About 240 cyclists began making their way through California on Sept. 20. Their ride, which will last until Sept. 27, includes local stops in Solvang and Santa Barbara. Don’t get these cyclists confused with the pros, though. The riders in the Amgen California Coast Classic Bike Tour are biking to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation. The participants aim to raise more than $1.1 million over eight days.
“It is with enormous pride that we announce that the Amgen California Coast Classic Bike Tour will be celebrating its eighth anniversary this year,” Mitchell Jacobs, chair of the Arthritis Foundation, Southern California Chapter, said in a news release. “Since 2001, this event has raised more than $5 million, which continues to help the Arthritis Foundation support its research, education, and advocacy for people living with arthritis.”
Riders are expected to arrive in Solvang on Thursday afternoon—that’s Sept. 25—at Mission Santa Ines for an overnight stop, then leave the next morning for Santa Barbara and a mid-day stop between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The public can show their support for the cyclists and their cause at the Santa Barbara Branch office of the Arthritis Foundation, located at 2253 Las Positas Road.
The Amgen California Coast Classic Bike Tour is open to people of all ages and athletic ability. To find out more, call 1-800-954-CURE or visit www.californiacoastclassic.org.
Sports Shorts is compiled by Sports Editor Sarah E. Thien. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 2, 2008.