The Hazon Cross USA Ride will take place during the summer of 2012,
from Seattle to Washington D.C.

We believe that traveling actively, under one’s own power, can be the most rewarding way to experience the world. With more than a decade of organizing meaningful and powerful multi-day experiences, we are excited to present our largest and most ambitious opportunity for you to ride with Hazon. We are passionate about and dedicated to creating extraordinary experiences for our participants and the communities we will visit.

Dates and Locations | Accommodations and Food | Daily Routine
Fees and Fundraising | Community | Training

Dates and Locations

The Ride starts in Seattle, Washington with an orientation on June 7th, 2012 and ends in Washington, D.C. on August 16th, 2012. There are also a variety of opportunities for you to join us for shorter segments of the journey.

This is not your typical bike ride, or even a standard Cross USA ride. Hazon adds an extra element of learning and service that is unparalleled. As we cycle through communities we will be educating others about Hazon’s work, sustainability in action, pressing environmental issues and how they relate to our Jewish tradition.

You will visit inspiring places and meet extraordinary people. This is a trip that you have never experienced before!

Accommodations and Food

We will be staying in many different places with overnights in campgrounds, as guests in private homes, in college dorms and floors of synagogues, churches, and school gyms. We expect that there will be camping accommodations for most of the program. We will strive to have a hot shower at every location that we stay.

All meals on the Cross USA Ride will be kosher. We will strive to provide healthy, organic and local food whenever possible. We will also work with our participants to accommodate all food restrictions and sensitivities. Group members will play a part in regular meal preparation.

Daily Routine

All you need to do is enjoy the ride-leave the meal planning, logistics, and route planning to us. Each morning will start early with a time for optional morning prayer, meditation or yoga. After breakfast together and a brief morning meeting to outline the day ahead, you will head out on your bike. Each morning we will provide with a map and directions for the daily ride. You will leave your luggage and tent behind for our crew to move to the next campsite. Some days might include a visit to a place of interest including; an organic farm, a local museum, historical oddities, food production facilities, state parks or other sites with environmental significance. Our crew will meet you at points along the route to refill your water or snacks. A day of cycling ranges from 42-100 miles. We expect that will take 4-8 hours.

Evening and Weekend Activities

We will strive to make each day have its own feel so they do not all blur together. Each day will be different, with new challenges and a great feeling of accomplishment. Some days we will bring in a guest educator and some days we may speak at a community center or a Synagogue. Other days we will be out in Montana sitting around a campfire sharing stories under a canopy of stars and have more interaction with cows than people.

Shabbat will be a day of rest for everyone, as it will certainly be well earned! When possible, we will spend Shabbat in local Jewish communities, although a few Shabbatot may be in camp grounds on our own. This day off from cycling will be flexible to fit everyone’s needs, you will have a options for how you choose this spend this day.

Fees and Fundraising

The proceeds go to support Hazon and other programs that share our mission. Riders will play a role in the distribution of some of the proceeds through a mini-grant process. You will receive a personal fundraising page online to solicit donations. You can use this page to send emails to prospective donors and track donations. Fundraising is an essential part of our ability to sustain Hazon’s programs and support the growing Jewish environmental movement. All participants pay a registration fee when they sign up and must complete their fundraising by September 30, 2012.

Community

It’s not about the bike

Lance Armstrong

This Ride is about more than crossing the country on a bike. It is about forming a sustainably minded community on wheels. We believe the you will build relationships as you support each other, learn new things and teach about sustainable living. If you are coming with friends, children or a partner, we believe this Ride will be an opportunity to share an incredible experience. The most inspiring and transformational aspect of this Ride is undoubtedly the incredible learning and living community that will form throughout the summer.

The Hazon community is inclusive of participants of most ages (you must be 12 to join the Ride), sexual orientation, gender identity and religious backgrounds. This inclusion is conscious, intentional and emphasizes our values of kavod (respect). While the nature of our trip is Jewish, you do not need to be Jewish to participate, non-Jews and interfaith families are welcome. We aim for all participants to feel welcome and be welcoming.

Training

If you don’t train, we guarantee that you will be trained within the first week. However, we highly encourage to prepare for this ride. We suggest that you sign up for a multi-day bike ride beforehand to get the feel of an overnight ride and riding with a group. We also recommend that you be familiar with the equipment you will be using during the Ride including your bike clothing. We will help you prepare with a training program, regular training tips and suggestions regarding gear and equipment.