Riding their way down the paths of the Sedgfield neighborhood of Southend Charlotte, cycling started as a hobby for David Faulkner and his friends. In 2007, one of his friends mentioned the 24 Foundation event and Faulkner thought it would be a great challenge. His team was only made up of about five friends at the time.

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery (OMB) became involved with the cycling group almost by accident. OMB was a convenient place for team members to meet in the Southend area. Every Friday afternoon, the group would come together for team meetings to discuss strategy, and became frequent customers of the brewery. In 2009, the group approached the owners about partnering with them for 24 Foundation to which they agreed, and the partnership officially began 2010.

“With our newly formed relationship with OMB in 2010, I almost signed up the team for the event that year as ‘Team Beer’”, said David Faulkner, Team Reeb captain. “Team Reeb’ was about as far out of the box as I could think.”

Faulkner’s vision is for someone in a car to be able to make out the word “beer” from their rear view mirror. Although the idea didn’t go as planned, the name suck with the group.

“A wise staff person at 24 Foundation once told us that the best fundraisers are ones that capitalize on what the team does well,“ says Faulkner.

Fundraising is a major focus for Team Reeb, so they honed in on their best skills – eating and drinking. Team Reeb hosts an annual barbeque in the spring and holds events at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery to raise money. They also cultivate relationships with other local restaurants and fitness centers where a portion of a night’s proceeds go to 24 Foundation. Team Reeb’s goal is to raise more than $75,000 and to receive top team honors, while Faulkner’s personal goal is to be a yellow jersey winner for 2015.

Team Reeb now has around 55 members made up of friends of friends as Faulkner describes. He has made many new friends and reached many personal goals since his first ride. His relationship with 24 Foundation along with the team continues to grow in great spirits and now many regular riders who he considers family.

“In the end, I always seem to walk away after the event with at least one or two specific moments where I can say, ‘Yep, that is why we ride in circles for 24 hours’”, Faulkner said.