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Gary Werner

Pedal to Empower 2026 (USD)

My Activity Tracking

794
kms

My target 500 kms

My Distance Goal

Achieved

794.00 KM

My Goal

500 KM

World Bicycle Day

It’s World Bicycle Day!  Our annual opportunity to celebrate a uniquely affordable, reliable, and sustainable means of moving through life.  Embracing this spirit, I rose and rode very early to log some fundraising miles for the work of World Bicycle Relief to improve rural community healthcare, education, and economic opportunity.  This is also a particularly powerful time to contribute, since all donations made this week will be matched or doubled.  So, if you can offer a few dollars to support this effort, please do so.  I’ll keep pedaling.

Holiday weekend

We are nearing the end of national bike month, but cycling is clearly not just a May experience. For many, it's daily transportation. And that's why I volunteer at a local bicycle cooperative--a charity supporting community mobility with bike repairs, maintenance classes, and even programs to guide people in building their own bikes from the frame up. It's a great experience, and it reminds me of the value of bicycles as means for making life happen across much of the world.  Two wheels equal expanded access to healthcare, education and more. So, if you feel moved to help with a donation this holiday weekend, please do so. I'll keep pedaling to meet my goal--with your kind help.

Birthday biking

Today is my elder daughter's 29th birthday.  She is a delightful person--and that's not just her dad boasting.  So, I was up before dawn and on my bike to ride an hour around the city to celebrate her superb spirit.  Actually, I'm confident there are countless amazing daughters supported by the work of World Bicycle Relief.  So, if you can make a donation to celebrate them and expand their opportunities, please do so.

Memories of mom

Today would have been my mother's 81st birthday. But we lost her five years ago, and she is missed by many. I mention her here because she loved her bike. The photo I've included (which I believe I posted at Instagram and Facebook upon starting this fundraising effort) shows it festooned with faux flowers. I remember choosing it with her at a vintage bike shop that featured all kinds of cool curiosities, and I remember her riding it around her neighborhood in northeast Ohio. Anyway, I know she would have loved my support for World Bicycle Relief. She was a champion of improving opportunities for women and girls everywhere. And I probably owe my sense of global citizenship and global responsibility to her.

Pedaling for produce

Well, it was a fine morning for a farmer's market visit in north-central Phoenix. Eight miles / 13 kilometers of pedaling through sunshine and fresh air to gather an assortment of locally grown vegetables for prices almost exactly the same as our local supermarket. That's a win! It's also a personal example of cycling as transportation for day-to-day life stuff versus for recreation or exercise--which is exactly the point of this spring's fundraiser for World Bicycle Relief. And on that note, thank you very much to the anonymous person who just made a donation. This support is truly motivating, just as the cause is truly meaningful.  

National Bike to Work Day!

Commuting to campus for National Bike to Work Day!  I appreciate the 15 miles of canal paths and cycle lanes that connect my home with our office on campus at Arizona State University. And I appreciate the work of World Bicycle Relief to improve healthcare, education, and economic opportunity for rural communities across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Thank you to those who have donated to this spring's fundraising campaign. And for those able to offer support, please do so. Access to transportation (as simple as a bicycle) overcomes the very real hurdles of distance and transforms lives.

Biking to the bakery

Only time for a quick loop today (8 miles / 13 kilometers), but I made it count by choosing to pedal to the bakery for a loaf of spelt bread (for the next few mornings) and an apricot scone (just because it looked great). And I was reminded that bicycles are transportation that can transform lives. I mean, my quick run to JL Patisserie would have taken triple or quadruple the time on foot. So, I can't imagine the impact a bike offers to someone in rural Africa, Asia, or Latin America.  And this is why the work of World Bicycle Relief matters so much. If you're able to donate, please do so.

