Leave it On the Road&#8217;s 2015 Crush the Coast Charity Ride –

Leave it On the Road’s 2015 Crush the Coast Charity Ride
Words by Michael Tabtabai

Ride from the heart and anything is possible. In mid October a crew of seven riders departed Portland and headed for San Francisco on a quest to ride bikes, take photos, and raise money to fight cancer. Through the rolling hills of Oregon wine country, down the foggy coast, through the Redwoods and down the golden rollers beyond Mendocino. We were a little nervous about the weather, as this was the time of year where the wind shifts and the rains roll in. But we got lucky – just enough rain and fog to make it interesting and more than enough sun to keep spirits high. To live the life of a cyclist, that is, 100% of your days truly devoted to the sport, the preparation and the recovery, is an awesome thing. And it is even better when you get to help raise over $25k for a great cause – City of Hope. When we arrived in SF three riders continued on to Los Angeles, knocking out nearly 1400 miles in 14 days.

This was the third major Leave It On The Road ride, and we called it #crushthecoast.

Leave it On the Road's 2015 Crush the Coast Charity Ride

For those readers who have followed Leave It On The Road since the beginning, you’ll know that I started this thing because I wanted to do epic rides with purpose. I watched my father fight cancer for ten years, and I started using my bike as a tool to raise funds to support research and awareness. I did a bunch of organized charity rides, and then some friends and I decided we could actually create more memorable rides and divert a greater percentage of funds to organizations if we just started planning and organizing them ourselves. So we did. Fast forward to today and we’ve helped raise nearly $125k for cancer fighting charities. But it isn’t just about me and my story, LIOTR is becoming a platform for any rider who wants to do something athletically exceptional, tell the story well, and do some good in the world. In 2016 we’ll feature new riders, new routes and new causes. Follow along to experience it all, and hey, maybe even do a Leave It On The Road ride yourself someday.

Leave it On the Road's 2015 Crush the Coast Charity Ride