2026 Pedal to Empower charity bike ride

From 9:30 am on Saturday 6 June, welcome to an easy, mostly flat, approximately 40 km loop bicycle ride from Tsukuba Station parking lot (near the information center). This is a beginner ride to support World Bicycle Relief, which provides life-changing bicycles to empower girls and women in developing countries. Last year we raised more than $2300. Every donation will help, no matter the size. Even if you are not planning to cycle with us, please donate to the Pedal to Empower campaign:
https://www.powerofbicycles.org/fundraisers/rickweisburd/pedal-to-empower
No donation is too big or too small, but ride participants will be required to donate at least 1500 yen. You can donate through the website (in which case, send me a copy of your receipt) or I will collect cash before the ride starts. Although this is a TWMC activity, the usual TWMC fee will be waived to support our charity ride.
You can find many accounts of the impact these bicycles are having at this link:
https://worldbicyclerelief.org/the-impact/
To join the ride, there is no need to contact me in advance; just turn up outside the Tsukuba Sogo Information Center at the south end of the Tsukuba Station plaza next to Saza Coffee at 9:20 for a 9:30 departure. We should be back by mid-afternoon. No signup is required, but you are welcome to email to rickweisburd@gmail.com with any questions. The ride will proceed unless continuous or medium to heavy rain or strong wind is forecast, in which case a postponement notice would be emailed to the TWMC mailing list the evening before.
We will ride on paved roads, mostly with little traffic. The route has beautiful rural scenery, rice paddies, orchards, forests, Hanamuro River, Lake Kasumigaura, and some small hills, but no long climbs. Along this route, I have seen peregrine falcons, black kites, kingfishers, quail, egrets, gray herons, night herons, and other wildlife. We will ride at the pace of the slowest participant and nobody will be left behind.
Because brains are soft and helmets are hard, helmets are strongly encouraged. Bring sunscreen, water, comfortable clothes and a light rain jacket in case of rain. You could bring lunch or buy food along the way. Any bicycles in good working condition with properly inflated tires should be sufficient, but if you are concerned about the distance, you could rent an ebike: https://ibaraki-rentalcycle.jp/
They have junior (for 135-150 cm height), XS (for 150-165 cm height), and S (for 160-175 cm height. For those taller than 175 cm, before making your reservation contact the Cycling Support Desk [reception@drpedal.jp] by email to request an extra-long seatpost for an S size rental. They also have bikes equipped with carriers that are convenient for using pannier bags; if you would like to use a carrier, please contact the Cycling Support Desk by email before making your reservation. The bikes can be reserved up to 30 days in advance and must be reserved at least 3 days in advance; they are often fully booked. I recommend reserving early and renting a hybrid (cross) bike or ebike.
Reserve for 9:30 am (earliest time on the rental form) to pick up your bike at the Tsukuba Sogo Information Center (number 2 on the reservation form) at the south end of the Tsukuba Station plaza next to Saza Coffee. If you are renting, then please arrive on 6 June by 9 am to organize your rental pickup, which is when the Tsukuba Sogo Information Center rental desk opens. There is no difference in price for returns the same day, so best to reserve with a drop-off time of 16:00 in case you want to ride more on your own after the group ride finishes.
Please pass along this information to anyone who might be interested.
If there is interest in a longer and faster ride, contact me and I’ll be happy to organize one later in June. Cycling entails some risk of accidents and injuries for which TWMC and I accept no responsibility.
Thanks!
best,
rick