Welcome!

We’re so happy to have you here. And we’re even happier that you’re willing to spread the word about Sacred Cycle, our mission, and the survivors we support. Here you’ll find some information on talking about Sacred Cycle, stories we hope you’ll share, and tips for getting your community, both online and IRL, involved.

Talking About Sacred Cycle

Our mission: Sacred Cycle is healing our community by empowering survivors of sexual abuse and sexual assault, through therapy and cycling; creating a sacred cycle of recovery.

Our regular hashtags: #healingourcommunity #bikesashealers

FAQ provides the basics.

Q: How did Sacred Cycle start? What’s its purpose?

A: Heather Russell founded Sacred Cycle in 2016 after realizing the potential for mountain biking and other outdoor modalities to help heal from sexual trauma. Sacred Cycle strives to offer hope and healing to people affected by devastating and life-changing acts of violence.

Q: How does Sacred Cycle seek to accomplish its mission?

A: During its spring-fall programming season, Sacred Cycle works with female-identifying survivors of sexual assault or trauma. Throughout the course of the program, each survivor participates in The Frame, the core of Sacred Cycle’s programming.

Q: What is The Frame?

A: The Frame is Sacred Cycle’s alternative to traditional psychotherapy modalities. Specifically, it consists of:

10 trauma-informed individual counseling sessions (PCL-5 and HRSQ Assessments)
5 trauma-informed group therapy sessions
1 therapeutic retreat with fellow participants/alumni
Weekly 1-1 biking coach, group rides, and 1-1 skill development
Monthly participant/alumni group rides & weekly public community rides
Use of athletic goods
End of program retreat and a culminating event

Q: What does it cost to participate?

A: The cost of Sacred Cycle programming is based on a sliding scale. We strive to minimize economic barriers to healing. While the program is valued at $4400 for 56 hours of programming, the participants pay only $500. Scholarships are available as well.

Q: Who can participate?

A: Age 18+ female-identifying Colorado residents living in a current program region. She must live independently and hold a job. We know it's not easy to get the care you need. We are here to help.

Q: Where do you offer programming?

A: We have three regions.

2021: Program: Roaring Fork Valley; Eagle River Valley. Events and community rides: Roaring Fork Valley; Eagle River Valley; Metro Denver
2022: Program, events and community rides: Roaring Fork Valley; Eagle River Valley; Metro Denver

Q: What happens when the program ends?

A: Our Participant Coordinator continues to be in touch with Alumni after the program’s conclusion to monitor wellness and in case of a lapse in recovery. We also hope that our alumni will find continued therapeutic value in a lifetime of biking and trails.

Q: Who runs the organization and do you have staff?

A: We are currently a small nonprofit startup with a working board supported by a crew of volunteers. Our board of directors and advisors is spread across 3 time zones. We hire a small team of seasonal contractors (<6) to deliver the Frame Program May-October. And, we couldn't do it without our ~100 volunteers spread across 28 states. As we grow and are awarded funding, we hope to hire staff.

Q: Why bikes?

A: Bikes are our tool of choice to healing sexual trauma. Survivors of sexual trauma disassociate from their bodies and typically don't find value in their bodies. When you ride a bike, you are forced to be present in your body. Watch the trail, look ahead... And as you work through the challenges on the trail (terrain, features, fitness, skill), you find value in your body. It's strong, it's healthy. These lessons are applied on and off the bike in everyday life. Want to learn more? Watch this 20-minute video of our Executive Director, Clare, being interviewed by The Ride Life.

