17 Jun WSC associate professor fundraises for Great Cycle Challenge
Dr. Kyle Norris pictured outside of Stevens Hall with his Tommaso Imola road bike.
WILLISTON, N.D. – With three and a half months to go before the Great Cycle Challenge (GCC) in September 2020, Dr. Kyle Norris, Associate Professor of Music at Williston State College, has already met 40% of his fundraising goal.
Started in 2015, the GCC is a fundraiser that benefits the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.
At $506.03 raised, Dr. Norris hopes to round it off to $1,250.
Anyone can participate in this nationwide challenge and can sign up either as an individual or with a team of riders. Riders can pledge to ride 10 miles while some serious bikers may ride 1,000.
Throughout April and May, Dr. Norris biked a total of 2,220 miles with an elevation gain of 119,261 feet, the equivalent of climbing Mt. Everest over four times!
“I’m working on my first mini-donation challenge of this year’s event,” explained Dr. Norris. “When I reach $550 in donations, I am going to do an imperial century ride on Zwift (100 miles completed in a single ride).”
He also plans on connecting with local and regional businesses to see if any are interested in donating gift cards to then raffle off and raise additional funds and excitement for the cause.
“One of the last challenges I have planned, and this would be if I exceed my goal for the year, would be to complete an ‘Everesting’ attempt,” stated Dr. Norris. “The idea behind this challenge is that you climb the height of Mt. Everest (29,029 feet) in a single ride. It can be done outside or online in a cycling platform like Zwift. The challenge takes 15 hours to complete and is extremely challenging both mentally and physically.”
For more on this physical feat, check out www.everesting.cc.
Dr. Norris is hopeful that setting goals like these will help encourage donations.
“I know there will be more excitement as we get closer to September, but I feel great about where I am at this time,” emphasized Dr. Norris. “There are a number of people that have donated, and I am extremely grateful.”
Last year, Dr. Norris rounded out his month-long cycle journey with a total of 585.5 miles and raised $937.05.
If interested in supporting Dr. Norris in his goal and tracking his progress, please visit his rider page at: www.greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/KyleNorris.
Donations are not set per mile; rather, anyone who wants to donate can pledge a flat amount through a rider’s page. There are suggested donation amounts as well as the option to enter a specific amount. Individuals and organizations can pledge funds and supporters can choose to remain anonymous.
For more information on the Great Cycle Challenge, please contact Dr. Kyle Norris, Associate Professor of Music, at kyle.norris@willistonstate.edu.
For more information, please visit www.willistonstate.edu, call 701.774.4200, or stop by 1410 University Avenue, Williston, ND.