Frequently Asked Questions

Traditionally, Tour de Pink includes in-person cycling events on the East and West coast where participants ride 200 miles to raise money for YSC. Virtual TdP was created as a result of the traditional rides being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual TdP allows anyone to join a fundraising team at no cost to register. By registering for Virtual TdP, you are committing to try to raise funds to support YSC’s mission. All registrants will receive their own personal fundraising page, and access to our fundraising resources and tools. There is no minimum and there is no maximum amount you must raise. If someone registered for Virtual TdP decides to organize or participate in any gathering under the YSC Tour de Pink brand to raise funds for YSC, the event organizer, not YSC, is responsible for all aspects of the event.

No, there will not be a specific date for any YSC TdP activity in 2020. The “virtual” in Virtual Tour de Pink represents all Tour de Pink activities for the rest of 2020, as we know activity and fundraising goals will be different for everyone who participates. 

YSC is not hosting, sponsoring or endorsing any Tour de Pink events in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you decide to organize or participate in any gathering under the YSC Tour de Pink brand to raise funds for YSC, than that the event organizer, not YSC, is responsible for all aspects of the event, including but not limited to ensuring that the event is conducted in a safe, lawful and professional manner befitting the reputation and public image of the sponsor. YSC suggests that all Tour de Pink events organized by independent parties obtain appropriate insurance for the event and consider obtaining waivers of liability from all participants.

No, Virtual TdP is about the greater YSC community coming together to raise funds to support YSC during the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone interested in raising funds for YSC and creating healthy exercise goals to share with their friends and family are encouraged. Consider setting a personal health goal that is important to you and aim to achieve it. It might be cycling, but it could also be yoga, walking or swimming. Share your goal with your personal network and ask them to donate to YSC as a way to support you in reaching your goal. 

No, there is no cost to join the 2020 Virtual TdP community. We greatly appreciate your desire to continue raising funds and supporting our community.

Some of you have already begun raising funds for the 2020 rides, and we appreciate the hard work it took to accomplish that. As with every ride, those much-needed funds will go to directly serve young adults facing breast cancer.  Additionally, everyone who raises $3,000 between Feb 4, 2020 and Dec 31, 2020 and registers for a 2021 ride, will receive a full kit (jersey, shorts and arm warmers) as a thank you at a 2021 Tour de Pink ride. 

The Tour de Pink website and all individual fundraising pages will remain active, along with our very active Tour de Pink Family Facebook group. We are hopeful that all of the amazing team captains, volunteers, riders and supporters will continue to support YSC, raising critical funds, even without a physical ride.

All fundraising pages will remain active through the 2020 calendar year, so we ask that your fundraising efforts be completed by December 31, 2020.

The dollars that you have raised this year and every year go to support YSC’s mission and all young adults facing breast cancer. The funds you have raised and will raise this year will be some of the most important dollars ever donated. As YSC faces one of the greatest economic challenges in our history, your donated dollars are critically important right now. Next year’s fundraising will support next year's YSC’s programmatic efforts. 

No. During this time donations will only be accepted online through the Tour de Pink website. Checks should not be written or mailed to YSC. Please encourage your donors to make their gifts online through your personal page. If you have any questions regarding checks, please email info@ysctourdepink.org.

The Bianchi Dama Ambassador Program is committed to support the YSC Tour de Pink Survivor Bike Program, which provides bikes free of charge to young adults facing breast cancer to allow them to participate in YSC Tour de Pink. All of the funds that have been raised to date will be used to donate bikes to those survivors who have already applied. We are hopeful that all survivors, new to TdP and long-time riders, will ride together virtually this summer and help support each other as the new riders learn the rules of the road and begin training for the 2021 rides!

Yes, G4, who has been a long-time partner of YSC Tour de Pink, is working closely with YSC to support us through this challenging time. G4 understands and supports the decision to ensure the health of our survivors and thrivers, beyond all else.

