The Alpine Challenge is a charity bike ride. All proceeds from the event benefit the Alpine Challenge Scholarship Fund and the Rady Children's Hospital San Diego. Because the event's committee and ride day personnel are all volunteers, 100 percent of the proceeds pass to our Funds.

The Descanso ride is designed for serious bicycle enthusiasts. Alpine is located in the rural foothills just 30 miles East of San Diego. In our scenic mountain town where crowds are non-existent, our hills will surely bring pleasure and satisfaction in just completing the ride. The entire route will be very well supported, but expect 5,700 feet of climbing.

Our goal for the participants is to provide fun and, for those seeking a challenge, to provide one. Our 72 mile Pine Valley Ride was designed for strong riders who felt our Descanso Ride was so enjoyable that they just want a little extra riding time. It follows the same route as the 62 mile ride but it adds an additional 1,000 feet of climbing. It also adds some beautiful mountain scenery through the town of Pine Valley.

We offer a 30 mile ride with 3,000 feet of climbing & an easier 20 mile ride at the request of many previous participants. Don't worry though, the 20 Mile Ride still has almost 2,500 ft. of climbing. The 20 & 30 both include our signature climb, Dehesa Road, a 5 mile grade with 2,100 feet of vertical gain. It will surely promote camaraderie and significant accomplishment for the weekend rider and for newer members of our riding community.

BACKGROUND
The Alpine Challenge began in 2001 as a means for the Kiwanis Club of Alpine, our founder and host, to provide mentoring and scholarship to encourage high school students in Alpine to complete school and continue their education. Many high school teens drop out of school even though they are mentally capable of continuing their education but for various reasons don't.

Each year the funds from the event will finance two years of college or continuing education for at least two local students. These students must meet these main requirements: pledge to live a drug/crime free life, graduate from high school in scheduled year, and meet admission requirements for post-secondary education. A group of five teachers and Kiwanis members select two freshmen to receive the scholarships. During the four years of high school, the students will have not only high school counselors available to provide mentoring; they will also have a Kiwanis mentor to help them reach their goals. When the student reaches their senior year they are given a laptop computer in recognition of their accomplishments and to encourage their continued success.

We hope to create a ripple effect; by helping kids continue their education, it is expected to increase the likelihood that they, in turn, will become active service-minded members of the community.

TODAY

Grads: Emily Hacker & Ruth Aquila

The Alpine Challenge has raised over $120,000. Our goal is to establish a perpetual fund for a minimum of sending 2 kids to college every year. The money raised in 2008 will once again have 2 beneficiaries. Half of the money raised will be donated to Rady Children's Hospital San Diego. The other half will be used to provide College scholarships. To date, 14 students have committed themselves to "The Alpine Challenge." Upon completion of their scholastic commitment, they will receive the guaranteed benefit promised from the Alpine Challenge Scholarship Fund. We now have 8 students who graduated from high school and are continuing their education; all due to the Alpine Challenge. We expect to award 2 more students this year and we plan to continue to expand the program with the goal of encouraging more teens to finish their schooling on time and continue their education.

Our event has been quite successful. We had just 70 riders in July 2001, our first year. Now over 500 riders participate in the event from all across the state, across the country and even outside the United States. We had riders from Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Connecticut, Maryland, Florida and Mexico. The reputation of our event is spreading far and wide and we expect to go nowhere but up from here! Although fantastic last year, riders can expect even better ride support, food, and entertainment in 2008.

Roel CEO Wayne Hickey and Alpine Challenge Director Ed Paul

The past couple years have seen a significant increase in sponsors who share our vision of a challenging ride and benefits to kids. Not just local kids but kids throughout San Diego County. We are still committed to adding at least two freshman students per year and we will continue supporting the efforts of Rady Children's Hospital San Diego Hematology/Oncology Care Center. It is the largest pediatric cancer care facility in San Diego and Imperial counties. A team of highly skilled professionals ensures that families receive the resources they need to cope when a child is diagnosed with cancer. Children are treated with state-of-the-art medical programs. Psychosocial services are available for the whole family.

We expect to increase participation again this year. Our success can be attributed to a community that is committed to serving others; we have tremendous community involvement. Many business owners and individuals provided financial support and volunteer their time. Your participation is not only appreciated, it is essential to our continued growth.

After the very successful 2007 ride, Event Director Ed Paul said, "It is so gratifying to see the Alpine Challenge grow. We continually strive to provide the best ride in Southern California and based on the number of returning riders we are doing something right. We have no intention of resting on our laurels now either. We take the quality of our ride very seriously. Our goal is to make sure our participants are glad to not only continue to support us but that they are happy they are recommending our ride to their friends too. This is very much a grass roots effort and it is the only way we can effectively grow. We were pleased with how we did this year but nothing would make me happier than to provide and even better experience in '08. Try our ride - you won't be disappointed."