Ride

BellRinger Weekend is October 25-26, 2024. The Ride will take place on Saturday, October 26, 2024 and will be preceded by an Opening Ceremony on the evening of Friday, October 25, 2024.

Yes, there is a minimum fundraising commitment for each route as follows:

• 25 miles – a commitment of $1,000 for cancer research
• 50 miles – a commitment of $1,250 for cancer research
• 100 miles – a commitment of $1,500 for cancer research
• Virtual Ride – a commitment of $100 for cancer research

Each Rider is required to accept BellRinger’s Fundraising Agreement and Cancellation Policy at the time of registration. Per the Fundraising Agreement and Cancellation Policy, Riders who do not meet their fundraising commitment by the fundraising deadline of December 20, 2024 will be charged the remainder of their fundraising commitment to their payment method provided at registration.

The registration fee for Riders is $100. This fee helps cover the costs of a Rider participating in BellRinger Weekend and helps ensure that 100% of funds raised by Riders, Virtual Riders, and volunteers directly funds groundbreaking cancer research at Georgetown Lombardi. The registration fee helps to cover the costs of top-notch food at the finish lines, drinks and snacks at rest stops, safety measures on the route, and other costs associated with making BellRinger Weekend an unforgettable experience.

Check out the Ride page to learn more about the 2023 routes. As we are always working to ensure the safest and most enjoyable Ride experience, these routes may change slightly in the lead up to BellRinger. We will share the final turn by turn routes and downloadable GPS files with all Riders in the weeks leading up to BellRinger Weekend.

We encourage you to register for a route that you are physically comfortable riding. As a rule of thumb, almost anyone on any bike can ride 25 miles with some training. For 50 miles, we suggest Riders train one or two times each week during the warmer months. For 100 miles, Riders should plan to commit to more intensive training.

You can increase your route distance and corresponding minimum fundraising commitment at any time. If you choose to reduce your route distance prior to 11:59 PM on September 26, 2024, your minimum fundraising commitment will also be reduced to correspond with your new Ride distance. If you’d like to reduce your route distance after 11:59 PM on September 26, 2024, please contact us directly at Ride@BellRinger.org. We will be sure to note your change in Ride distance for our volunteers helping out on BellRinger Weekend, however your minimum fundraising commitment will remain the same, in keeping with our Fundraising Agreement and Cancellation Policy.

To increase your route distance or to decrease it prior to September 26, 2024, log in to your Rider Dashboard and click “Change My Route” from the menu on the right side.

We will depart Georgetown University as a group at 7:30 AM on Saturday, October 26, 2024. We’ll space everyone out to ensure a safe start, and we’ll provide ample information prior to the Ride on specific arrival times, parking details, and other logistics for Saturday morning.

Just about any bike will get you across the 25-mile finish, but a hybrid will be most comfortable. If you are riding 50 or 100 miles, you may think about investing in a road bike. If you are interested in looking for a new bike, we’d be glad to help! Our top recommendation is a Trek Bike, we love their bikes, and so do our Riders! To find a Trek store near you, check out their store locator for the DMV area here.

We do recommend that everyone Riding in BellRinger does a bit of training beforehand. But don’t worry – we’ve got you covered! Check out the BellRinger Training Guide. The training guide includes safety tips, suggested training schedules, and more.

We recommend training based on your route distance and needs. 25-mile Riders will find it useful throughout the summer to go on a few bike rides building up to 25-miles in total distance. 50 and 100-mile Riders should develop training plans—alone or with your team—and ride at least two times per week in the months leading up to the Ride.

2024 training rides will begin in the spring! Keep your eyes peeled for further information.

We’re partnering with Unlimited Biking to offer bike rentals for BellRinger Weekend. They’ll have hybrids, road bikes, and e-assist bikes available in a variety of sizes. Unlimited Biking provides complimentary helmets with all bike rentals. The BellRinger team will send out communications once the rental bike reservation system has opened for 2024.

When you book a bicycle with Unlimited Biking for BellRinger, you’ll have the option to pick up your bike at the Opening Ceremony on Friday, October 25, where it will be stored overnight in our bike corrals, or the morning of the Ride on Saturday, October 26.

Once you’ve completed your Ride, our volunteers will grab your rental bike from you at the finish line and ensure that it is returned for you.

