Charity cyclers: Riders pass through Sierra on way to Alaska

Cycling from Yosemite National Park to Sonora — a roughly 60-mile journey — in a day is a significant accomplishment.

But it’s all in a day’s work for 24 cyclists pedaling from Texas to Alaska for cancer awareness.

After camping at Hodgdon Meadow Campground in Yosemite on Sunday night, the cyclists arrived Monday afternoon in Sonora, en route to Murphys. Their ride took them down New Priest Grade along Highway 120 — a sharp contrast to the flatness of Texas.

“Honestly, that’s probably my favorite bit of the ride we’ve done so far,” said 22-year-old cyclist Ben Morse.

The riders — part of the nonprofit Texas 4000 — will log more than 4,000 miles throughout the course of the ride as they raise money and awareness for cancer research.

Billed as the longest annual charity bike ride in the world, the 70-day ride started May 31 on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin — where all of the cyclists are students — and ends in Anchorage, Alaska.

For the full story, see the June 17, 2014, edition of The Union Democrat.

Written by Mike Morris, The Union Democrat June 17, 2014 12:30 pm

http://www.uniondemocrat.com/News/Local-News/Charity-cyclers-Riders-pass-through-Sierra-on-way-to-Alaska