Four-Time Tour de France Champion Chris Froome to Headline the Best Buddies Challenge: Miami Charity Bike Ride Benefitting Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

MIAMI, Oct. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Best Buddies International, a global nonprofit that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), is thrilled to announce that four-time Tour de France Champion Chris Froome will join professional cyclists George Hincapie and Christian Vande Velde to lead the Best Buddies Challenge: Miami on Friday, November 17.

Chris Froome is undoubtedly the most successful stage-racer in modern cycling. Froome's legendary cycling career includes winning the Tour de France four times and overall titles at Vuelta a España, and Critérium du Dauphiné. In September 2017, Froome became the third cyclist in history to win the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España in the same season.

The Best Buddies Challenge: Miami is 100K six-star cycling event, limited to just 50 cyclists, that starts and finishes at Marlins Park, complete with police-escorted rolling enclosed peloton and street closures allowing for uninterrupted riding. The route features spectacular waterfront views and rides through the most scenic locations in Miami, South Beach and Key Biscayne. The Miami Challenge offers riders a unique experience like no other recreational cycling event in the world, as riders are led by a presidential-style police motorcade in a rolling enclosed peloton, complete with two fully-stocked, catered rest stops and support vehicles. Once riders return to the finish line, the six-star treatment continues with hot showers, professional massages, and lunch in the President's Suite at Marlins Park. The Challenge is open to all ages and abilities and includes professional athletes, high-profile personalities, as well as the active participation of athletes with special abilities.

Following the Miami Challenge, riders will join celebrities, professional athletes, and special guests for a festive evening supporting Best Buddies at the 21^st Annual Best Buddies Miami Gala in Wynwood. This year's Gala will celebrate Best Buddies' expansion into India. Each year the Gala welcomes hundreds of guests to celebrate Best Buddies and features a live and silent auction, cocktails, a gourmet dinner with first-class service, and a live musical performance. Past performers have included the Black Eyed Peas, Earth Wind & Fire, Cindi Lauper, LMFAO, and Sean Paul.

Proceeds from the Miami Challenge and Gala will enable Best Buddies to continue making a meaningful impact in the lives of people with special abilities on a global scale.

ABOUT BEST BUDDIES  INTERNATIONAL:
Best Buddies® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one original chapter to more than 2,300 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies' eight formal programs ? Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies® , Jobs, Ambassadors, and Promoters ? engage participants in each of the 50 states and in nearly 50 countries, positively impacting the lives of more than 1.1 million people with and without disabilities around the world. In many cases, as a result of their involvement with Best Buddies, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities secure rewarding jobs, live on their own, become inspirational leaders, and make lifelong friendships. For more information, please visit www.bestbuddies.org, facebook.com/bestbuddies or twitter.com/bestbuddies. 

For interest in participation and or sponsorship opportunities:
Best Buddies International:
Mark Lewis
[email protected]
305-374-2233

SOURCE Best Buddies International