RockStar Gravel Route for a Great Cause
Armed with 4,000 calories in energy gels, PB&J’s and oatmeal creme pies, Jeremiah Bishop mounted his bicycle at Black Sheep Coffee at 3 a.m. last Saturday with one objective in mind — beating the fastest known time of the RockStar gravel route, logged by a duo at 20 hours and 7 minutes just two months before.
Thousands tuned in online to watch Bishop’s journey, which started off strong and on track to easily landing him a record-breaking time. It was not until Bishop was at the bottom of a hill on Shenandoah Mountain 75-miles into his ride that fear began to sink in. Bishop had turned down Benson Run Road instead of following a power strip and was 30 miles off course. The mistake could cost him the entire race.
“My heart sunk. I definitely realized my chance at the record was probably a lost cause at that point,” Bishop said.
RockStar’s gravel route is one of the most popular mountain-biking trails in the mid-Atlantic, starting from Harrisonburg (Rocktown) and winding through pastures and forests off-road before weaving through small towns on pavement to finally arrive in the Star City of Roanoke. At 255 miles on an indirect course up the Shenandoah Valley, only 21 riders claimed a spot on the route’s Hall of Fame, but Bishop was riding for more than just to earn a place on the list.
He was riding for a cause.
On July 20, a few days before climbing on his Canyon Grail in downtown Harrisonburg, Bishop posted a fundraiser on Facebook for Our Community Place.
Our Community Place serves the local homeless population and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, has helped house at-risk individuals in motels and extended its food program to provide daily meals while working with decreased funds from the city budget.
Bishop asked fans to raise $1,000 for the community center, and the goal was met within 24 hours. So, at the encouragement of his wife, he raised the goal to $5,000.
Director of Development and Administration at OCP Eric Olson-Getty said a lot of the organization’s expenses have risen to hire additional case managers and extend the kitchen. From January to March, he said OCP helped 151 individuals, and by June the number of people served rose to 330, but funding possibilities are limited with the pandemic regardless of increased care provided, so the bike fundraiser was priceless.
“What Jeremiah has done has basically replaced the funds for two of our fundraisers,” Olson-Getty said. “It’s taken a chunk of our income deficit. … This gives us a bit of breathing room, so we’re tremendously grateful for that.”
Even if Bishop did not beat the 20-hour, 7-minute mark, he set his heart to at the start of his ride, he knew he had to finish for his fans and for OCP.
“I was aware with COVID, they would have an influx of people in need and pressure for PPE, food and help sheltering people who are highly susceptible or with pre-existing conditions, so it seemed a very logical charity,” Bishop said.
With the dedicated fundraiser in the back of his mind and the road before him, he pushed on.
Click here to read the compete article from the Daily News Record.
To join Jeremiah in support of Our Community Place, learn more at OurCommunityPlace.org. Checks can be made payable to:
Our Community Place
17 East Johnson Street
Harrisonburg, VA 22802
