New Celebrity Partner—Reggie Rivers

Reggie Rivers (born February 22, 1968 in Dayton, Ohio) is a professional broadcaster and motivational speaker working in Denver, Colorado. From 1991 to 1996, Rivers played running back for the Denver Broncos. Rivers played in every Broncos game during that span, scoring 8 touchdowns. In 1993, Rivers was named the Denver Broncos' special teams Player of the Year. He was a 2-time Denver Broncos NFL Man of the Year. While still a player, Rivers began working for KOA radio; he also wrote a sports column in the Rocky Mountain News.

After retiring from football, Rivers moved to broadcasting full time, hosting his own talk show on KHOW from 1997-2002. Rivers' KHOW show focused more on topical issues than sports, as did his Rocky Mountain News column during the same period (later, Rivers switched to The Denver Post). Since 2006, Rivers has served as KCNC-TV's weekend sports anchor.

Rivers has also written five books: The Vance: The Beginning & The End (1994) - an as-told-to autobiography of former Broncos wide receiver Vance Johnson. Power Shift (2000) - a novel about a sports reporter and a player who hate each other. 4th & Fixed (2004) - a novel about a crime family fixing NFL games. My Wife's Boyfriend and Our Feud with the Highlands Ranch Homeowners Association (2006)- a comedic novel about a marriage falling apart in the suburbs. The Colony: A Political Tale (2009) - an allegory about foreign policy told through two colonies of ants.

@ReggieRivers

http://www.reggierivers.com

New Celebrity Partner—Alexi Grewal

We have another celebrity joining the Courage Tour, Olympic Cycling Gold Medalist Alexi Grewal! 

Alexi Singh Grewal is a Indian-American Olympic gold medalist and former professional road racing cyclist. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Grewal became the first American man to win an Olympic gold medal in road cycling.

The U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame gave the following description of his Los Angeles gold medal ride: 
"With an estimated crowd of 300,000 lining the 190.2-kilometer route, Grewal edged Canadian Steve Bauer to claim the gold medal in the men's road race, breaking away from the field with 20 kilometers remaining and opening up a 24-second lead after 11 of 12 laps and then being caught by Bauer with 10 kilometers left, setting up a dramatic final-lap showdown. This scene, replayed many times since, is one of the most emotional Olympic victories of the Modern Games."

After winning Olympic gold, Grewal turned professional and signed with the Panasonic team and later with the 7-Eleven Cycling Team. According to teammate Bob Roll, Grewal was the captain of the 1986 7-Eleven team through the spring. He raced for the U.S.-based Coors Light pro team from 1989-1993. He became well known in the cycling community as an extraordinarily talented, but emotionally volatile rider.

After retiring from professional cycling, Grewal moved to Colorado with his family. Grewal began making hand-hewn and crafted furniture and architectural features out of native hardwoods after his cycling days were over. A bicycle frame manufacturer in Denver, Colorado, the Clark-Kent company, made a special road racing frame, the "AX-1", to Grewal's specifications. This steel frame featured an unusual bent seat tube with unorthodox frame angles.

In 2004, Grewal was elected to the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame.

@alexigrewal   http://www.pinklightning.org/alexi-grewal

New Celebrity Partner- Brandon Stokley

Brandon Stokley (born June 23, 1976) is a retired American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana-Lafayette. Stokley also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, and New York Giants.

His father, Nelson Stokley, played college football at LSU and was the head coach of the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns from 1986 to 1998. Brandon played wide receiver under his father from 1994 to 1997, with Jake Delhomme as quarterback through the 1996 season. While in college, Brandon met his future wife, Lana, a two-time All-America left fielder in softball who led Southwestern Louisiana to two College World Series. They have two sons, Cameron and Carson.

Stokley attended Comeaux High School (Lafayette, Louisiana) and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. In football Stokley won All-District 3-A honors, All-Parish honors, All-Acadiana honors, and All-State Class 5-A honors. In basketball, Stokley averaged 14 points a game and won All-District honors. In baseball, he won All-District honors.

