Up to 1,000 people and bikes will circle Lake Natoma on Aug. 23. But they're not just out there to get fit.
They're also donating thousands of dollars for research and programs to support survivors of cancer and Parkinson's disease via the third annual Ride for a Reason.
The ride will be held on the American River bike trail, starting and ending at Nimbus Flat. Distances and routes can be customized. Riders can do a 12-mile loop of Lake Natoma or continue up to Folsom Lake and back for an 18-mile total. Families can choose a five-mile out-and-back route. Experienced riders can do laps, with the last setting out at 11:30 a.m.
Some riders are survivors themselves. Cameron Stewart, 10, of Cameron Park will ride with his mother, father and younger brother. He was diagnosed with leukemia at age 2.
Most riders are donating through their registration fees. Stewart is doing additional fundraising. In fact, he's the top individual fundraiser after collecting nearly $3,000 through a readathon at Blue Oak Elementary School in Cameron Park, where he'll soon enter fifth grade.
"He came into our office, and he had this bag that must have weighed about 20 pounds just full of money," said Pam Whitehead, Ride for a Reason co-director. "It just kind of blows you away that someone who's 10 years old can do that."
At 8, Cameron raised more than $4,000 for the ride's first year. He rode his father's old bike in the event that year. He won a yellow Specialized bike that was just his size, said Whitehead, a 44-year-old who started riding after being diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2000.
She created the fundraiser with Folsom resident Lori Scheel, whose father died of cancer, and Parkinson's survivor John Crews, who owns Bicycles Plus in Folsom.
Last year's ride raised $70,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the Davis Phinney Foundation and the UC Davis Cancer Center's Triumph Fitness Program.
Riders earn chances to win raffle prizes by picking up tickets at checkpoints. The tickets also are sold for $1. Riders also get plenty of ride support, a goody bag, a T-shirt and an Outback Steakhouse catered lunch that starts at noon.
"This is a fun day for people, but you're doing something for a good cause," said Whitehead.
