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the Ride > Mentor
Tim Sieh, left, and Jeremiah Zimmer were paired through
the Mentor Duluth program. The two have organized
a bike ride on the Munger Trail on Saturday to
help bring awareness to the activity of mountain
biking and to raise funds for the Two Wheel View
program that will send them on a trip to Argentina
next summer.
A bike ride on the Munger Trail on Saturday will help
send a local mentor and mentee team to Argentina next summer.
The ride has been organized by Tim Sieh and the 17-year-old
boy he mentors, Jeremiah Zimmer, to raise awareness of
mountain biking and to raise funds for their trip. The
trip became available to the pair through the Two Wheel
View/Trips for Kids Twin Cities program that Sieh became
an active part of recently. The program is a nonprofit
organization that provides mountain bike rides and environmental
education for children who would not otherwise have this
opportunity.
"Really the Two Wheel View program is meant to benefit
kids," Sieh said. He said that his philosophy is like
the bumper sticker that reads "Think globally, act
locally.""I thought I would really like to do
something for Duluth," he said. So he went to the
Mentor Duluth program for help in finding someone who would
be appropriate for the program. Mentor Duluth did the background
work and found someone who would be willing to take on
the responsibility to raise money and who would want to
get out and be physical.
Seventeen-year-old Jeremiah Zimmer was just that person.
In the few months since they have been paired, the two
have focused on mountain biking, from borrowing a bike
and getting it in shape to riding and exploring local trails. "The
first time we went out, I don't think that Jeremiah was
physically or mentally ready for the rigors of mountain
biking," Sieh said. But each time they went on a ride
they tackled progressively harder trails.
By the fifth time they went out, they rode the Spirit
Mountain Trail. Sieh said that the trail was tough, but
Zimmer asked to go back to the trail for their next ride. "I
think that is just fascinating," Sieh said. Sieh said
that this experience is teaching Zimmer the responsibilities
of taking on an obligation. They have organized the ride
on Saturday and must raise $6,000 to be eligible for the
trip to Argentina. The ride ties in with the International
Mountain Biking Association's National Take a Kid Mountain
Biking Day that is used to promote mountain biking; adults
need to interact with children and as a way to get children
to be more active.
The ride will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., but it
is an open ride and people can stop by the Willard Munger
Trail any time on Saturday. There is no organized start
and finish and no registration or fee. "What we're
trying to do is to bring some awareness to the fact that
we have some beautiful trails in the area and that it's
good clean fun," said Sieh. Bicycles will be donated
by the Willard Munger Inn for the day for those who need
equipment, and volunteers from the Cyclists of Gitchee
Gumee Shores will supervise the trail and help out riders
in the event of a flat tire or other problems. The only
fund-raising part comes in the concession stand that the
pair will run during the ride where hot food, water and
candy bars will be available. People may also make donations
to sponsor the team. "They can come and ride a bike
and experience the fun of getting on the seat of a bike," Sieh
said. The $6,000 goal, $3,000 for each, will not go directly
to their trip but will be donated to the Two Wheel View
program. The trip to Argentina is provided by Two Wheel
View as an incentive to raise the money. "We're doing
something that is unique and different and special, and
this is the way that we are rewarded," Sieh said.
Next summer, Sieh and Zimmer will fly to Argentina, where
they will take a 250-mile bike tour and stay in tents and
church basements along the way. "The trip will allow
Jeremiah the experience of connecting with the environment," said
Sieh in a press release. "The trip is an incentive
for Jeremiah to broaden his perspectives on environmental
and community issues while exploring the countryside of
Argentina from the seat of a bike. It's an experience of
a lifetime." One of the obligations for the trip is
to share the experience when they return home, so Sieh
and Zimmer will give presentations to school and community
groups.
For more information about the bike ride on Saturday,
contact Tim Sieh at 726-3171. To find out more about the
Two Wheel View program, visit the Web site at http://www.twowheelview.org.
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