Get Virginia to the 2019 BMX World Championships
Donation protected
My personal goal for this racing season is to be able to race at Circuit Zolder in Belgium at the 2019 UCI BMX World Championships this July. Step by step I've been doing what needs to be done to make that goal a reality - training, racing, coordination with USA Cycling, etc. I was officially named on the 2019 USA Cycling Challenge Team for the event in February. I think I have a good chance of being a contender in the 40+ Women's Cruiser Challenge class in the World Championship race. The confidence I gained through my experience racing in Belgium in 2015 (World #4) and in Colombia in 2016 (World #2) will definitely help this year when I return to Belgium.
My budget to cover just the basic expenses for this race is at about $3,000. This includes more than $600 to USA Cycling / USA BMX for a special international racing license, entry fees, and our Team USA BMX jerseys; plus about $2,500 in travel and lodging expenses.
My fundraising goal is to raise $1,500, which will help with half of the cost of the trip. Building support and awareness around the race and BMX in general is also important to me, so I have another goal to be able to find 50 or more donors. Even if you only give a couple dollars, I would really appreciate it if you would consider making a donation to show your support and help me meet my fund raising goals!
My BMX sponsor, Bay Area BMXers , is a grass roots non-profit organization that started as a way to personally connect with local youths in a positive way by giving them an outsource to work on personal growth and systematically strengthen their own natural abilities through a nationwide Olympic sport, BMX! My Bay Area BMXer family provides incredible support to help me achieve my goals, but doesn't have the budget to support the financial burden of a trip like this. I've also found incredible motivation through my brand ambassador work with Vanderkitten, which is an action sports brand that has developed an amazing network of people who support women who kick ass for over a decade. Thank you both for all of your help to get me to where I am today!
Any and all donations will be very appreciated and receive thank you notes and shout outs on social media. As an incentive, I’ll be offering a t-shirt to those who donate more than $20.
That's right, T-SHIRTS!!! I’ll be working with some of my friends on a killer design for a fundraising t-shirt. Details will be shared in late March. Donations of $20 or more received by June will have the option of receiving a really nice t-shirt.
I'm also working on gathering a few items to share as perks with those who donate - the details on that will be shared in late March. Every $5 donation will receive one entry.
ABOUT ME:
I've been riding bikes for as long as I can remember. My dad bought me my first red Schwinn with a banana seat when I was 3. I rode that around the streets of Ocean Beach, CA endlessly. When I was 10 , I started racing BMX at Waterford Oaks (MI) and my parents supported me in racing nationally, as well as a few international races, until I was about 19 and in college. The highlight of racing as a teenager was placing 4th in the 1994 UCI World Championships and then traveling to Brighton England a couple years later to compete in the 1996 UCI World Championships. Those experiences were amazing and shaped me to be who I am today.
When I hit my 20s I stopped racing, but kept riding by embracing a car free lifestyle and learned how to ride on through the good and the bad. I also got through college! As I turned 30, I turned to my good friend BMX for an excuse to travel and clear my mind; I quickly realized how much I had missed being competitive and was happily pulled in to the BMX scene again, but with a twist to explore the fun side of things and to support the riding of other girls and women. Six years later with a couple of national titles, a factory sponsorship, and some very large trophies that are challenging to move across the country, under my belt, I moved to NorCal and found myself needing to reevaluate my racing goals and strategies in order to say in the sport and decided to shift my focus toward BMX competitions at the international level for the next three years. That goal led me to a World #4 title in 2015 and World #2 title in 2016 in the 30+ Women's Cruiser Class. Fast forward to 2019 and after a little more than a year away from the track, I'm back for more action on the international stage in the new 40+ Women's Cruiser Class.
Through it all I have experienced not only personal growth but met amazing people along the way. Racing BMX has been extremely rewarding and empowering for me, and it has been possible through the encouragement and support of my parents, family, friends and sponsors. All this leads me to where I'm at now and why I'm asking for your support here on this page.
