Our plan is to each climb a Mount Everest worth of elevation gain - 29,029 feet, or 8848 meters - by mountain bike in Coe park, on a single day (or two), and raise some dollars for all that vertical we'll gain. Please help us reach our goals, and help save this great park and Bay Area treasure from impending doom - and closure. All proceeds go directly to the Coe Park Preservation Fund (CPPF), whose mission it is to preserve the park and keep it open and accessible for all to enjoy.
Update 2011/12/13: The agreement between CPPF and CA State Parks is now official! Also, check out the article on the Coe Everest Challenge in the newest issue (#14) of the awesome XXCMag.com (an endurance racing magazine).
Update 2011/10/6: We would like to take the opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who donated to the Coe Everest Challenge and CPPF; people like you who make a difference, and real results can be achieved, as proven by the successful effort in keeping Coe park open. To ensure the long-term future of the park and its operations, more donations are very welcome.
Update 2011/10/2: Five attempted the challenge, non completed. However, three riders completed the 100 mile course. It was an amazing and great day (+night), even though the challenge was not met; details, recaps, photos, stories are here.
Update 2011/9/9: Henry Coe park to remain open, due to the efforts of the CPPF! San Jose Mercury News article. The Everest challenge remains on though, and donations are still welcome and needed, to build an endowment fund to keep the park open in perpetuity, and to support future trail work and maintenance.
Why
Due to a budget cut enacted by the state of California, the park is slated for closure in 2012. We love this park, as do many others, and want to do all we can to keep it open.
Attempting to climb 29,029 feet (8848 meters) on a single mountain bike ride in Coe is a crazy undertaking, to put it mildly, but if it helps draw attention and direct funds to the park, it will be more than worth it; three Coe-crazies are taking on this challenge (Roy, Patrick and Dirk): more about us and our motivation and why we think the Coe Park Preservation Fund is a great cause.
When
To have the highest chance of success, we're looking for a relatively cool day, which is hard to plan for in the summer, as Coe gets often times ridiculously hot. Hence we plan our attempt in fall: the provisional date is October 1, 2011 - aligned with the second running of the HC100 (which will be part of the 'Everest' course). Keep an eye on our updates and notices for the latest (you'll also find a Facebook and Twitter stream there).
How
Easy: you can either click the 'Donate' button above to directly donate to the CPPF; if you can, please refer to 'Coe Everest Challenge' while making the donation (you can leave a note by clicking on the "Add special instructions to the seller" link on the Paypal donation site).
Or, if you want to wait until you see your money's worth, contact us to make a pledge; for instance, send us a message of intent saying you'll donate x amount of cents for every foot climbed by individual y and afterwards we'll come claim the proceeds! (Actually, we won't do much claiming, as we'll trust your word and rely on the honor system).
29k ft of climbing also means: lotsa descending! (photo credit: Jeff G.)
Coe is home to many great sites and sights.
I just had to use this photo of Roy, illustrating the archetypical suffering inflicted by Coe climbs.