Anonymous Paceline Ride donor ups ante
Donor will match contributions through May 27
![A Paceline Ride sign is staked along the bike fundraiser's route on May 11. Event organizers are still raising funds through July, and announced an anonymous donor would do a dollar-for-dollar match up to $10,000 for donations collected until May 27. [SPECIAL/PACELINE RIDE]](/gcdn/authoring/2019/05/14/NAUG/ghows-GA-88dd0d77-df75-3568-e053-0100007f3df7-7acbe3a6.jpeg?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
The Paceline Ride cycling fundraiser for the Georgia Cancer Center ended this past weekend, but organizers of the inaugural event hope the money keeps rolling in.
And so does an out-of-town donor, who says he'll match dollar-for-dollar every individual contribution up to $10,000 made through May 27.
Paceline Ride founder Dag Grantham said the donor, who doesn't live in either Georgia or South Carolina, simply wants to see other people and companies "step up and get on board" with helping raise money for research at Augusta University's Georgia Cancer Center.
"This 100 percent-funding model has turned into a 200 percent-model because now we're getting matching dollars," said Grantham, who organized the event after participating in the Pelotonia event in Columbus, Ohio, which helps fund cancer research at Ohio State University.
Funds will continue to be accepted through July 11, but the matching contribution expires at midnight May 27, Grantham said.
The MCG Foundation-seeded organization had multiple corporate co-sponsors. Organizers never announced a fundraising goal, but Grantham said the weekend event – which included a concert by country singer Chris Janson – has so far raised more than $130,000. More than 250 people signed up to ride, along with numerous "virtual riders" who supported the cause without riding.
Under the current format, each rider pays a $100 registration fee and commits to a minimum fundraising goal of $250, which they have up to 60 days after the race to reach. Future rides may cap the maximum contribution to $250 to encourage more participants and simplify the process, Grantham said.
He said he was pleased with the weekend's festivities, which culminated in 20-, 45- and 100-mile bike rides between Augusta and Thomson.
"It blew everybody away. Some people said it was the best event they ever participated in," Grantham said. "The (Janson) concert felt like a neighborhood party, which is exactly the purpose of the entire weekend. It's a celebration."
Like Pelotonia, Paceline Ride organizers hope to turn the event into a year-round social movement to promote healthy lifestyles by encouraging novice riders to train for the noncompetitive ride.