Our team is looking for a BUS!! One of the biggest challenges with the team is transporting the team and BIKES!! Logistically, getting bikes to/from practices and to/from races is one of the biggest challenges we have. As the head coach, I provide many of the bikes to the kids on the team (you should see my "bike barn" - and transporting them around is not like throwing a bag of balls or bats into the back of the Suburban and showing up at practice. It takes bike racks, many of them, and lots of room, on top of the truck, on hitch racks, etc. Not to mention getting the kids to the practice venue or the races (which some are over 5 hours away). So, WE NEED YOUR HELP!! We're looking at getting a team bus, and customizing it for TEAM TRANSPORT, where we'll set it up for room for the kids and hauling our bikes and gear (team tent, bike stands, our bikes (to include spare bikes), and tool boxes). For the past two years, I've been using our family's 14 passenger van with multiple bike racks trying to make it work to get kids out to our different practice venues and to the races. Races are all over the southern Catskills (most over 3 hours away and as far as 6 hours (Long Island)). Having a Team Bus will make everything easier!!
This is what we're looking at getting! It's a 2002 Freight-liner Thomas built 35 passenger bus. It'll do the trick for what we need!
We'll put a custom hitch on the back for a bike bike rack that we are also looking at procuring - the North Shore Racks NSR 6-bike hitch rack or a Recon Rack...we're still undecided.
The Recon Rack Gen2R5
We'll install a custom front hitch on the front of the bus where we'll use our 4 bike Yakima rack we've used the past two years. That'll let us carry at least 9 or more bikes external on the bus. We'll also build custom bike racks in rear of the bus by removing a few rows of seats to carry 10 more bikes. It'll transform into the Galena Growler Team Bus! We're currently looking at doing some team fundraisers for raising the money for the bus locally and are accepting donations via the link below. The bus is $2500. The bike rack is $800. Once we get the bus amount, we'll procure the bus and begin the customization needed. Once we get the additional funds for the rack, we'll procure that!!
If you want to help and donate, here's a link to do so! Any amount is greatly appreciated! It all helps our cause to get more kids on bikes!
Please Donate to the Team
