Dream Big or Go Home!
Back in 1996, a small group of bicycle enthusiasts from RAGBRAI®, Bike World and the Riverfront YMCA in Des Moines wanted to help disadvantaged and at-risk youth participate in RAGBRAI®. This group wanted young adults to experience the sense of camaraderie, accomplishment and goal setting that participating in RAGBRAI® brings. The organization obtained gear, recruited, and helped prepare the kids to be the first Dream Team in RAGBRAI in 1997. Since that year, between 20-30 youth participants have successfully completed RAGBRAI® each year and gained memories of a lifetime.
Recruiting new team members starts in the fall every year. The youth participants are chosen by the Des Moines school system. Programs such as SUCCESS, Gear-Up, counselors, after school programs, church groups, and through the court advocate system all help these young people find their path to the Dream Team. All the equipment needed to get started in cycling, participate in the training and RAGBRAI® is provided at no cost to the participants or their family. Primal was touched by this organization's mission and extended a helping hand to the cause by donating custom jerseys to the team each year.
Training starts in mid-February with 6 weeks of indoor training 2 nights a week. In early April, the outdoor training starts as the team rides outside 2 nights a week plus a ride on Saturday. Once a month in May, June, and July the Dream Team participates in overnight campouts to help prepare for tent camping on their RAGBRAI® Experience.
At the end of RAGBRAI®, those who have successfully completed the ride take home all the equipment they used during training along with the memories of the experience. The riders now have the ability and the equipment to maintain a healthy lifestyle as well as staying committed to cycling.
Touching stories of overcoming challenges and accomplishing milestones from the Dream Team are plentiful. One is the story of DeAndre Parson and his love of cycling. After graduating high school and pulling double shifts at a basketball game concession stand, he bought himself a road bike for his 6th RAGBRAI® trek across Iowa. The 18-year-old was at the mark of his final year riding with the Dream Team, but the adventure won’t stop there for him. He plans to become a mentor for the team in hopes to encourage and inspire other young riders to keeping pushing toward their dreams.
The new friendships and life lessons will benefit these teenagers for a lifetime and the experience is what they can look forward to. The Dream Team does truly make dreams come true.
For more information or to get more involved in this amazing charity, please visit the Dream Team’s website here: http://dreamteamdesmoines.org/