Newport Beach resident makes a Christmas resolution, bikes 160 miles in solo ride for charities

Newport Beach resident Allan Cooper woke up on Christmas morning in a bit of a funk, thinking how disappointing 2020 had turned out to be for him and countless others facing personal and financial losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Going through a divorce and feeling the economic impacts of the past 10 months, Cooper was looking for a way to start off the new year with a clean slate. He began thinking about what he could do to reach beyond the gloom, a way to do something meaningful and helpful.

He thought back to a charity bike ride he’d gone on in 2015, benefiting the Steve Waugh Foundation, an Australian nonprofit started by a retired but still-famed cricket player that provides assistance to children with rare diseases and their families.

The Captain’s Ride is a six-day, 600-mile road cycle tour that pushes participants across sometimes rugged terrain to raise funds for the charity. Although Cooper hadn’t trained for such an endeavor and had felt every mile deep in his bones, he’d managed to endure the rigors of the ride with the help of those around him.

A former cricketer himself who spent several years playing rugby, Cooper said Waugh imparted to him the importance of helping children dealing with difficult circumstances beyond their control. Having learned that the 2020 Captain’s Ride had been canceled due to COVID-19, Cooper started thinking how he could re-create that spirit stateside.

That’s when it clicked — the automotive industry executive who’d started his own companies and helped raise countless funds for good causes would create his own physical challenge and raise awareness and funds for charitable organizations in the process.

In a matter of days, “Coop’s California Coastal Charity Cycle 2020” was born. The two-day, 160-mile solo ride would take Cooper from the Santa Barbara Pier southward to the Newport Beach Pier. He started a website for the effort to begin raising awareness about the cause.

“There are so many kids out there in pain, and adults, too,” he said of the mission. “So many people are hurting through no fault of their own. I’m doing my part being comfortable by being very uncomfortable on this journey.”

All donations to “CCCCC 2020” can be directed to one of four charities Cooper has selected for his personal connection to their causes and founders.

In addition to the Steve Waugh Foundation, donors may contribute to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, which aims to promote traumatic brain injury research, in part, through encouraging athletes toward brain donation, the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund, which supports veterans and their families, and Feeding America, which oversees a nationwide network of food banks.

Chris Nowinski, founder and chief executive of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, described Cooper as a longtime supporter who has opened up about this own experience with sports-related concussions, even pledging to donate his own brain to research after his death.

“I am inspired by Allan Cooper’s resilience and how he chose to confront the most difficult year of his life by supporting multiple charities with an incredible physical challenge,” Nowinski said in an email.

“I respect that Allan is responding by helping others through his pledge to donate his brain and now raising funds and awareness about the consequences of brain trauma in sports.”

With very little conditioning and a brand-new Cannondale 22-gear road bike, the 61-year-old Cooper began his journey from Santa Barbara on Tuesday with driver Jake Eisenman following along behind for safety. Within five hours, he’d reached Point Mugu State Park, just in time to catch his breath and take in the sunset.

“It was harder than I thought it was going to be,” ‘he said of the journey. “I pushed boundaries everywhere I knew I could. I hit the wall twice on this ride, and I remembered back to Steve Waugh helping me through [the Captain’s Ride]. The mind is a powerful thing.”

By the time Cooper approached Huntington Beach, his legs were a wreck. The last 5 miles were especially treacherous, but by 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, he’d made it home to Newport Beach.

Thursday morning found the cyclist in recovery mode. After a long soak in the tub and a huge breakfast, Cooper said he’d need to do a 20-mile recovery cycle just to keep his muscles from cramping.

But for all the pain and discomfort he’d endured during the long ride, the Newport Beach resident said he gained much more. He thought about the charities he rode for and the people they served. He thought about doing a similar, longer ride next year, to keep the momentum going.

Now, when Cooper thinks about what lies ahead in 2021, he doesn’t feel so depressed, he feels hopeful.

“I feel like the world lifted off my shoulders yesterday,” he said. “It’s going to be a good year.”

Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.