Alameda Runners – Get After It!

Timmy Duggan, Team Liquigas rider and current US cycling road race champion, also serves another role that is unfortunately widely overlooked: philanthropist.

Duggan heads the Just Go Harder Foundation aimed at helping children become more active in cycling and skiing.  It’s a noble effort to help his home community, and Alameda Runners recently chatted with him about it.

“The JGHF provides scholarships for kids to become involved in cycling and skiing sports. Usually this involves offsetting the often prohibitive program fees associated with cycling and skiing clubs in order to have access to coaching and mentorship, training and competition opportunities. By donating, you will know that you are helping to get a kids foot in the door that could lead to a lifetime of positive development and successes.”

Contributing to the Just Go Harder Foundation is a simple process, and there are a couple of options available.  If you’re local in the Boulder, Colorado area, there is a method for you to help without donating cash.

“Readers can donate via the JustGoHarder Website or by giving old sporting equipment to TheProsCloset.com, who will sell it on Ebay and donate the proceeds. Also, if you know a kid who wants to participate in cycling or skiing but can’t afford it, send them our way!”

Duggan also explained where this year’s proceeds will go:

“This year, JGHF will provide scholarships to the Boulder Junior Cycling Team and the Eldora Mountain Ski Club.”

Why help the community?

“I had great coaches and mentors coming up the ranks of ski racing and cycling. Having access to those people and learning from them taught me how to be my own best coach and I can apply that to anything I do now. I would love to open that door for more kids.”

As Duggan prepares for the Tour of Poland – starting tomorrow – he also has big aspirations the rest of the season. The Liquigas rider will represent the United States during the 2012 Olympics starting later this month, along with the Tour of Utah and USA Pro Cycling Challenge next month.

In case you missed it, I recently interviewed Timmy (story here) to learn about his experience winning the US road race championship earlier in the season.  I’d like to wish him the best of luck the rest of the season, as he’s a talented rider – and a super domestique – and I hope he can find