// The Arthritis Foundation’s California Coast Classic Bicycle Tour
Posted on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
So, yesterday I posted about how I would be riding from Monterey to Santa Cruz this weekend. And how that’s a big deal for me. I should explain that this came to be because the Trusty Boyfriend’s sister works for Amgen and is going to ride from Santa Cruz to Monterey as part of the California Coast Classic Bicycle Tour (which is sponsored by Amgen). Since we hadn’t signed up in time, she thought it would be nice if we joined her in Monterey on Friday night, rode up to Santa Cruz on Saturday, and then on Sunday, she would ride the same route backwards with the Amgen Tour.
While investigating the ride, I found the official website of the event, which described it like this:
The Arthritis Foundation’s California Coast Classic Bicycle Tour sponsored by Amgen is a spectacular 500-mile, 8-day tour from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Sun, rugged coasts, quiet beaches, lighthouses, giant forests, famous wineries and world-class cities are also daily travel experiences. The California Coast Classic Bike Tour actually offers two tour packages to all registered riders. A 6-day, 355-mile ride from San Francisco to Solvang or if your schedule permits, an 8-day, 500 mile ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Whether you choose tour package one or two, both rides have
something tooffer the beginner as well as the
experienced cyclist.
Phew. See that part in the end about how there’s something to offer the beginner as well as the experience cyclist? That caused me to breathe a sigh of relief about how my ride was going to go this weekend. Surly if a beginner could do the entirety of this massive ride I could handle just a tiny part of it.
And the flip side of my relief was drive. Drive to be able to do that long of a ride and drive to help people (seems these charity rides are always super long). So I’m throwing myself into the distance cycling with renewed fervor. And I created a section of the blog (under the News + Events tab) for charity rides, so I can keep readers posted about upcoming charity rides, and keep track of any training I do for them. Maybe one day I’ll throw my own charity ride for something…seems like a good way to get people into cycling, get them fit, and raise money for a good cause…
Folks who are having difficulties with arthritis can certainly benefit from engaging in programs for example the Arthritis Foundation Walk With Ease Program, aquatic programs, exercise programs, and self-help courses.