March 29, 2024

Story by Seekonk Girl Inspires Bicycle Design

Will be featured in upcoming tour of California and ridden by Rally Pro-Cycling Team Member

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The bike inspired by Juliet, who received a UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation grant, will be auctioned online May 7-19 to fund medical grants that help children gain access to health-related services.

Seekonk, Mass. (May 14, 2018) – Ten-year-old Juliet from Seekonk, Massachusetts inspired one of the six custom-designed, hand-painted Diamondback Podium bikes that the Rally Cycling team will ride at the 2018 Amgen Tour of California. The art for each of the six one-of-a-kind pro-cycling bikes were inspired by the imagination of UHCCF grant recipients who shared with the Rally Cycling design team some of their favorite things and future aspirations.

Juliet’s love of reading, inspired “WW2” and its rustic design. Juliet loves to read historical fiction and her favorite book is the award-winning young-adult classic, "The War that Saved My Life." The book details a young girl's unique, challenging journey through World War II, and its beautiful cover art inspired the rustic, weathered look. Powerful quotations from Juliet's favorite novel, and another well-known classic from Winston Churchill, complete this warhorse. Rally Cycling Pro team member Adam de Vos will ride WW2 throughout the Tour of California.

“Riding a custom bike inspired by Juliet is truly an honor. The kids who are battling illness are so brave and an inspiration to us as athletes,” said Adam de Vos, Rally Cycling. “It is an amazing feeling to be even a small part of the process of raising money and supporting the grant recipients of the UHCCF, and I hope to do Juliet proud by pushing myself to the limit.”

The bikes, donated by Rally Cycling, are being auctioned online during the tour with all proceeds benefiting UHCCF. Each custom-artwork bike can be viewed and is available for bidding online through Saturday, May 19, at www.rallycycling.com. The goal is to raise more than $75,000 to support funding of UHCCF medical grants, which are given to families who need financial assistance to help pay for their children’s health care treatments, services or equipment not covered, or not fully covered, by their commercial health insurance plans.

“These beautifully designed bikes are truly inspiring and represent the important work of the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation to help children access medical care to improve their health,” said UHCCF President Matt Peterson. “We are honored to partner with Rally Cycling to raise greater awareness about our child medical grant program so more families apply and receive grants.”

Since 2007, UHCCF has awarded more than 15,000 grants valued at over $40 million to children and their families across the United States for treatments associated with medical conditions such as cancer, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, diabetes, hearing loss, autism, cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome, ADHD and cerebral palsy. Qualifying UHCCF families can receive up to $5,000 per grant with a lifetime maximum of $10,000 per child to help pay for medical services and equipment such as physical, occupational and speech therapy, counseling services, surgeries, prescriptions, wheelchairs, orthotics, eyeglasses and hearing aids.

The 2018 edition of the Amgen Tour of California will be the 10th time the team has competed in the event and its third under the banner of title sponsor Rally Health, a digital health company that develops online and mobile solutions that make it easy for people to take charge of their health. Rally’s products encourage simple activities that can help people improve and maintain their health, find care, shop for benefits, choose the right doctor at the right price, and improve their overall well-being.

The 2018 edition of the Amgen Tour of California starts in Long Beach Sunday, May 13, and heads north through the Golden State ending in front of the state capitol in Sacramento Sunday, May 19. The seven-day stage race includes two mountain-top finishes, a time trial, and flat and rolling stages to ensure a tough and exciting event.

To bid on one of the bikes as part of the online auction and learn more about each bike and inspired story, visit www.rallycycling.com. For more information on UHCCF or to apply for a grant visit www.UHCCF.org.

About UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation

The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation (UHCCF) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides medical grants to help children gain access to health-related services not covered, or not fully covered, by their parents’ commercial health insurance plan. Families can receive up to $5,000 annually per child ($10,000 lifetime maximum per child), and do not need to have insurance through UnitedHealthcare to be eligible. UHCCF was founded in 1999. Since 2007, UHCCF has awarded more than 15,000 grants valued at over $40 million to children and their families across the United States. UHCCF’s funding is provided by contributions from individuals, corporations and UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) employees. To apply for a grant, donate or learn more, please visit www.uhccf.org.

About Rally Health, Inc.
Rally Health, Inc. is a consumer-centric digital health company that makes it easy for individuals to take charge of their health and collaborates with health plans, care providers, and employers to engage consumers. The company’s flagship offering is Rally®, a digital health platform featuring a suite of online and mobile solutions that help people manage their health and health care needs: Rally EngageSM focuses on personalized health and well-being support; Rally Choice® is a health benefits marketplace; and Rally Connect® offers care provider search and cost transparency. More than 30 million consumers have access to the Rally platform through more than 200,000 employers, and payers such as UnitedHealthcare, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Health Alliance, and others. With offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Chicago, Minneapolis and Denver, the team behind Rally HealthSM has been working together since 2010 to transform the consumer health industry. For more information, please visit www.RallyHealth.com.

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