Team SocialWish is getting ready for another annual NYC Century Bike Tour. Last year was such a great experience that we’ve decided to do it again. We’re looking forward to riding the streets of New York in the fresh open air, bonding with other riders, and pedaling in support of a good cause – Transportation Alternatives efforts to create better biking in New York City.

This year’s ride is on Sunday, September 18th and we’d love to have your support. Here’s what we’re looking for:

Sponsors – Put your company name and logo on our bike jersey for a chance to advertise your company plus support Team SocialWish. Different pricing packages are available.

Benefits to the sponsor:

• Get recognized as a socially conscious company. By supporting Team SocialWish, you’re also supporting the NYC Century Bike Tour (and Transportation Alternatives), which is a great cause.
• Gain publicity for your company during and after the bike tour, since Team SocialWish will be wearing the bike jersey at other events throughout the year.
• Feel good by knowing that you’re doing a good deed – helping to make biking better and safer in New York City.

Riders – Join Team SocialWish and ride in great company for a good cause.

Benefits to the rider:

• Get a free Team SocialWish bike jersey.
• See amazing views of New York City from the best vantage point, your bike – the tour links NYC’s breathtaking bridges and beautiful parks to its incomparable neighborhoods and famous waterfronts.
• Benefit your own health, getting great exercise in the wonderful outdoors.
• Help support SocialWish by banding with us to make the world a better place.

If you’re interested in sponsoring or riding with Team SocialWish, please contact founder@socialwish.com. You don’t have to be a resident of New York to be a sponsor or a rider.

We look forward to having you on our team!

Register for Team SocialWish

When I updated my Facebook status today with “I like it on the bedroom cabinet”, one of my friends was shocked, commenting immediately with “Are you OK???” and then following up with a text message to make sure that I was indeed ok and that my Facebook account wasn’t hacked! The “I like it” post obviously has a sexual connotation, which if perceived in that way, is truly out of character for me to post on Facebook. So although my friend’s reaction was a bit stronger than I expected (sorry I scared you my friend), naturally it was reasonable. However I still couldn’t help but laugh.

To my friend who deserves an explanation and everyone else out there who may not know, the “I like it” post actually answers the question, “Where do you like to put your purse?” It’s an interesting viral campaign, which seems to be working (it definitely got my friend’s attention), but why so much focus on keeping it a secret and why are only women targeted in this campaign? Although rare, men can have breast cancer too. Breast cancer doesn’t just involve the ladies. So why are men being left out? Since both sexes are affected, the question should really be more gender neutral like, “Where do you like to put your bag?” Come on men, speak up. Tell us where you like it too!

Exclusionary or not, the campaign got my attention in more ways than one, prompting me to want to take action. Not only by raising awareness, but also by learning more about the cause and helping with the fundraising efforts towards breast cancer research. As a result, I’ve created a wish to raise funds for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. I chose this charity because it’s ranked #1 among the 5 top-rated pink ribbon charities. What makes it #1 is that over 90% of it’s funds go towards supporting the cause. Please check out my wish and take action too. Whether you choose to contribute to this important cause through SocialWish or any other website, your support is appreciated no matter where it goes.

Spread the word. Tell your friends. Get involved.

Getting up before dawn, starting the ride when it’s still dark outside, on a chilly and ultimately rainy day, was not easy. One of our riders was so committed that he even drove all the way from Boston, MA that morning to join us for the ride. Thanks again Todd (Fresh Ground)! As the day passed, we saw some thrilling views, exploring NY from a new and exciting vantage point – our bike seat. Some bumps, hills, injuries (fortunately nothing serious) and tire fixes happened along way, but the team spirit and love for the road kept everyone going strong.

Ok, so maybe not everyone completed the 100 miles, but they did their very best and we’re very proud of the entire team. There were a few riders however that did even more than 100 miles…those crazy kids! David Goldman (Send Your Best) was at the top of the list, clocking in at 110 miles. That guy is super fast!