Fundraising and donations are how YSC exists and will recover from this historic economic downturn. YSC will be looking to the strong and amazing TDP community during this time to help raise funds to ensure YSC’s security. We hope that the teams already signed up and past teams will come together this year and continue the friendly team competitions to see who can raise the most money to support young adults affected by breast cancer and YSC this summer and fall. https://www.ysctourdepink.org/

There are other ways to support YSC: have you ever used the YSC Champions page to raise funds for YSC? https://www.yscchampions.org/. Direct donations to support YSC will be critical during this challenging time. They can be made at https://www.youngsurvival.org/give.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us. None of us know when it will be over and when we can get back to a sort of ‘normal.’ Unfortunately, the nation's charitable sector has been especially hard hit, and YSC is a part of that. At the same time, the need for YSC to support all young breast cancer survivors and thrivers has never been greater, and we continue to create new virtual programming to support and inform our community. We are spending this time carefully conserving our resources to ensure YSC’s longevity, which could mean difficult decisions in the coming months. It would be irresponsible to continue spending as if we know when both our own revenue and the world economy will stabilize. However, it could be many months until any final decisions are made. Until then, what is most important is that we all care for and work to support each other, through cancer and one of the world’s most difficult times.

YSC Tour de Pink welcomes riders of all skill levels, ages 18+.

You can register online quickly and easily.

The non-refundable registration fee is $125 for three-day riders and $99 for one-day riders.

If you registered for last year's Tour de Pink or the YSC Summit you can use those log in credentials to register for Tour de Pink this year. Otherwise, your old log in credentials will not work and you will need to create a new account. 

No, you do not need to create a new account. Add a level of convenience by using the same email address that you registered for Summit Fundraising, this will allow you to import the contacts to TdP already associated with your account.

The one-day ride is on Saturday of each ride.

East Coast: Read all of the details here.

West Coast: Read all of the details here.

 

Three-day Ride: Three-day riders receive breakfast and dinner at the hotel each day. An energy-packed lunch and nutritious snacks will be provided at rest stops along the route.

One-day Ride: One-day riders will receive breakfast, lunch and nutritious snacks at the rest stops. If one-day riders would like to stay for dinner, they will need to purchase tickets online, in advance. PLEASE NOTE: Tickets for dinner Saturday night will not be available on-site. If one-day riders purchase a dinner ticket, they are responsible for their ride back to the start.

Purchase East Coast Meal Tickets
Purchase West Coast Meal Tickets

Three-day Ride: Three-day riders can purchase bus tickets online for the bus from the finish location back to the starting hotel. Tickets must be purchased online. Bikes will also be transported back to the start. PLEASE NOTE: Participants will NOT be able to purchase bus tickets at Tour de Pink. They must be purchased online, in advance.

One-day Ride: All One Day rides are a circuit loop and finish at the same location they started from. 

Purchase East Coast Bus Tickets
Purchase West Coast Bus Tickets

Buses will leave between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m. to get back to Friday’s starting location.

Buses will leave at 5 p.m. or once everyone is accounted for who needs a ride back.

Yes. You will have until 30 days after the ride to meet your fundraising minimum. If you do not meet your minimum within 30 days, we will reach out to you to confirm whether you would like us to charge your credit card from registration for the remaining balance, or provide us with an alternate card or check payment.

Three-day Rider: Each 3-day rider for all rides must raise a minimum of $3,000 and will receive a Tour de Pink jersey.

One-day Rider: Each 1-day rider for all rides must raise a minimum of $500 and will receive a Tour de Pink jersey. 

At the captain’s discretion, teams may fundraise together to cover each team member’s individual fundraising minimum. For example, if there are 4 three-day riders on a team for the East Coast Ride (individual minimum of $3,000), the minimum team goal would be $12,000. It does not matter if one team member raises most of those funds, and another does not raise any as long as the team goal is met.

More FAQs about Teams.

