FAQs
We’ve done our best to answer the most common general and team questions about LOWVELO. If you have questions about a specific topic not addressed below, please contact our team.
General Questions
LOWVELO24 will be on Saturday, November 2, 2024.
The 23-, 50- and 80-mile routes start at Brittlebank Park in downtown Charleston. The 10- and 20-mile Island Rides start on Isle of Palms. All rides end at our Isle of Palms finish line where we have our family-friendly block party.
Stationary cycling classes take place at our Isle of Palms venue.
LOWVELO is a morning event. Venue hours and start times will be announced closer to ride day.
Yes, there is a minimum fundraising commitment for each route as follows:
Stationary Ride: $300
10-mile Island Ride: $300
20-mile Island Ride: $300
23-mile Ride: $500*
50-mile Ride: $1,000*
80-mile Ride: $1,500*
*Students, cancer survivors, cancer patients, children 14-17 (23- & 50-mile) and children 16-17 (80-mile) may ride with a reduced commitment of $300. Children must be accompanied by an adult (one adult per child).
The fundraising deadline for LOWVELO24 is January 1, 2025. Per the LOWVELO fundraising agreement, riders who have not met their minimum fundraising commitment by January 1, 2025, will be charged the difference between their fundraising-to-date and the amount they committed to raise during the registration process. If you’re unsure of the status of your fundraising efforts, please take a moment to log in to your rider profile and check your fundraising progress. Another great resource is our fundraising tips page.
Some teams are in the lucky position of having raised a surplus of funds beyond their riders’ minimum commitments. In that case, it may be possible to do fund sharing. See an explanation of team fund sharing in the Team Questions section below.
If you have concerns about reaching your fundraising minimum, please reach out to the LOWVELO team at lowvelo@musc.edu.
Each participant must pay a non-refundable registration fee that counts towards their minimum fundraising commitment. Your card information must remain on file in case you do not reach your fundraising minimum by the fundraising deadline of January 1, 2025. After the fundraising deadline, your card will be charged for the remainder of your commitment, if any.
Registration is $50 and counts towards your fundraising minimum. Participation includes a LOWVELO24 T-shirt and swag bag as well as admission to the Packet Pick-up Party at Firefly Distillery, Finish Line Block Party after the ride and the LOWVELO24 Awards Ceremony in early 2025. Riders participating in the 23-, 50- and 80-mile routes will also get a cycling jersey. Look for free and discounted registration opportunities throughout the year.
10- & 20-mile Island Ride
To participate in the 10- and 20-mile Island Rides, the minimum age is 8 as of Friday, November 1, 2024. Children 8-13 are not required to fundraise for these routes, but the registration fee still applies. Each child must be accompanied by an adult (one adult per child).
23- & 50-mile Rides*
To participate in the 23- and 50-mile rides, the minimum age is 14 as of Friday, November 1, 2024. The minimum fundraising commitment for children 14-17 is $300. Each child must be accompanied by an adult (one adult per child).
80-mile Ride*
To participate in the 80-mile ride, the minimum age is 16 as of Friday, November 1, 2024. The minimum fundraising commitment for children 16-17 is $300. Each child must be accompanied by an adult (one adult per child).
*Please note: The 23-, 50- and 80-mile routes go over the Ravenel Bridge. Riders should have at least an intermediate experience level as a cyclist, be comfortable riding over bridges and around traffic, and be able to climb hills at 5% grade. We recommend using an appropriate road bike and consistently doing training rides prior to ride day.
Just about any bike will accomplish a 10- or 20-mile ride. If you don’t have your own bike, we have free bikes and helmets available for any riders choosing the 10- and 20-mile routes.
If you are riding the 23-, 50- or 80-mile routes, we recommend that you use an appropriate road bike that has gears and has been recently tuned.
We allow e-bikes on any route, however, riders are responsible for their own charging. While we have bike mechanics available, we cannot ensure they will be equipped to make e-bike repairs.
LOWVELO Home Team is our virtual option. You can complete your mileage however you choose – walk, run or ride – and at your own pace. You can do it all at once or spread it out – just complete it by November 2, 2024. We’ll mail your LOWVELO24 T-shirt and swag bag right to your door.
Since the core of our event is fundraising for MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, Home Team participants will still have a fundraising minimum.
We totally get it. We understand an in-person event might not be for everyone. We have set up the LOWVELO Home Team option for those who wish to participate virtually. Participants will have a fundraising minimum and will be able to log their mileage on their own. You can do it all at once or spread it out. Just complete it by November 2, 2024. You can choose to run, walk, cycle, skip, row… whatever makes you happy!
You have until October 2, 2024 to change your mind about the route you are riding. If you want to switch routes, please email the LOWVELO team at lowvelo@musc.edu and we will assist you in making the switch. You will be responsible for the full fundraising amount of the route you switch to. You can also decide not to participate at all, and your fundraising minimum will be canceled. All funds raised up until that point are non-refundable. Your registration fee is also non-refundable. All swag and any perks of the ride will be forfeited.
You can withdraw up until October 2, 2024. Please contact the LOWVELO Team at lowvelo@musc.edu for instructions. Your fundraising minimum will be canceled. All funds raised up until that point are non-refundable. Your registration fee is also non-refundable. All swag and any perks of the ride will be forfeited.