Success Stories

We take the confidentiality of our participants and alumni seriously. Most survivors remain anonymous. To get a feel for how the program has impacted survivors, please read our blogs:

You may enjoy testimonials from across the organization

“It is not enough to just say thank you. Sacred Cycle is irreplaceable in my life. The women of Sacred Cycle carry such power. Each conversation and story brings me hope and connection to the spirit of thriving through survival. There are such layers within each of us and the bond we hold doesn't actually need to be spoken. Your words will ground and guide me through the next place in my journey.” ~ Karie, participant
"My body has been processing a lot of trauma this year. I started to have PTSD symptoms over a trauma that had been shoved down deep. My body was ready to let it go. I have been getting EMDR treatments and it’s helping clear it, but I get bad EMDR hangovers. Biking really helped. I was so happy afterward and present at work, so I just kept biking. Last week I biked a total of 28.2 miles! I’m so proud. Not only is that a lot for me, physically each time I went, but I also had fewer and fewer PTSD symptoms that day! Thank you so much Sacred Cycle for guiding me to this point.” ~ Anna, participant
"It is wonderful for me to share and interact with other survivors on a regular basis. I feel validated, empowered, uplifted, and inspired hearing about others' stories of struggle and healing through trauma." ~Roberta, participant

Sharing on Social + Involving Your Community

Sexual violence and trauma are not easy things to talk about. But they’re incredibly common: according to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, 1 in 4 women will experience sexual trauma in her lifetime.

We encourage you to share with your community on social media--here are some posts to get you started.

We aim to reconnect survivors to their minds and bodies via therapy, mountain biking, and community. Hope, presence, and vitality are woven into our program, inspiring survivors and those supporting survivors through tools to process trauma and overcome triggers for a lifetime of healing. 🚵‍♂️
Are you ready to ride?! Save Monday nights for 🚴 Sacred Cycle Community Rides held in our 3️⃣ regions - Roaring Fork Valley (Aspen to Glenwood), Eagle River Valley (Gypsum to Vail), and Denver Metro (Boulder to Highlands Ranch) through October 1. Follow @sacredcycle for details. ⠀
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Our goal is to host a fun, safe, no-pressure, no-drop ride where community members can connect and make new riding friends. 💚 They're designed for adult women and men of all levels, so no one is left behind. Rides will be donation-based and typically 90 minutes in length. 1 lead and 1 tail guide with trauma-informed care training will empower and inspire you while riding green and blue-rated trails. *While survivors may attend the rides, their confidentiality is important to us. We do not publicly identify survivors.
Let's go viral! Instagram has changed the algorithm so that means we've also got to change. The most effective way to show your support, and build awareness/visibility of our posts is to SAVE the post, SHARE to your IG stories (or #repost), COMMENT on it, and lastly, LIKE it. Yes, the likes are still nice but the saves are where we blow the roof off! Now get out there and share the Sacred Cycle love. 🌍 💙 🙏
The healing cycle lasts a lifetime. Survivors experience PTSD, severe anxiety, recurring gynecological, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and sexual health problems for decades after the traumatic event occurred - not forgetting the financial recurring challenges due to the cost of healthcare. 🌿⠀Sacred Cycle begins the healing to allow a survivor to process trauma and have a grounding tool (a bike!) for a lifetime.

How Can I Help Fundraise?

We love that you’d like to help raise funds to support Sacred Cycle and we have easy plug & play ideas for you to use in your own neighborhood or online - in order of ease, low to high.

Step 1: Choose a type of fundraiser (see below.)
Step 2: Create a fundraising page in your name here.
Step 3: Request creative assistance here. May include: Invitation, social media post graphic/copy, text to donate signage, welcome speech video recording. Please allow two weeks for requests.
When it’s all said and done: You’ll feel awesome about DOING GOOD. Email us to let us know how it went and request a report of your donors so you may thank them. All donors will receive a tax donation receipt.

Facebook Birthday Fundraiser: Facebook makes it easy to DO GOOD on your bday. All the details are here. Select Sacred Cycle as NPO. Notify our team that you’ll be hosting. When the donation window is closed, we can run a donation report for you so you can thank your friends. All donors will receive a tax donation receipt.