Three-day Riders: Beginning on Friday morning, all of your meals, hotels and support are included. Hotel accommodations for Thursday night are NOT included but will be available at a discounted rate.

East Coast Hotel Information
West Coast Hotel Information

If you plan to take the bus from the finish location on Sunday back to the starting hotel or a nearby airport, you will need to purchase bus tickets online before the ride. Check the tickets page below for purchase deadlines.

East Coast Tickets
West Coast Tickets
 

After a challenging day on the bike, we will wind down and relax at comfortable hotels Friday and Saturday.

East Coast Hotel Information
West Coast Hotel Information

YSC Tour de Pink covers the cost of your hotel rooms and will transport your luggage to each stop. All participants must share a room with another event participant. We will do our best to accommodate roommate requests that are made at least 30 days before the ride event date.

Yes, if riders choose to stay over Thursday night at the hotel, they are responsible for making their own reservations.

East Coast Hotel Information
West Coast Hotel Information

Three-day Riders: All three-day participants who register prior to 90 days before the event will receive one YSC Tour de Pink commemorative cycling jersey. We will do our best to accommodate jersey sizes for three-day riders who register less than 90 days prior to the event. If we do not have your size at Tour de Pink, we will mail a jersey to you after the event.

One-day Riders: One-day participants who raise at least $500 prior to 90 days before the event will receive one jersey. We will do our best to accommodate jersey sizes for one-day riders who register less than 90 days prior to the event. If we do not have your size at Tour de Pink, we will mail a jersey to you after the event.

Everyone who is part of the TdP family has seen first hand how important the event is to young breast cancer survivors and their co-survivors. The event not only raises awareness of YSC’s cause, it changes the lives of young breast cancer survivors who are taking their bodies back from cancer. The TdP event is different from other endurance fundraising events in that it includes survivors as participants. 100% of the donations that are raised by TdPs many sponsors and supporters ensure that young breast cancer survivors and their co-survivors have empowering life changing experiences.

All funds raised go directly to Young Survival Coalition (YSC), the go-to organization for young women facing a breast cancer diagnosis. Among other services, YSC:
 

• Provides information, resources and support from diagnosis through long-term survivorship;
• Educates and empowers young women to be their own best health advocates;
• Works with healthcare providers, researchers and legislators to educate them about the unique issues young women face, and
• Advocates for more studies on breast cancer in young women and access to quality care.

Registration fees and donor contributions are non-refundable and non-transferable. For any questions, email info@ysctourdepink.org.

We hope that you are able to join us at Tour de Pink for the incredible experience; however, we realize that life can throw you a curve ball every now and then.

East Coast: We ask that you notify us by August 30, 2019 if you are unable to ride.
West Coast: We ask that you notify us by September 20, 2019 if you are unable to ride.

All Rides: If you do not communicate to Tour de Pink via email 30 days before the ride that you will no longer be attending or if you are a “no-show” to the event you will be charged a cancellation fee of $500 . Any fundraising dollars raised will be applied toward the $500 fee in order to reduce the amount that will be charged to the credit card on file. For example, if you fundraised $300, you will only be charged a $200 fee. If you notify Tour de Pink prior to 30 days before the ride that you are not attending, you will not be charged any fees.

This cancellation fee will cover the non-refundable cost of hotel rooms, meals and transportation that Tour de Pink has to absorb when within 30 days of the event. These non-refundable costs affect the overall financial viability of Tour de Pink which in turn affects the event’s ability to support the mission of YSC.

Tour de Pink retains the right to waive this fee in cases of extreme circumstances. Tour de Pink will not charge your credit card without communicating to you first and confirming the fee amount and date that the charge will take place.

We have full SAG (support and gear) support along the course with mechanics stationed at rest stops to handle any mechanical problems.

You will need to use a road bike, as it is the best option to ride in groups. You can also ride a mountain bike or hybrid touring bike. Tandem road bikes are also acceptable.

