CNS Local Life

Tim Dailey on the road in Iowa

(CNS): A father and son have cycled across Iowa as part of the world’s oldest, largest and longest road tour. Tim Dailey and son, Alex, 9, cycled 500 miles in the 44th annual Registers Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), a seven-day journey, raising funds for three Cayman charities. They will be donating US$1,000 each to Cayman HospiceCare, the Cayman Islands Cancer Society and One Dog at a Time.

“We set US$3,000 as a target thinking it would be a nice round US$1,000 for each of the charities,” said Tim Dailey. “However, the story of his ride was picked up by local Cayman media, the Des Moines Register newspaper in Iowa and the GoFundMe organisation also asked to use his experience as a story, and the result was some anonymous and unknown donors sent in funds. That was very satisfying and helped Alex focus on the ride.”

CNS Local Life

Tim and Alex Dailey during their RAGBRAI adventure

Alex took up road riding a little more than a year ago and has participated in local charity rides since getting involved in the sport. Tim Dailey, a long-time affiliate of Cayman Water which helped sponsor the two riders, has also supported the company’s annual Pete Ribbins Memorial Ride, now in its fourth year.

“We were delighted to have Cayman Water’s support for our RAGBRAI ride,” the elder Dailey said. “Alex enjoys getting out on his bike and decided to use the weeklong RAGBRAI tour ride to raise funds for three of his favoured charities.”

Following on from RAGBRAI, both Daileys say they are looking forward to the somewhat shorter (and flatter) Cayman Water Pete Ribbins Memorial Ride on 14 August.

“It will be a pleasant change to be back on the much less hilly roads of Cayman,” Tim Dailey said, adding, “As fun as RAGBRAI was, the hills were something new and challenging to us, but I think we would both do it again in a heartbeat.”