You must be at least 14 years of age to Ride in BellRinger. Riders who are 14-15 years old may register to Ride the 25-mile and 50-mile routes. Riders who are 16 years and older may register for any of the routes. Parents or guardians will be required to execute the Rider Agreement and Waiver on behalf of the minor Rider, and each minor Rider must be accompanied by an adult.

Sure! Tandem bikes are a great way to participate in BellRinger with a friend or family member. Each Rider on the tandem bicycle must register separately and meet their own individual fundraising commitment for the route that is chosen.

Unfortunately, we’ve got to say no on this one. Your registration as a Rider in BellRinger isn’t transferable, even if you don’t or can’t Ride in BellRinger for any reason, including any illness or injury that may limit or preclude your participation. You are not permitted to grant another person the right to Ride in BellRinger in your place under any circumstances.

We have continuous shuttle services and professional bike truck services to return you and your bike safely to Georgetown after you have finished enjoying the finish line celebration. You are also welcome to have a friend or family member pick you up!

There are four recommended hotels in the Arlington and DC area that we suggest for anyone traveling to BellRinger. Check out their websites and book your room here:

• Residence Inn by Marriott, Arlington Rosslyn
• Hyatt Centric, Arlington
• Washington Marriott, Georgetown
• Embassy Suites by Hilton, Georgetown

Like many weekends in DC, the weekend of BellRinger is very busy and hotels are booking up due to the Marine Corps Marathon. We recommend you book your hotel soon!

Fundraising should be exciting! You are making a real impact on lifesaving cancer research through your commitment. We believe in three basic fundraising principles:

• Get personal — Reaching out to your friends and family and sharing your excitement for BellRinger is the best first step. Your story is the greatest asset you have, and we encourage you to share that with everyone you can.
• Get creative — Bring in your other hobbies, such as a bake sale or a wine tasting, to share about your participation in BellRinger and encourage donations.
• Be bold — Keep in mind that everyone has been affected by cancer. While asking for money can be awkward, have confidence that your commitment to funding cancer research is well worth it. Be genuine, and we believe that you’ll have enthusiastic support.

Remember to direct friends and family to your Rider Profile to view your story and donate to your Ride. Check out our Fundraising Toolkit for more tips and tricks for successful fundraising.

The fundraising deadline for BellRinger 2024 is 11:59 PM on December 20, 2024.

Each Rider pays a non-refundable registration fee that does not count towards their minimum fundraising commitment. This registration fee is charged to the Rider’s card upon registration. Card information must remain on file in the event that the Rider’s minimum fundraising commitment is not met by the fundraising deadline. After the fundraising deadline, the card will be charged for the remainder of the minimum fundraising commitment, if any. Virtual Riders are not charged a registration fee but will be asked to keep a card on file in case their minimum fundraising commitment is not met by the fundraising deadline. More information on this can be found in our Fundraising Agreement and Cancellation Policy.

We’re sad to see you go, but we understand that things change. The deadline to withdraw your registration is 11:59 PM on September 26, 2024. More information on this can be found in our Fundraising Agreement and Cancellation Policy. Please contact the BellRinger team at Ride@BellRinger.org if you’d like to withdraw your registration.

Definitely. You are able to use BellRinger’s logos and other design elements for your personal fundraising efforts. You can access these logos in our 2024 asset kit located on the resources page. Please send any final designs that use BellRinger’s assets to Social@Bellringer.org for approval before publication and production.

We can take care of it for you! Please just mail the check to:

BellRinger
500 First St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20001

Also, please be sure that your name is included in the memo line, so that we can ensure that the donation is credited to your Ride. If the donor made the check out to your name, you can sign the check over to BellRinger prior to mailing it in. Just write “Pay to the order of BellRinger” in the endorsement area on the back of the check and be sure to sign it as well.

The fund sharing period for BellRinger 2024 will occur in the two weeks prior to the December 20, 2024 fundraising deadline. A member of our team will be in touch with captains of teams eligible for sharing during this time.

Funds donated directly to the team may be shared among individual team Riders and Virtual Riders who still need additional funds to reach their fundraising commitment.

If an individual team member has exceeded their fundraising commitment, their excess funds can be distributed to another member of the team who has not met their commitment.

Each team will set their fund sharing guidelines individually. For ideas and guidance, check out our Team Toolkit. While we support fund sharing, we do ask that you use fund sharing to supplement, not drive, your individual fundraising efforts. Keep in mind that dollars shared ultimately affect the total dollars raised for life-saving cancer research. All requests to share funds must be emailed to Ride@BellRinger.org by your team captain.