Come join us in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the epic Big Pencil to Big Walker Charity Ride on Saturday, May 18. Beginning near the eponymous Big Pencil hanging over downtown Wytheville's Main Street, the ride heads out through the pastoral southwest Virginia counties of Wythe and Bland, with one, two or three climbs of Big Walker Mountain. We've moved the event from June to mid-May, right in the middle of other prime cycling events in the region, such as the Tour de Bland on May 11, Storming of Thunder Ridge in Lynchburg on May 19, and the Mountains of Misery on May 26. Whether tuning up for those rides, or stitched together for an awesome month of cycling, our event consistently receives high marks from previous riders. IF YOU ARE RIDING IN ANOTHER MAY EVENT, USE THE PASSWORD MAYRIDER TO RECEIVE A $15 DISCOUNT, FROM $40 DOWN TO $25! Be sure to sign up soon, as the goodies and giveaways will be better than ever, and the route will please any level of rider, from 30 miles and no mountain climbs, to 45 miles and 1 climb (2,067') of Big Walker, to 56 miles and 2 climbs (3,281'), and 98 miles and 3 climbs (5,696'). More info at www.bigwalkercharityride.com Proceeds benefit Helping Overcome Poverty's Existence, Inc. (HOPE), an umbrella human services organization delivering housing, food and anti-poverty programs to the southwest Virginia counties of Wythe, Bland, Carroll, Smyth and Grayson and the city of Galax. HOPEs website is www.wythehope.org You can also support HOPE's mission by participating in our fundraising campaign at https://fundraising.active.com/event/bigwalkercharityride. If we meet our minimum online goal of $2,067 (the equivalent of the elevation gain of climbing the mountain once), all participating fundraisers will be eligible for a drawing for a $200 gas card. If we raise $3,281 (the equivalent of the elevation gain of climbing the mountain twice), all fundraisers become eligible for a drawing for a $300 gas card. If we raise $5,003 (the equivalent of the elevation gain of climbing the mountain three times), all fundraisers become eligible for a drawing for a $500 gas card.