The 5th Annual Nicole L. Reinhart Memorial Fund Dinner Dance and Silent Auction was held October 29th in Fogelsville, PA. Nicole died tragically on September 17th, 2000, following a crash at the BMC Tour of Arlington. Nicole’s life and death affected many people, and the foundation bearing her name is making a difference to young cyclists.
Her parents Mike and Pam established the Nicole Reinhart Memorial Foundation to honor Nicole and support cycling. It has given out over $200,000 in grants and scholarships towards collegiate cycling and other programs that support developing cyclists. Part of the foundation’s mission statement says that they wish to recognize and support those organizations that helped make Nicole the person she had become.
Mike and Pam Reinhart. At time of publishing, both are in hospital recovering from a kidney transplant… Pam’s kidney is now in Mike.
Wearing a white flower pinned to her pink top, Pam was pulled away to meet and greet the guests as they arrived. I took the opportunity to grab Mike Reinhart aside for a few quick questions.
Pez: What does it mean to you to have so many people here to remember Nicole?
MR: It means a lot to us. First, we love Nicole and we want to continue to have an impact on people through scholarships and grass roots support. We want to promote the sport. Women’s cycling shouldn’t be a 2nd tier sport. Penn State won the National Championships two years in a row, largely due to Sarah Uhl and the support she received from the fund. This was great to see since Nicole was Sarah’s mentor when they rode on FCCC together.
Pez: There were lots of items donated by some big names in the cycling industry for auction. Trek, LeMond, and Armstrong to name a few. Tell me more about your expectations of the event.
MR: Tonight’s dinner and auction should raise $20,000 and all of it goes back into the sport. We have proven to be a successful organization and even passed an IRS audit. We want people to know what our mission is and what we do. We need cycling entities to promote Nicole’s Fund and help increase our exposure. Long term we would like to develop both a men’s and women’s espoir team with six riders each. We have the talent for the teams around the country and here in Trexlertown.
Erin Hartwell and his wife May Britt..
Erin Hartwell, Silver and Bronze Olympic Medalist and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Velodrome was in attendance to support the Nicole Reinhart foundation. Accompanied by his wife, the stylish May Britt Hartwell, 1995 World Pursuit Champion and 1996 Olympian for Norway, Pez spoke with them about the evening and plans for the Velodrome.
Pez: It’s great to see you here at this event for Nicole. Can you give me an update on the Lehigh County Velodrome and how things are going?
EH: Many new things are going on. We’re undergoing a re-branding. There will be a more professional environment at T-Town and we expect that next year will be the best season yet. There will be better racing, better off track entertainment, and a more orchestrated, tighter program. All and all it will be a better show. Also, Marty Nothstein is back as Director of Business Development. He’s an absolute asset to the track and I’m so happy to have him back. He’s responsible for fundraising, sponsorship, and raising the level of professional racing.
Pez: Thanks Erin, I’ll see you at the next Friday Night event.
The 200 plus guests mingled and worked to out bid each other for the great items donated to the Nicole Reinhart Foundation. The good food, music, and underlying cause made for a great evening.
The Nicole Reinhart Memorial Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. More information is available at www.nicolesbench.com.
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