The Bobby Labonte Foundation, founded by NASCAR Champion and Hall of Fame race car driver Bobby Labonte, is celebrating a successful year of fundraising through the Labonte Roubaix presented by Wake Forest Baptist Health Sports Medicine and Bee Safe Storage and Wine Cellar. More than 280 cyclists rode along with Labonte through Winston-Salem, N.C., and the surrounding countryside, finishing with laps around NASCAR’s famed Bowman Gray Stadium on Saturday, August 21.
The new venue for the foundation’s annual charity bike ride brought renewed excitement to the event, which raised more than $40,000 for the 2021 charity grant recipient, JDRF’s North Carolina Chapter. Funds were generated through sponsorships, rider registration fees, participant fundraising, and a cocktail party and silent auction hosted by Inmar Intelligence. The silent auction was held virtually this year, bringing in bidders from across the country for the first time.
Bobby Labonte (front) poses with cyclists helping to raise money for JDRF’s North Carolina Chapter before the 2021 Labonte Roubaix at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.
It was the tenth year for the foundation’s charity bike ride, which has continued to grow its participation numbers since its inception.
“We are thrilled about the success of the Labonte Roubaix,” said Bobby Labonte. “It was a community effort by the volunteers who worked with us to organize everything, the sponsors who supported us and the participants who fundraised and rode with us. JDRF’s North Carolina Chapter is an incredible partner and we worked hand-in-hand to raise money to fulfill their mission and help families affected by type 1 diabetes in our community. The money we raised this year brings our total fundraising to nearly $1 million dollars since we started the charity bike ride a decade ago, and I couldn’t be more proud of the difference we’re making.”
The Roubaix-style ride, modeled after one of the most famous cycling events in the world, Paris-Roubaix, was a hit with casual and seasoned cyclists. The new venue brought two of Labonte’s big passions together – motorsports and cycling.
“Bobby and Kristin Labonte’s vision, ability to execute on that vision, and their passion for helping children and families in our community is truly unparalleled,” said JDRF Piedmont Triad Market Director Eleanor Schaffner-Mosh. “The Labonte Roubaix was more than a charity bike ride. It was an immersive experience in which all participants—cyclists, volunteers, cocktail party-goers and partners—were swept up in the foundation’s mission and commitment to making a difference.”
For more information about the Bobby Labonte Foundation, the Charity Bike Ride, or to become a future sponsor, visit bobbylabontefoundation.org.
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