Here are some pictures from that day, as promised: Team SocialWish 9/12/10 Photo Album
We made sure to stop frequently along the way to capture the moment and share it with you

Yan Tsirklin, our dashing Co-Founder, will be leading the team in the 100 mile ride on Sunday (9/12/10). Team SocialWish started out small, but has steadily grown to 11 members, possibly even 12. We’re very grateful to have found other people who care about good causes, like we do, and who are willing to give up their spare time to train and ride with us in the bike tour.

Not only has our team made the commitment to ride, but we’ve also committed ourselves to raising funds and awareness for safer biking in NY. Yan raised $210 through his wish on SocialWish. The wish is already closed for contributions, but you can still make a contribution through the Transportation Alternatives website until 6am (EST) tomorrow (9/11/10) if you like. So far, we’ve raised $250 on their website, bringing us to a total of $460.

While Sunday is the big day, there’s lots of exciting stuff happening before then, starting with today. Our custom team bike jerseys arrive today and we can’t wait to see the final product. Our last order of jerseys for the MS 170 Ride looked amazing, so we expect these won’t disappoint. We’ll be sure to post pictures of the jersey, as well as from the bike ride, but here are the sponsors (logos) that you can expect to see on the jersey:

• Ceemless Air Corp
• Send Your Best
• Fresh Ground
• Columbus Holding Group
• The Devon Group

We’re also getting together with the team for happy hour tonight – an opportunity for everyone to meet, unwind with a cold drink and receive their bike jerseys. And tomorrow, we meet with the team again, this time for a carb-loading dinner. Italian seems to be the best choice. Mangia!

Now let’s hope the weather stays clear through Sunday. The event is happening rain or shine.

Good luck to all our dedicated team members and to all the riders out there!

Well, we’re getting a brand new batch for our next ride in the NYC Century Bike Tour on September 12th. The jerseys are a blank canvas and we’re looking to fill the space with sponsor logos. It’s a great opportunity for a company to show support for a good cause, while advertising their company. You can put your logo on our jersey for everyone to see as we ride through all the NYC boroughs. That’s right, all boroughs! We’re committed to riding 100 miles, so that’s 100 miles of advertising.

The jerseys have to be ordered by next week. If you’re interested in purchasing logo space, please contact Yan at yan@socialwish.com by Wednesday, August 18th.

For more information on the NYC Century Bike Tour, check out our previous blog post Team SocialWish in the NYC Century Bike Tour

To make a donation for this event, please visit our wish NYC Century Bike Tour (for Transportation Alternatives)

Also, we’re still looking for more people to join our team, so if you or someone you know is interested in riding with Team SocialWish in the NYC Century Bike Tour, please contact Yan at yan@socialwish.com

Please spread the word. We appreciate your support.

>

Thanks to support from our fans, we now have 5 riders on our bike team. We’d love to have a total of 15 riders, so we’re still looking for 10 more. Anyone can join us. You don’t have to be from New York. Want to be next to join our team? Let us know.

Why should you ride with Team SocialWish? Besides the reason mentioned above, you will also:

• Be part of America’s only fully urban century ride.
• See amazing views of New York City from the best vantage point, your bike – the tour links NYC’s breathtaking bridges and beautiful parks to its incomparable neighborhoods and famous waterfronts.
• Benefit your own health, getting great exercise in the wonderful outdoors.
• Help support SocialWish by banding with us to make the world a better place.

To join Team SocialWish, contact our Team Captain, Yan Tsirklin via:
- Facebook message
- Twitter DM @ytsirklin

Can’t ride, but want to help Team SocialWish raise funds for Transportation Alternatives? Not to worry. Visit our page http://socialwish.com/wish/1-nyc-century-bike-tour, where you can easily make a donation and spread the word by sharing it with others.

For more information about the ride, check out: http://nyccentury.org/

Hope to see you on our team