A triathlon bike is fine but you must keep your hands on the brake lever while riding in a group. Please email us if you will be using a triathlon bike at info@ysctourdepink.org.

Recumbent bikes, EllipitGOs, trailers and bike seats are NOT permitted for safety reasons.

We will ride between 60 and 100 miles each day, totaling roughly 200-225 miles over three days.

Absolutely! We welcome riders of all abilities and experience. We recommend you use a comfortable, reliable bike with road tires and follow a training plan. Read more about how to prepare on the training page.

Cycling event professionals will provide support and gear (SAG) support along the entire route. We will have mechanics stationed at rest stops to handle any mechanical trouble. However, you should be prepared to handle basic mechanical problems that may arise, and you should know how to change a flat tire. Support vehicles will follow the riders in the event of fatigue, a medical emergency or mechanical issues.

We also provide Hopper Vans. These vehicles will transport riders from rest stop to rest stop with their bikes.

There will be rest stops approximately every 18-20 miles along each day's route. Stops will have sanitation facilities and will be stocked with a variety of energy-packed snacks and cold beverages. Midday rest stops will include a nutritious, delicious lunch.

Rain or shine…we ride! However, if there is a warning from the National Weather Service or other serious weather issues, we may temporarily suspend the event. Our riders’ safety is our top priority.

Unfortunately we are unable to offer this service due to liability issues. It is best to take the bus from the finish line back to the start. You can purchase bus tickets online before the ride. Check the tickets page below for purchase deadlines.

East Coast Tickets
West Coast Tickets

Each 3-day rider for all rides must raise a minimum of $3,000 and will receive a Tour de Pink jersey. Each 1-day rider for all rides must raise at least $500 and will receive a Tour de Pink jersey. All proceeds go to benefit the programs of the Young Survival Coalition.

If a donation check has been written out to you personally, you may endorse the back of the check and mail it with a completed  donation form to Young Survival Coalition, 75 Broad Street, Suite 409, New York, NY 10004

Please don't staple checks to donation forms.

No, your non-refundable registration fee does not count toward your fundraising minimum.

Please make checks payable to “Young Survival Coalition.” Make sure your name is in the memo line (i.e., “John Smith’s ride”).

You can't enter a check online. What you can do is enter a check as a pledge. This can be done in the fundraising section of your headquarters page. The status of the check will be pending until the check is received by Young Survival Coalition.

You will enter the donation as a pledge on your “My HQ” page. The donation will not appear on your page until YSC confirms receipt.

Send your donations, along with donation forms or donation logs to:

Young Survival Coalition TdP
75 Broad Street, Suite 409
New York, NY 10004

Please don't staple checks to donation forms or logs.

Young Survival Coalition (YSC) is a 501(c)(3) organization. Our tax ID number is 13-4057685.

All donations made by credit card have associated fees both by the credit card company as well as by the credit card processor. These fees are paid by Young Survival Coalition unless the donor chooses to cover the cost of the fees when making a donation. Selecting to cover the processing fees allows for your entire donation to be contributed to the organization rather than the credit card fees being deducted from the donation that is being made.

If you check this checkbox, you will be charged the amount indicated next to the checkbox. This amount will also be visible to the non-profit. However, on the fundraising page, your intended – initial donation amount will be displayed.

Yes, all YSC Tour de Pink donations are fully tax-deductible. Donations made online will receive a receipt via email. Donations made via check or money order will receive a receipt via mail.

Yes, all donors who make a donation in support of YSC will get a tax receipt. All online donors will receive an automatic email receipt after donating. Donors who make a donation via check will receive an acknowledgment/receipt letter in the mail. If donors misplace their receipts, we can issue new ones.

Yes, you can download the donation form and send it in with your donations.

No, YSC Tour de Pink cannot accept cash donations. It is never safe to send cash through the mail.

Normal turnaround time is two to three business days after checks have been received in the YSC office, but it can sometimes take several weeks. You can enter the check as a pledge. This can be done in the fundraising section of your "My HQ" page. The status of the check will be pending until the check is received by Young Survival Coalition.

