Celebrating Best Buddies International’s Mission of Inclusion

MIAMI, November 20, 2020 – Best Buddies International, a global volunteer movement dedicated to creating opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), is thrilled to present the 2020 Hublot Best Buddies Challenge: Miami, Chaired by Kenneth C. Griffin Charitable Foundation, and presented by Abaco Wines, Braman Miami, Mack Cycle & Fitness, The Makarov Foundation, and Pepsi-Cola, on Saturday, November 21.

Miami’s only six-star ride experience, this world-class 70-mile cycling event, limited to only 50 riders, kicks off Saturday morning and features a premium experience with a police-escorted peloton that will guide riders through the best waterfront locations Miami has to offer. The Challenge will be led by four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, along with professional cyclists George Hincapie and Christian Vande Velde.

The Miami Challenge offers riders a unique experience like no other recreational cycling event in the world, as riders are led by a presidential-style police motorcade in a rolling enclosed peloton, complete with two fully-stocked, catered rest stops and support vehicles. This year’s Challenge will start and end at the renowned Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne. Once riders return to the finish line, the six-star treatment continues with hot showers, professional massages, and a gourmet lunch. This year’s event will implement the CDC’s COVID-19 safety guidelines to ensure a safe experience for all riders, including masks for each person, hand sanitizer stations, and proper social distancing at all Start/Finish Lines and Rest Stops.

The Hublot Best Buddies Challenge: Miami will kick-off with a VIP dinner hosted by the event’s title sponsor, Hublot, on Friday, November 20 at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne. The intimate affair will offer riders the opportunity to socialize, celebrate, hear inspiring messages from Best Buddies program participants, and interact with pro cyclists, including Chris Froome, George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde and Cameron Wurf before Saturday’s Challenge event. The dinner will also feature the auction of the limited-edition Hublot-Best Buddies timepiece, paired with a private tour of the Hublot manufacture in Switzerland.

The Challenge is open to all ages and abilities and includes professional athletes, high-profile personalities, as well as the active participation of athletes with special abilities.

Proceeds from the Miami Challenge will enable Best Buddies to continue making a meaningful impact in the lives of people with special abilities on a global scale.

As a result of phenomenal support from generous sponsors and donors, Best Buddies is able to continuously extend its reach globally and will continue to develop its presence through its nine formal programs— Best Buddies Ambassadors, Citizens, Colleges, e-Buddies®, High Schools, Jobs, Middle Schools, Promoters and Inclusive Living

— across the United States and in 56 countries and territories. Proceeds from the Challenge and Gala will allow Best Buddies to continue making a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals with special abilities on a global scale.

The Hublot Best Buddies Challenge: Miami is chaired by Kenneth C. Griffin Charitable Fund and presented by Abaco Wines, Braman Miami, Mack Cycle & Fitness, Makarov Foundation, Pepsi-Cola and other sponsors include Seminole Hard Rock & Casino and the Winter family. BMC Switzerland is the official Bicycle of Best Buddies International, Inc.

Additional sponsors include Sterling Foundation Management, Celebrity Cruises, The GEO Group Foundation, Inc., Sun Capital Partners Foundation, Inc., G. Marlyne Sexton, Sandy & Tony Tamer, Tracfone Wireless, Inc., Abdo Eick & Meyers, BankUnited, The Comcast Foundation, Commissioner Sally Heyman, and Zarco Einhorn Salkowski Brito.

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Media inquiries:
Best Buddies International:
Nicole Maddox, Director of Communications
NicoleMaddox@bestbuddies.org

ABOUT BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL:
Best Buddies^® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one original chapter to nearly 3,000 elementary school, middle school, high school, and college Friendship and Promoter chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies programs engage participants in each of the 50 states and in 56 countries and territories, positively impacting the lives of over 1.3 million people with and without disabilities around the world. In many cases, as a result of their involvement with Best Buddies, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities secure rewarding jobs, live independently, become inspirational leaders and build lifelong friendships. For more information, please visit www.bestbuddies.org or connect with us via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.