Outside of biking, I work for Virginia Department of Transportation as a transportation engineer and planner - I focus on future of transportation systems using connected vehicle technologies to improve safety on the roadways, as well as improve mobility and decrease the environmental impacts our transportation choices create. I love my work! I got where I'm at today in my career by earning my bachelors degrees in Industrial Engineering and Urban Studies, and my masters degree in Transportation Engineering.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. And thank you for donating!
- Virginia Lingham
My budget to cover just the basic expenses for this race is at about $3,000. This includes more than $600 to USA Cycling / USA BMX for a special international racing license, entry fees, and our Team USA BMX jerseys; plus about $2,500 in travel and lodging expenses.
My fundraising goal is to raise $1,500, which will help with half of the cost of the trip. Building support and awareness around the race and BMX in general is also important to me, so I have another goal to be able to find 50 or more donors. Even if you only give a couple dollars, I would really appreciate it if you would consider making a donation to show your support and help me meet my fund raising goals!
My BMX sponsor, Bay Area BMXers , is a grass roots non-profit organization that started as a way to personally connect with local youths in a positive way by giving them an outsource to work on personal growth and systematically strengthen their own natural abilities through a nationwide Olympic sport, BMX! My Bay Area BMXer family provides incredible support to help me achieve my goals, but doesn't have the budget to support the financial burden of a trip like this. I've also found incredible motivation through my brand ambassador work with Vanderkitten, which is an action sports brand that has developed an amazing network of people who support women who kick ass for over a decade. Thank you both for all of your help to get me to where I am today!
Any and all donations will be very appreciated and receive thank you notes and shout outs on social media. As an incentive, I’ll be offering a t-shirt to those who donate more than $20.
That's right, T-SHIRTS!!! I’ll be working with some of my friends on a killer design for a fundraising t-shirt. Details will be shared in late March. Donations of $20 or more received by June will have the option of receiving a really nice t-shirt.
I'm also working on gathering a few items to share as perks with those who donate - the details on that will be shared in late March. Every $5 donation will receive one entry.
ABOUT ME:
I've been riding bikes for as long as I can remember. My dad bought me my first red Schwinn with a banana seat when I was 3. I rode that around the streets of Ocean Beach, CA endlessly. When I was 10 , I started racing BMX at Waterford Oaks (MI) and my parents supported me in racing nationally, as well as a few international races, until I was about 19 and in college. The highlight of racing as a teenager was placing 4th in the 1994 UCI World Championships and then traveling to Brighton England a couple years later to compete in the 1996 UCI World Championships. Those experiences were amazing and shaped me to be who I am today.
When I hit my 20s I stopped racing, but kept riding by embracing a car free lifestyle and learned how to ride on through the good and the bad. I also got through college! As I turned 30, I turned to my good friend BMX for an excuse to travel and clear my mind; I quickly realized how much I had missed being competitive and was happily pulled in to the BMX scene again, but with a twist to explore the fun side of things and to support the riding of other girls and women. Six years later with a couple of national titles, a factory sponsorship, and some very large trophies that are challenging to move across the country, under my belt, I moved to NorCal and found myself needing to reevaluate my racing goals and strategies in order to say in the sport and decided to shift my focus toward BMX competitions at the international level for the next three years. That goal led me to a World #4 title in 2015 and World #2 title in 2016 in the 30+ Women's Cruiser Class. Fast forward to 2019 and after a little more than a year away from the track, I'm back for more action on the international stage in the new 40+ Women's Cruiser Class.
Through it all I have experienced not only personal growth but met amazing people along the way. Racing BMX has been extremely rewarding and empowering for me, and it has been possible through the encouragement and support of my parents, family, friends and sponsors. All this leads me to where I'm at now and why I'm asking for your support here on this page.
Outside of biking, I work for Virginia Department of Transportation as a transportation engineer and planner - I focus on future of transportation systems using connected vehicle technologies to improve safety on the roadways, as well as improve mobility and decrease the environmental impacts our transportation choices create. I love my work! I got where I'm at today in my career by earning my bachelors degrees in Industrial Engineering and Urban Studies, and my masters degree in Transportation Engineering.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. And thank you for donating!
- Virginia Lingham
Organizer
Virginia Lingham
Organizer
Richmond, VA
