver City, NM, native Lanny Olson enthusiastically supported Tour of the Gila from the race’s inception until his passing in 2012, donating through his local businesses and volunteering when his schedule as a small business owner and community activist allowed. Lanny stepped into a more active role in 2006 when he began serving as Tour of the Gila’s sponsorship director. The Holiday Inn Express that Lanny and his wife owned and operated during the last years of his life continues to donate hotel rooms for race officials, because the race is so beneficial for Silver City’s economy and for the local community. Memorialized as “LJO” (for Leland “Lanny” Jon Olson) on the sleeves of Tour of the Gila’s 2013 race leader jerseys, Lanny would be proud of the race’s growth in recent years and grateful for the support Tour of the Gila is receiving in 2015. The WNMU Foundation Lanny Olson Scholarship for Leadership will support Silver City’s future leaders and activists enrolled in WNMU’s.