You will have until 30 days after the ride to meet your fundraising minimum. If you do not meet your minimum within 30 days, we will reach out to you to confirm whether you would like us to charge your credit card from registration for the remaining balance, or provide us with an alternate card or check payment.

Contact your employer's human resources department to find out if they have a matching gift program. Complete the necessary paperwork or online forms and forward them to:

Young Survival Coalition TdP
75 Broad Street, Suite 409
New York, NY 10004

You can also email the website link or attachments to donations@youngsurvival.org.

After YSC receives your matching gift form or website link, we'll verify the gift and return it to your employer. Your employer will then send a check matching the donation directly to YSC. This process can take several weeks or months, so please complete matching gift forms early to ensure proper crediting toward your fundraising goal.

View Matching Gift Instructions [PDF]

Yes. However, gifts will not officially count toward your minimum until the check and paperwork from your employer has been received in our office. You may enter matching gift pledges as offline gifts on your personal fundraising page, but until the check and paperwork is physically received, it will not count toward your actual minimum.

Please note that employers can take at least 8–9 weeks to issue checks upon receiving a matching gift request. If you are concerned about meeting the minimum before the fundraising deadline, please do not depend on matching gifts to make up your difference. If you have questions about your matching gifts, please email donations@youngsurvival.org.

Absolutely! Fundraising can be fun…and a lot easier than you may think. We’ve got lots of fundraising materials and ideas to help you get started, along with a personal fundraising web page that will make it easy for you to reach out to family and friends online.

You can also use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to fundraise by clicking Promote via Social Media or Social Auto-Post in your "My HQ" section of your fundraising page. Your friends and family can watch your fundraising progress and click to donate to your YSC Tour de Pink fundraising campaign directly from your post.

New this year, we have a Tour de Pink app that will allow you to raise money right from your mobile device. You’ll even be able to take immediate donations right on your phone! Be sure to download the app today and get started!

A personal URL is a shortened link to your fundraising page. You will be able to easily send it to friends and family or post it to social media. The URL will look like one of these:

east.ysctourdepink.org/yourname
west.ysctourdepink.org/yourname

You can send them a link to your personal page, or post a link using the Social Media tool available in your “My HQ” center. They can also use the "Find a Rider or Team" search box located at the top of every page.

If you are unable to raise the minimum amount, in order to participate in the ride, you will be required to guarantee the balance with a check or credit card. Three-day riders will have 30 days after the ride to finish meeting your fundraising goal. If, after 30 days, you have not achieved your fundraising minimum, your credit card will be charged the balance.

No. All donations made to YSC Tour de Pink, as well as registration fees, are non-refundable.

You can communicate with your donors by selecting “Promote via Email” in your “My HQ” center. Simply download your contacts from any of the email providers. Select the contacts you wish to email. Select an email template or create your own, and send! It’s that easy.

You can communicate with your donors by selecting “Promote via Email” on the Headquarters page. Simply download your contacts from any of the email providers. Select the contacts you wish to email. Select an email template or create your own, and send! It’s that easy.

As long as you have two people, you have a team! We encourage you to recruit as many members as you can.

You can submit a large donation check over the amount of $500 to be split among team members; however, YSC is unable to split online donations among various team members. If you would like to share an online donation with team members, please have the donor write a separate check to each individual team member or make separate donations online to each individuals fundraising page.

At the captain’s discretion, teams may fundraise together to cover each team member’s individual fundraising minimum. For example, if there are 4 three-day riders on a team for the East Coast Ride (individual minimum of $3,000), the minimum team goal would be $12,000. It does not matter if one team member raises most of those funds, and another does not raise any as long as the team goal is met.

Yes, we encourage you to show team spirit! Creating a jersey for your team is a wonderful idea and we encourage you to design one for your teammates to wear at Tour de Pink. Remember that all three-day riders will receive one jersey at on-site check-in. If you decide to create a team jersey (and we hope you do!) we suggest using VOmax for your jersey ordering and accessories.