Give Lively Fundraiser: Give Lively makes it easy to DO GOOD. Create a fundraising page here. Share your WHY via an email, with a donation window of dates, and watch the donations roll in. When the donation window is closed, we can run a donation report for you so you can thank your friends. All donors will receive a tax donation receipt.

Bikes and Brewery: Who doesn’t love a chilly bev after a ride? Not up for hosting in your home? Keep it chill by planning a weekend (or weeknight) ride followed by a gathering at your fav local brewery. Approach your fav bartender and ask if they allow fundraising events on-site. The entrance is free. It’s simply a gathering! Once you’re all seated with a frosty bev, warm the guests up with a welcome and a brief 5-10 minute speech about the organization. About an hour in, stand and raise your hand saying you will be donating $50 (or as you see fit), and ask others to raise their hand to match your donation. Have a scribe ready to take names and assist with payments BEFORE the guests leave.

Tournaments: It’s summertime and family time! Host a corn hole, volleyball, or bocce ball tournament in your yard or local park. This is great for guests who have limited ability to give. Invite a yard full of your friends/colleagues to come play. Create an invite, with an intro to Sacred Cycle and let them know that you are a Sacred Cycle supporter - and why, include your fundraising page link. Ask guests to male a donation as an RSVP to the event (suggested donation $20/person)
Warm the guests up with a welcome. About an hour into the party, plan to speak for 5-10 minutes about the organization - point to a laptop where they can donate AND show the TEXT TO DONATE flier provided -post in a visible place. Have a friend assist with payments BEFORE the guests leave. Set up a table for donors to enter their donation or if they prefer via our text to donate (text 7272 with text copy 44-321).

Maintenance Clinic: Everyone could use a freshen-up on bike maintenance! Approach your local bike shop and ask if you can host an event at their shop - or hire their bike mechanic to come to teach a 90-minute bike maintenance clinic (many will donate their time in exchange for the ability to sell bike tools, tires, levers, etc). Charge a donation fee to attend. $30/person - it’s a steal!

Create an invite, with an intro to Sacred Cycle and let them know that you are a Sacred Cycle supporter - and why. Let them know you’re hosting an event as a fundraiser. Warm the guests up with a welcome. About an hour into the clinic plan for a break, plan to speak for 5-10 minutes about the organization - point to a laptop where they can donate AND show the TEXT TO DONATE flier provided _post in a visible place. Have a friend assist with payments BEFORE the guests leave. Set up a table for donors to enter their donation or if they prefer via our text to donate (text 7272 with text copy 44-321).

Host a cocktail party fundraiser: This is great for guests who have limited ability to give. Invite a yard full of your friends/colleagues to join you for cocktails. Create an invite, with an intro to Sacred Cycle and let them know that you are a Sacred Cycle supporter - and why. Let them know you’re hosting an event as a fundraiser and include your fundraising page link.

Warm the guests up with a welcome. About an hour into the party, plan to speak for 5-10 minutes about the organization, then raise your hand saying you will be donating $50 (or as you see fit) and ask others to raise their hand to match your donation. Have a scribe ready to take names and assist with payments BEFORE the guests leave. Set up a table for donors to enter their donation or if they prefer via our text to donate (text 7272 with text copy 44-321).

Host a dinner party fundraiser: This is great for guests who have limited ability to give at a higher level. Invite a table full of friends/colleagues to join you for dinner. Create an invite, with an intro to Sacred Cycle and let them know that you are a Sacred Cycle supporter - and why. Let them know you’re hosting an event as a fundraiser and include your fundraising page link.

Warm the guests up with a welcome and a brief 5-10 minute speech about the organization. About halfway into dinner, stand and raise your hand saying you will be donating $500 (or as you see fit) and ask others to raise their hand to match your donation. Have a scribe ready to take names and assist with payments BEFORE the guests leave. Set up a table for donors to enter their donation or if they prefer via our text to donate (text 7272 with text copy 44-321).

Still have questions? We are happy to help. Email us here.