One of the beneficiaries of this year's Pedal for Peace efforts is Central Asia Institute, founded by Greg Mortenson. Many P4P participants became acquainted with Mr. Mortenson's efforts by reading Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time.

Three Cups of Tea tells the story of Mr. Mortenson's journey from mountain climber to humanitarian committed to making life better for girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan through literacy and education programs. The title of the book comes from a Balti proverb: "The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family..."

Reading the book, you'll get a better sense of the mission of Central Asia Institute and how important it is that it's one of the charities Pedal for Peace will benefit this year. The book will give you a better sense of what we're raising money for and help you be a better-informed P4P participant.

Once you've registered your team for this year's P4P event, why not download the Three Cups of Tea reading guide and have a team book discussion? Or meet up with another team or a friend or co-worker to share in reading the book and gaining a greater understanding of the important work of Central Asia Institute.

We can all agree that education is the key to all kinds of solutions. Let's start by making sure we're educating ourselves, too!