Each year, national environmental consulting firm Anchor QEA, encourages its employees to fundraise for their favorite local nonprofit. This year, their Asheville office, formerly known as Altamont Environmental, chose Pisgah Legal Services (PLS).
Tony Hauser (below), Anchor QEA’s Senior Managing Engineer, is an avid cyclist.
Stu Ryman, a Partner at Anchor QEA, said to Tony, “If you’re going to do these crazy, long-distance rides, you might as well be crazy for a cause.”
At the end of March, Tony embarked on a near 300-mile bike ride from Asheville to Charleston, and completed the ride in less than 24 hours!
Tony says,”Riding for PLS was meaningful for me because I’ve been in a situation where I didn’t think I needed and didn’t think I could afford an attorney, and I know the outcome would have been much better if I had that experienced professional on my side.”
He continues, “Riding for PLS and knowing about all the folks that pledged to my ride kept me going after 13-14 hours in the saddle when it got dark and every part of my being wanted to go to sleep. Some things are just worth that extra effort.”
Here’s an excerpt from Tony’s trip journal:
“…I did what any semi-conscious, endurance athlete would do and got back on the bicycle. It’s only another 6 hours or so. That thought was one I could not keep out of my mind but also the one that brought the greatest mental stress… A combination of high cadence, repeatedly getting out of the saddle and sprinting, and just pushing through the exhaustion somehow propelled me across the last segments of the ride.”
Thanks to pledges from friends, family, and co-workers – based on every mile Tony biked – more than $8,000 was raised for Pisgah Legal Services.
Thank you to Tony, our friends at Anchor QEA, and all of the generous sponsors who followed Tony as he made his way from the mountains to the coast!
