On September 13, 2026, RAFT for America will debut its sister initiative, CYCLE for America. CYCLE is a program designed to carry the core lessons of RAFT onto a new kind of trail. Beginning and ending at Whitewater Challengers—our home base and the site of RAFT’s earliest success—this inaugural ride will unveil a model that can be refined and expanded nationally. CYCLE for America builds on what we’ve consistently experienced on the river: participants often arrive unsure or even anxious, but through a shared challenge, a bonding activity, and an intentional midday pause over a shared meal or snacks, something magical happens. By the end of the day, participants have become more open, connected, and hopeful.

This program is intentionally designed with structured stops and facilitated moments that bring riders together at key intervals. The goal is to create a repeatable framework for connection and conversation that can scale across local communities from coast to coast.

Participants will gather at Whitewater Challengers on the morning of September 13. They will be shuttled with their bikes to the starting point on the iconic Lehigh Gorge Rail-Trail At the end of their 1-2 hour ride, they will be shuttled back to camp, where the day concludes with another shared meal and guided conversation that anchors the experience and helps sharpen our vision for scaling the CYCLE for America program.

Collaborative partners for this nationwide program will include local cycling clubs across the country. Each club will provide suggested rides to their thousands of members, as part of their effort to find compelling new reasons to “hit the trail” together.

Partners will also include our nonprofit colleagues and friends like Braver Angels, whose hundreds of local affiliates are eager to find active, engaging, fun ways of attracting new people into the community. CYCLE for America gives these groups the perfect opportunity to help meet their own goals and mission.