We ask that riders wear their team jerseys on Saturday, their Tour de Pink jersey Friday and any jersey on Sunday. If you have multiple Tour de Pink jerseys, we would love to see those!

Please email info@ysctourdepink.org, and we will get your team set up.

It's easy! Just follow these steps:

1. Log in to your "My HQ"
2. Click on the "My Team Fundraisers" link
3. Click on the "Add as co-captain" link next to the person you wish to add

That’s great! Ask your employer how they would like to sponsor. Would they like to match your team fundraising contribution or become an event sponsor? For more information regarding sponsorships, please email darmour@youngsurvival.org.

Fundraising incentives can be achieved by any participant. The individual participant must achieve the fundraising milestone on his or her own to receive the fundraising incentive. Team funds will not be considered for fundraising incentives.

To give you a little motivation, we've come up with some great incentives. Check out the current incentives and fundraising levels on the Fundraising Incentives page.

View all downloadable resources on our Fundraising page here.

Awesome! Start by adding some time/volume to your rides! 15 minutes a day is a great start. Then increase the intensity. When a ride includes intervals, add 2-3 more and you can also slightly increase the length of the interval. 

Take the easy rides really easy! It’s okay to take 15-20 minutes off the ride time, as well.

If you need to cut ride time down, shorten the warm-up or cool-down periods. Avoid cutting out the intervals/work of the ride, because this is where you really improve!

It is fine to switch days! Train on Monday and make Tuesday a rest day. Avoid riding double on one ride to make up for a missed ride. Remember, it is all about building consistency with training. 

That’s okay! Most people are when they first start riding! We slowly build the length of the ride so you know you can do it. 

A common suggestion is to consume 200-300 calories per hour on the bike. This is imperative for your success! In order to be fueled properly for the training, we gotta eat! Take a banana, bar, hydration mix - whatever suits you - and make sure you consume it on the ride. And as soon as you finish your rides, make sure you eat something to keep your body fueled!

Think of a scale of “hard, harder, hardest” or RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) 1-10. 1 means you are sleeping, and a 10 means you are about to pass out. The majority of your training should be “hard” and 2-5 RPE. This will build a solid foundation of fitness for when we add in the intervals and hard stuff. During many of your rides, you should be able to have a conversation; however, you may not want to talk.

You have probably noticed that when you start riding again, your legs feel heavy and you are sluggish. If you can minimize your stops or at least your stop time, that will really help. Have a goal of riding for a certain amount of time before you stop and if you do stop, make it as brief as possible. This means you may need to practice getting your water bottle out and drinking while you are riding. Every new rider had to learn how to do that, and it is a huge relief to be able to do it!

Everyone loves riding hard! It’s exhilarating! However, the easy days are when all that hard work is able to settle in and take hold, making you stronger! If we ride hard every day, we are actually not riding as hard as you potentially could! By going easy one day, when you have intervals/efforts the next day, you will be refreshed and able to do them at a higher and harder level. This will create a big improvement in your fitness and endurance! Resist the urge to smash those pedals on your easy day.

Of course! Riding up to six days a week is great; just take at least one day to rest and recover. If you want to add a ride day, add an easy spin on Friday to prep you for your longer days on the weekend.

Great question! Clocking a specific mileage on a ride can be daunting for a few reasons. If you are riding in a hilly area, it could take you a long time to ride 15 miles, and you could end up doing too much work. You could also be riding in a strong wind, making it grueling to cover a specific distance. Training by time allows us to do appropriate work and conditioning without fighting the elements and terrain to reach a specific mileage.

As you probably found out, as you rode, you felt better! Allow yourself 15-20 minutes to spin and open up the legs and you will be amazed and impressed by how well the body comes around. Skipping the ride will just prolong the feeling of fatigue and malaise, so give it a go!