Long Reach Long Riders Altimeter Tour Launches with Kickoff from Westview

Under a bright blue sky and against the sweeping backdrop of the Rocky Mountain front range, riders in the 2019 Long Reach Long Riders Altimeter Tour gathered for a send-off breakfast, hosted by Westview.

Nestled in the corner of the Denver Performing Arts Complex, among more than a dozen performance and event spaces, the riders gathered on a perfect summer day in downtown Denver, Colorado for a celebratory breakfast to launch the start of the 2019 Altimeter Tour, a seven-day motorbike ride through the Rockies. World-renowned Epicurean Catering Group baked, roasted, and fried an early morning breakfast feast for the group in an all-new outdoor venue for the DPAC. Send-off gifts such as Westview hats and even canned oxygen (to help participants acclimate to the altitude) were on hand for the riders.

"We thank Westview greatly for hosting us this morning, and for all their support of our ride," says Mark Heiser, secretary and treasurer of Behind the Scenes Foundation, and COO of Denver Arts and Venues.

Shortly after, the group gathered on the stage of the Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre for a photo opportunity in front of the 2,843 seats of the highly acclaimed tour house. Westview president and founder, Eric Bloom, presented the riders with a check for $2,500 to encourage support for the ride and the mission of Behind the Scenes Foundation. "We've been long supporters of Behind the Scenes and their mission, and this is a great opportunity to increase visibility for the organization." The Foundation offers grants to technicians who, through illness or injury, find themselves in crisis.

In March 2004, the Long Beach Long Riders set off on their first cross country charity ride, and has had fifteen rides since! The group exists to raise money and awareness for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Behind the Scenes Foundation within the technical community in the entertainment business and have some fun along the way.

For their sixteenth year, the Long Reach Long Riders embark on the Altimeter Tour. Ride marshal Jon Kirchhofer crafted an amazing array of dips and climbs, turns, and views that are sure to be as breathtaking as they are memorable. The seven-day trek takes riders more than 1,500 miles through Colorado's Rocky Mountains. Stops include Winter Park, Estes Park, Aspen, Silverton, Gunnison, and Colorado Springs. Highlights include summiting two "fourteeners" (mountain peaks 14,000' and taller), including Mount Evans (14,258') and Pike's Peak (14,114'), a stop in the historic mining town of Silverton, and a visit to the summit of Grand Mesa. It's a breathtaking journey with many stories sure to come from this week.

For more information on Westview, visit the link below. For more information on Behind the Scenes Foundation, visit www.BehindTheScenesCharity.org. For more information on Long Reach Long Riders, visit www.LRLR.org.