Baltimore Ravens

Stokley was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens out of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, then named the University of Southwestern Louisiana, in the fourth round (105th pick overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft. Stokley won a championship ring in Super Bowl XXXV (2001) as a member of the Ravens. In the game, he caught 3 passes for 52 yards, including the first touchdown of the game—a 38-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter.

Indianapolis Colts

In 2003 Stokley signed with the Indianapolis Colts. On December 26, 2004, Stokley received the record-breaking 21-yard touchdown pass for Peyton Manning in the hunt to break Dan Marino's record of 48 touchdown passes in a season. That year, he had a breakthrough season with 68 passes caught for 1,077 yards and 10 touchdowns and an average of 15.8 yards per catch. Furthermore, the TD catch made the 2004 Colts the first NFL team to have three WRs with 1,000 receiving yards and 10 TDs or more in a season, the other two being Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison. The next two seasons of Stokley's career were marred by various injuries. After he participated in only four games of the 2006 season, the Colts terminated his contract on March 1, 2007. Stokley earned his second super bowl ring after the Colts won Super Bowl XLI (2007) against the Chicago Bears, even though he wasn't able to play in the game due to injury.

First stint with Broncos

Stokley signed with the Denver Broncos on March 14, 2007. On December 7, 2007, he signed a 3-year extension with the team. In a memorable play from the Broncos' 2009 season opener, Stokley caught a pass intended for teammate Brandon Marshall that was tipped by Cincinnati Bengal Leon Hall, and took it 87 yards into the end zone for the winning score. As he reached the 5-yard line he abruptly changed direction and ran parallel to the goal line, running an additional six seconds off the clock, only crossing into the end zone once he reached the opposite side of the field. This ensured a win for the Broncos, who were trailing the Cincinnati Bengals 7–6 with 28 seconds left before Stokley's touchdown reception.[3] The back-end of this play can be seen in the introduction of Madden NFL 11. With Stokley's touchdown, the final score was 12–7 and the Broncos got their first 2009 regular season win. The play was also memorable for play-by-play commentator Gus Johnson's call. During a December 27 game at Philadelphia, Stokley was ejected for slapping a referee on the hand while expressing his anger that a pass interference penalty was not called. On September 4, 2010, Stokley was released by the Broncos.

Seattle Seahawks

Stokley signed with the Seattle Seahawks on September 28, 2010. His most notable contribution in Seattle came in the 2010 NFL Playoffs against the New Orleans Saints and the Chicago Bears. In those games, Stokley was the leading receiver for Seattle, catching four passes for 73 yards and a touchdown against New Orleans and 8 catches for 86 yards and a touchdown against Chicago. His clutch performance was key to the 7-9 Seahawks' surprise upset of the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. He was later cut by the Seahawks after the 2011 lockout ended. During free agency he expressed interest in the Washington Redskins but never signed with Washington.

New York Giants

On September 15, 2011, Stokley signed with the New York Giants. After suffering an injury, he was released with an injury settlement on October 4.

Second stint with Broncos

On April 16, 2012, Stokley agreed to a one-year contract to return to the Denver Broncos, reuniting him with his former quarterback, Peyton Manning. Stokley went on to have one of his most productive seasons in several years, ending the year with 45 receptions and 5 touchdowns

Second stint with Ravens

On August 10, 2013, Stokley agreed to terms with the Baltimore Ravens, reuniting him with the team that drafted him in 1999. On August 11, 2013, Stokley officially signed a one-year deal with the Ravens. On October 5, 2013, the Ravens cut Stokley. On October 8, 2013, the Ravens re-signed Stokley. Stokley suffered a concussion in a Week 14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings and was subsequently placed on injured reserve, ending his season. On December 26, Stokley announced his decision to retire after the season.