Mid-month effort

It's suddenly mid-May.  And it's a very busy time.  Graduation season across the country.  At Arizona State University, we just hosted commencement for our largest (22,600) class ever, with actor Harrison Ford serving as the speaker. Quite an event. And it's quite a challenging time on the weather front. 109 F and then 107 F here in Sonoraland. Not easy days to pedal around town, but we do so anyway. Another 14 miles / 23 kilometers this morning. And more of the same tomorrow. And then Friday is national bike-to-work day, so please plan accordingly, friends! All for an excellent cause here.

Mother's Day donations

Thank you, Hilary Ryan and Andrea Moore Reed, for your donations! This support is motivating. In fact, I just pedaled another 14-mile / 23-kilometer loop around Phoenix with your kind energy. More to come, everyone! And happy mother's day to Hilary and to all the other fabulous people who wear this proverbial hat in life. I miss my own mom very much, but I know she'd be be proud of this effort.

Pedaling through the pines

Today (May 9th) offered a lot. On the road at 5am to drive from Phoenix up to Flagstaff to cheer on some of the early morning finishers at this year's Cocodona 250-mile trail ultramarathon across Arizona. Then my own 35 miles / 56 kilometers of pedaling along gravel trails through the ponderosa pine forests west of town. It was an idea, dear friends, to boost my distance for this fundraising event. I huffed and puffed through three hours with some steep inclines (all above 7,000 feet / 2,100 meters in elevation) as well as some scary descents. So if you needed to see effort to prompt a donation, you just received it. Finally, I needed something to eat: so it was delicious pizza at Pizzicletta. With a name like that, it's a must for cyclists on the Colorado plateau of northern AZ.  Wonderful weekend wishes to you all.

Round and round

Today is not going well.  Many unexpected things.  But we push forward.  We pedal with purpose.  I made another 14 miles / 23 kilometers happen.  And more--truly fun--miles/kms are in the plan for the weekend ahead.  So, if you are able to support this effort, please do so.  The cause is a gift to us all.

Let's buy a bike!

Hello again!  Two very kind donations from Adele and Terry brought this effort to within thirty-some dollars of funding a bicycle that empowers a person, a family, and a community. So, I just made that donation to nudge us over the threshold and buy a bike. If you'd like to help move us toward funding a second bicycle with own your donation, please do so!  I'll keep pedaling. I promise.

Another loop

It was chilly this morning (May 6th -- 59F/10C), but a superb Sonoran sunrise made for another delightful 14-mile / 23-km loop around central Phoenix.

Here we go!

Up early today...a little too early. But after some 3am reading--a few chapters of a really engaging novel I just started called  Theo of Golden--I rode 14 miles / 23 kilometers before dawn through the still-slumbering streets of central Phoenix. And donations have started!  Thank you for the support. Much more to go, but very worth it.

Pedaling to empower people!

It's National Bike Month, so I'm excited to pedal (through both May and June) with many others raising funds and awareness for World Bicycle Relief.  It's a global nonprofit committed to mobilizing rural communities through bicycle-focused systems that overcome barriers to education, healthcare and prosperity.

If you want to pedal along, click 'Join the Team' and be a part of the fun. If you want to offer support with a donation, you'll be helping more women and girls to achieve independence and thrive.

Please Help Me
Reach My Goal

Raised

$521 + $0 GiftAid

My Goal

$500

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$165
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All donations in USD

My Achievements

One bicycle funded

$500 USD raised

10 bicycles funded

Donated to your own fundraiser

Registration complete

5 rides logged

50 kilometers ridden

10 team members

5 donations received

5 fundraising emails sent

Page personalized

Page shared on social media

Thank you to my supporters

$25

Alex Cabrera

$26.88

Anonymous

Keep doing good in the world, Gary@

$26.38

Hilary

Well done Gary! Fabulous effort

$100

Richard And Natalie

Glad to donate to this very worthy cause! Go Gary!

$21.50

Theresa Grant

$38.70

Me!

$26.88

Andrea

Love the dedication and reading your progress!!

$107.50

Adele

$21.50

Andrea

Yay world bike day!

$73.10

Julia And David Cook

All the best to you Gary for this very worthwhile cause - David & Julia

$53.75

Anonymous