Participants may invite family and friends to the Finish Line Block Party. Guest tickets will be on sale at Firefly Packet Pick-up and on Isle of Palms and will include food, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages. Guests will receive a wristband which must be worn to enter the block party.
Volunteer registration will open in spring 2024. We need 300 volunteers to make LOWVELO roll smoothly. From registration to hospitality, the perfect role awaits you. T-shirts will be available at volunteer check-in on ride day. Visit our Volunteer page to learn more.
Personalize your rider profile, then direct your friends and family to your rider page and ask them to donate to your ride! We’ve come up with some fundraising tips and a social media toolkit to help you reach and hopefully exceed your fundraising goal.
Yes, you are able to use LOWVELO’s logos for your personal fundraising efforts. Please send any final designs that use LOWVELO’s assets to lowvelo@musc.edu.
Yes! Many participants have success fundraising through Facebook because Facebook makes the process simple:
- From your Facebook homepage, search for “MUSC Foundation.”
- Click on “Fundraisers.”
- Click on “Raise Money.”
- To change the name of the fundraiser, click on “Your name’s Fundraiser for MUSC Foundation” and change the name to “First Name Last Name’s LOWVELO Fundraiser for Cancer Research” (make sure your fundraiser says LOWVELO or it won’t be counted!).
- Click on the photo to change your picture.
- Click “Create” in the upper right-hand corner to post.
Your rider profile will be updated every two weeks to reflect your Facebook total.
Pro tip: Set your goal as the minimum for your mileage and adjust accordingly.
Pro tip: Set your timeframe for 2-3 weeks. You can extend or run another campaign later.
Pro tip: Prime the pump and make a donation to your own ride on Facebook. It’ll show people you’re serious!
Yes! Instagram fundraisers last for 30 days with 100% of the funds going directly toward your goal.
- Click on the + at the top of the page to create a new post.
- Click “Next” twice and choose “Add Fundraiser” from the options.
- In the search box, type “MUSC Foundation” and then select it from the list.
- To change the name of the fundraiser, click on “Fundraising for MUSC Foundation” and change the name to “First Name Last Name’s LOWVELO Fundraiser for Cancer Research” (make sure your fundraiser says LOWVELO or it won’t be counted!).
- Enter your fundraising goal amount.
- Click “Done” in the upper right corner.
LOWVELO may receive matching gifts through the MUSC Foundation. When submitting a matching gift to your company, please provide the following:
Payable to: MUSC Foundation (Please make sure they put LOWVELO and your rider name in the memo line.)
Mail to:
Hollings Cancer Center – Office of Development
86 Jonathan Lucas Street, MSC 955
Charleston, SC 29425
Tax ID 57-6028985
Yes – but please remember that while we accept cash, we do not accept change. Please exchange your coins for cash before submitting them to LOWVELO. Cash may be brought to the Director’s Suite on the first floor of MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. Please call 843-792-4143 before coming to make sure someone will be available to accept your donation.
If you would like to request donations from outside of the United States, there are a few ways you may do this:
1. Facebook fundraisers! To see if you may receive donations from certain countries, visit Facebook Help for details.
2. Ask friends and family to send the donation as a check payable to MUSC Foundation. You may turn the check in at LOWVELO c/o Hollings Cancer Center, Attn: Megan Baker, 86 Jonathan Lucas St, Ste. 118, MSC 955, Charleston, SC 29425.
3. Since donations from outside of the United States are not tax deductible, donors may send the funds to you through your PayPal or Venmo account and then you can submit the donation to your donation page on their behalf.
A High Tide Club member is anyone who has raised at least $5,000 as of the fundraising deadline.
Yes! We are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. When promoting your ride and fundraising, be sure to tag us and use hashtags #LOWVELO and #LOWVELO24, especially during ride weekend. Need some help making your own LOWVELO art and graphics? Check out our social media toolkit!
The College Cup is a fun challenge between the 6 different MUSC colleges. The college that raises the most money will win the highly sought-after trophy! So grab your friends and join us.
Team Questions
A team is a great way for two or more individuals to share their LOWVELO experience and combine their fundraising efforts. In addition to individual rider profile pages, a separate team profile page allows you to highlight your team roster and your motivation for riding. Team members can share donations made to the team as a whole and/or share funds raised by individual members. Funds may only be shared with fellow team members at the end of the fundraising period.
It’s easy! Just click the “Create a team” button when you start the registration process.
If you haven’t registered yet, you can click “Join a team” when you start the registration process. If you want to join a team after you’ve registered, you can visit the team profile page and click the “Join team” button.
No, the members of a team do not have to ride the same distance.
Teams are eligible for fund-sharing! This means that team captains have the discretion, if they choose, to share surplus funds generated beyond the team’s minimum requirement to those riders on the team who have not met their minimum fundraising requirement. The funds that can be considered for this sharing extend to virtual riders supporting the team as well as funds aggregated in the general team.
Each captain will be provided a breakdown of their team’s total fundraising shortly after the fundraising window closes on January 1, 2025. The captain then is responsible for providing the team with directions about how they choose to allocate the excess fundraising. Riders on a team are requested to communicate any feedback about their fund-sharing preferences to their captains.
Yes, the team captain can change the name on the team profile page.
Participants can only be a member of one team because membership can involve sharing funds and funds may only be shared among team members.
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