Teenager with Cystic Fibrosis to bicycle around Colorado for charity.

Bryan “Pink Lightning” Warnecke will ride 1,065 miles across Colorado and Wyoming in 43 days from June 7-July 19, 2014 benefiting Children's Hospital Colorado. 

Castle Rock, CO: The Pink Lightning team will be riding around the state of Colorado and southern Wyoming to promote Children’s Hospital Colorado and raise funds as part of the 25th  Courage Classic bicycle tour. The journey will take 43 days covering 1065 miles and will end on Saturday, July 19 at the Courage Classic finish line at Copper Mountain. The ride is meant to encourage kids to overcome their obstacles, remain physically active, pursue their dreams and to spread  stories of courage all while raising funds and awareness for  Children’s Colorado.

You can support Bryan’s ride by donating at http://www.couragetours.com/2014/pinklightning 
or ride with him on the tour by visiting http://www.pinklightning.org/. Anyone who signs 
up for the Pink Lightning team is invited to ride any segment of the 43-day ride and cross 
the finish line at Copper Mountain with Pink Lightning on July 19th.

Bryan Warnecke is 15 years old and has cystic fibrosis (CF). It is during adolescence that  CF does its greatest damage. Bryan’s daily care includes 50 pills and two half-hour respiratory physical therapy treatments—as well as ongoing visits to Children's Colorado.

Why Pink Lightning? Bryan loves hockey and realized years ago that he would not have the lung capacity to skate up and down the ice with as much stamina as others, so he decided to play goalie where his quickness is more important and lung capacity is less important. His goalie coach gave him the nickname "Pink Lightning" because of the pink goalie pads that he wore and because of his lightning quickness.

Bryan was inspired to do the Pink Lightning tour because of his love and gratitude of Children's Colorado and all that his doctor, Dr. Frank Accurso, and the incredible caregivers at The Mike McMorris Cystic Fibrosis Research and Care Center at Children's Hospital Colorado have done to keep him healthy, active and pursuing his dreams. Dr. Accurso, MD, is one of the top CF researchers in the world. 

A little over a year ago, Bryan lost the function of the middle lobe of his right lung to a CF related infection. He overcame that obstacle and rode the 157mile Courage Classic last July. Bryan raised over $70,000 (the most ever by a single rider in the event’s history) thanks to the generous support of family, friends and strangers that were touched by his story.

Bryan’s ultimate dream is to be the first person with CF to compete in the Olympic games as the goalie for the USA hockey team. Currently, he is a goalie for the Arapahoe Warriors Midget Minor hockey team which boasts only one league loss this year and first place finishes in three tournaments. He is also a double black diamond skier and snowboarder, long boarder and is active in many other sports. He competes at this level due to the care he receives from the caregivers at Children's Colorado. 

Pinklightning.org is a non-profit, fundraising organization for the support of the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation.


About Children’s Hospital Colorado
Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado) has defined and delivered pediatric health care excellence for more than 100 years. Founded in 1908, Children’s Colorado is a leading pediatric network entirely devoted to the health and well-being of children. Continually acknowledged as one of the nation’s outstanding pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and ranked 7th on its Best Children’s Hospitals 2013-14 Honor Roll, Children’s Colorado is known for both its nationally and internationally recognized medical, research, education and advocacy programs, as well as comprehensive everyday care for kids throughout Colorado and surrounding states. Children’s Colorado also is recognized for excellence in nursing from the American Nurses Credentialing Centers and has been designated a Magnet® hospital since 2005. The hospital’s family-centered, collaborative approach combines the nation’s top pediatric doctors, nurses and researchers to pioneer new approaches to pediatric medicine. With urgent, emergency and specialty care locations throughout Metro Denver and Southern Colorado, including its campus on the Anschutz Medical Campus, Children’s Colorado provides a full spectrum of pediatric specialties. For more information, visit www.childrenscolorado.org and connect with Children’s Colorado on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest