Rally Cycling Team Using Custom Bikes Inspired by Children to Benefit UHCCF

A team of professional cyclists are riding six custom-designed and hand-painted bicycles — each inspired by a child whose medical needs were supported by the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation (UHCCF)  — at the 2018 Amgen Tour of California now underway.

The Rally Cycling team’s goal is to help raise money for UHCCF’s programs and the people they benefit.

UHCCF awards grants of up to $5,000 each to qualifying families, with a lifetime maximum of $10,000 per child, to help pay for services and equipment such as occupational therapy, counseling, prescriptions, surgeries, and assistive devices that are not covered, or not fully covered, by their commercial health insurance plans.

The nonprofit organization has awarded since 2007 more than 15,000 grants nationwide valued at over $40 million to children and their families for treatments associated with several conditions, including cystic fibrosis (CF).

Tatiana’s “Hip-Hop Dance” bike. (Credit: Rally Cycling)

Each child shared his or her favorite things and aspirations with the Rally Cycling design team, which then created the unique bicycles, each with a specific theme. The six bikes — with names like Gladiator, Hip-Hop Dance and Gymnastics — can be viewed here.

The custom-artwork bikes, donated by Rally Cycling, are being auctioned online now through May 19, during the Amgen Tour of California, with proceeds to fund the foundation’s medical grants to help provide access to health-related services. The goal is to raise more than $75,000.

“These beautifully designed bikes are truly inspiring and represent the important work of the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation to help children access medical care to improve their health,” Matt Peterson, president of UHCCF, said in a press release. “We are honored to partner with Rally Cycling to raise greater awareness about our child medical grant program so more families apply and receive grants.”

The 2018 Amgen Tour of California started in Long Beach on Sunday, May 13, and heads north, ending in front of the state capitol in Sacramento on Sunday, May 19. The riders will showcase each bike before starting the tour and along the route in various host cities.

The six children, bikes, and riders represented are:

• Lucas, 10, from Mechanicsville, Mass., inspired the Gladiator bike, ridden by Brandon McNulty
• Anna, 8, from Spanish Fork, Utah, inspired the Classic Cruiser bike, ridden by Evan Huffman
• Kate, 9, from Spanish Fork, Utah, inspired the Great Outdoors bike, ridden by Erica Allar
• Juliet, 10, from Seekonk, Mass., inspired the WW2 bike, ridden by Adam de Vos
• Madison, 7, from Conneaut, Ohio, inspired the Gymnastics bike, ridden by Sara Bergen, and
• Tatiana, 10, from Las Vegas, Nev., inspired the Hip-Hop Dance bike, ridden by Robin Carpenter

This year’s tour will be the third time the team has competed under the banner of title sponsor Rally Health, a digital health company.

“It means a lot to our team to be able to ride 600-750 miles in North America’s premier cycling event on bikes painted from the imagination of these awesome kids, recognizing them with every pedal they take,” said David Ko, president and chief operating officer for Rally Health.

“We encourage anyone who loves art, cycling and helping children live healthier lives to bid on these unique bikes and support the important work of the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation,” Ko added.

For more information about the bikes and the online auction, please visit this link. To learn more about UHCCF grants or to apply for one, visit this link.