Iowa cyclist pedals her way toward $10,000 to support INHF

By Sarah LeBlanc on April 18, 2017 in Blog

Iowans are big fans of their bikes, but some take riding to the next level. Heidi Soliday, an Iowan with a passion for fitness, has participated in marathons, century rides (100 mile rides) and over a dozen RAGBRAIs. And for her next adventure, she’ll be biking across the Pacific Northwest with Climate Ride. As part of her journey, Soliday is raising $10,000 for Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation ¾ the first beneficiary from the state of Iowa.

Climate Ride is a nonprofit organization that coordinates charitable events and activities to raise awareness of environmental causes and support sustainability and active transportation.  Participants can join a team with friends or ride for a cause, raising money and bringing attention to an organization of their choosing.  Companies can also create a team and invite employees to join the ride together.

“The Climate Ride is a multi-day ride, and its fundraising covers ride support, overnights of camping, dorms or low-cost lodging, and some dinners,” Soliday said. “That means most of the fundraising goes to the participant's nonprofit beneficiary, which is selected only by the participant.”

By supporting INHF, Soliday is standing behind an organization dedicated to protecting Iowa’s land, water and wildlife. Her fundraising efforts will help INHF continue its conservation efforts and protect the natural landscape for the public while preserving habitat for native species.

“From the moment I was interested in Climate Ride, I knew I wanted to support INHF,” Soliday said. “My first association with INHF was riding on the Chichaqua Valley Trail with Friends of Central Iowa Biking back in the late '80s when it was just a crushed rock trail. I know how much INHF does with all sorts of things that are good for Iowa, its heritage, and its people and communities.”

Until she takes off on August 3, Soliday will be working to spread the word through events around Iowa. On May 18, she will be speaking at INHF’s event, Building Iowa’s Trails: A Bike Month Bash. Soliday is currently just under halfway to her fundraising goal, and plans to work with local businesses to raise money for INHF.

“I love challenges and I really would feel gratified in knowing that in some way I helped preserve Iowa's health and beauty,” Soliday said. “I have always tried not to be wasteful and careless when considering how humans regard the planet. But I feel we all could do much better, so I'm hoping to get really inspired.”

Interested in supporting Heidi and INHF? Donate to Heidi's initiative online now.