Rescue Racing started with two loves—rescue pets and bikes—and a simple realization: the cycling community shows up. What began as a partnership with a single rescue has grown into a welcoming, inclusive team that rides hard, leads weekly group rides, and channels that energy into real support for local shelters across North Carolina (and a growing crew in the DC area).
What they stand for
- Community first: New riders are greeted, included, and taught group-ride etiquette. Safety talk before every roll-out; no-drop pacing with two speed groups; shared routes so no one’s left behind.
- Rescue advocacy: Highlighting local non-profits, running donation drives, and using visibility (those iconic bright-pink kits) to point attention—and resources—toward animals that need homes.
- Access & belonging: You’ll hear gear-ratio debates and goofy dog stories in the same breath. This is a team where performance and heart comfortably coexist.
Why cycling?
Because group rides compound. A weekly habit becomes a platform—dozens of riders, hundreds of connections, repeatable touchpoints—that can be aimed at something bigger than watts. Rescue Racing uses that platform to:
- Host supply drives with shop partners (e.g., Bell Lap Cycleworks) and offer in-store incentives for donors.
- Elevate smaller rescues that don’t always get the spotlight.
- Turn consistent ride attendance into consistent awareness and giving.
Recent win: a joint drive with Bell Lap for Crisis Animals of NC drew gear and supply donations from across the local scene—so much that the rescue reached out in disbelief they’d been featured.
The rhythm of a rescue-minded team
Mon–Thu: Local road and gravel rides (with sister teams), short-track or CX weeknights, and the team’s own Wednesday no-drop ride—“On Wednesdays, we wear pink.”
Weekends: Long endurance rides, races, and CX at Dix Park in season.
Everywhere: Dogs, cats, and “foster-fails” who became permanent mascots. (Ask about Frito the Jack Russell–Beagle prince, Tilly the once-in-a-lifetime mutt, or Maui the brewery-loving ninja kitty.)
Real challenges, real solutions
North Carolina summers are hot and humid. The team adapts: start earlier, add water/shade stops, and slow the mid-summer community ride to keep the group safe. And because back-to-back days are the norm, recovery becomes the hinge—what you do between rides determines how well you show up for the next one.
Where ADDRA fits
ADDRA builds recovery nutrition for endurance athletes. Our bars deliver 20g Plant Protein boosted to offer 3g of Leucine per bar—the trigger dose your muscles need right when the ride ends (the ADDRA Moment). For Rescue Racing, that means:
- A portable, post-ride protein pulse that’s easy to deploy at the lot or the café.
- Support for athletes with different goals and nutrition backgrounds—simple guidance, consistent outcomes.
- More riders showing up recovered, which makes community rides safer and more fun.
How to get involved
- Ride with them: Join the Wednesday no-drop ride (Raleigh–Durham) or keep an eye out for DC-area meetups. Rescue Racing
- Donate supplies: Follow @rescue_racing on Instagram for the next shelter drive and what’s needed most.
- Adopt or foster: Meet the rescues featured in their posts; they always highlight local organizations.
- Fuel the mission: Make your post-ride recovery automatic so you can keep showing up for the cause.
- Every mile matters when it moves a mission forward. Rescue Racing proves that community, consistency, and a clear purpose can turn a local ride into local impact—one wagging tail at a time.
- Fuel your ADDRA Moment → ADDRA Protein Bars (20g Plant Protein, 3g Leucine per bar)
- Follow the team → Rescue Racing
