nick van dine fundraiser.

If you hadn’t already heard, all around good guy and Cannondale factory pilot Nick Van Dine took a nasty fall snowboarding that landed him in the ICU. Nick underwent reconstructive surgery shortly after the crash, and is only a short time away from being back on the bike. Getting rolling on two wheels is the easy part for Nick; it’s the bills that presented the biggest problem.

On Thursday, April 23rd the Mountain Bike community came together to help Nick with some of those bills so he could focus on riding. The NVD Fundraiser kicked off at 7:00pm at the Sidecar Bar in Park City, UT. If you live in a resort town you know this is about as slow of a time as resort towns see, so we had some concerns regarding attendance. By 8:00 o’clock the room was starting to fill up though and the money was rolling in. We had enough raffle prizes to run a Price is Right show, and the silent auction was looking like a Madison Avenue affair. OK, not really but we were set up for success is the point.

At about 9:00pm we really got the night moving along. With the help of the Sidecar bartenders we had adequately lubricated our guest’s wallets, and raffle tickets were going by the 10’s and 20’s. The silent auction was also starting to see some action. Doug Dalton (Cannondale bikes) kicked off the first portion of the raffle and decided after talking to a couple of beautiful young ladies that we needed a live auction as well. Turns out those young ladies really like spa treatments because we raised about an extra $150.00 by letting them bid against each other. What a great show it was!!!

Ledfoot provided the entertainment for the evening. I think a good band is judge by their musical versatility, and Ledfoot had plenty to spare. Our ears were graced with great tunes from the likes of Led Zepplin, the “Nuge”, Rolling Stones, and plenty more. The bar staff kept lubricating wallets and the party kept rolling. At this point the stragglers and fashionably late started to arrive. People like Adrian Montgomery from SCOTT Bikes, and the local freeride crew. Big thanks to Adrian and SCOTT for their donation.

At set break we finished the formalities of the evening, raffling off the rest of the great prizes from sponsors like Troy Lee Designs, Bear Naked, Freeride Foundation, Brothers Bikes, White Pine Touring, and DH Productions just to name a few. It was also time to announce the winners of the silent Auction. Thanks to Thule, Cannondale, Deer Valley Resort, EWR Bikes, Troy Lee Designs, and Camp Chef for donating great items for the Auction. The auction alone raised $2,000.00 and although that is far below the retail value of the items available it was a welcome boost to the night’s funds, and people were stoked on their winnings.

Ledfoot came on for their second set and really got the place hopping. The night ran on with great tunes, cold beer, and great friends. When all was said and done we raised just under $4,000 to help with Nick’s medical costs; a healthy sum by any measure.

It is events like this that remind us what a great bunch of people the mountain bike community is. It’s not about being the coolest, or having the best bike, or being the fastest up or down the hill. It’s about the experiences with your friends. It’s about having fun, and helping each other out for the greater enjoyment of everyone. It’s about self expression, and sharing your vision with all who want to see it. I have never been more stoked to call myself a mountain biker more than I am now. If you’re a mountain biker take a second to reflect on all the great times you have had on and off the trail with your fellow dirt shredders. Think about when you leant a hand to someone you didn’t know on the trail, and when that favor was returned to you by another stranger. That’s the heart and soul of our sport. Not the bike or the trail but the people you meet and the experiences we share. Thanks to all those who attend NVD’s party, and to all the generous sponsors who helped to make this event a success. Shred on!!!!!