This bike trip will be ‘A Ride to Remember’

BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood’s Janette Robinson has been training for months for a charity bike ride she will participate in July 13 – 15. It’s called A Ride to Remember.

“It’s a long, hard, grueling ride from Simpsonville to Charleston,” Robinson said. “But our pain and suffering will end when we cross the Ravenel Bridge. Our loved ones, for whom we are riding, their suffering won’t end until they depart this earth.”

Donations raised by the riders will benefit Alzheimer’s Disease.

Robinson’s mother, Alice Hollis, is one of 89,000 South Carolinians stricken with the disease. Robinson is one of 309,000 South Carolina family and friends who care for the 89,000.

 

Janette Robinson will bike 252 miles for her mom, Alice Hollis, who suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease.

South Carolina ranked number two in the nation for deaths due to Alzheimer’s according to the Center for Disease Control’s latest available figures from 2016. There are 5.7 million people in the US living with Alzheimer’s.  It is projected to rise to 14 million by 2050.

 

By participating in the ride, South Carolinians like Robinson who have family and friends suffering from Alzheimer’s are fighting back.

The three-day bike ride will ultimately take the cyclists on a scenic 252-mile journey through the state.  Cyclists can ride for one, two or all three days.  On Friday, July 13, the cyclists will ride from Simpsonville to Newberry (65 miles).  On Saturday, July 14, they will travel on to Orangeburg (89 miles). On Sunday, July 15, they will ride to Charleston (99 miles).

Twenty-one cyclists rode in the first annual Ride to Remember fundraiser 10 years ago. They raised $15,000.  Last year, Robinson joined the 360 riders who raised over half a million dollars toward their goal.

“It’s one of the few things I can do for my mom now,” Robinson said. “Many in the community will recall how, every July and August, my parents sold organic blueberries from their home. They would get up early and spend long hours in the heat every day during the season picking the berries and packaging them. People in the community would call their orders in and stop by to pick them up.  My Dad took great pride in his berries and my parents were delighted when customers would tell them that their blueberries were the biggest, sweetest blueberries they’d ever eaten. And they were. My dad, who is gone now, made wonderful wood crafts for friends and family. He was also a machinist who made custom parts for neighbors.  They had a wonderful life in Blythewood and I want to do what I can now to make my mom’s life and other Alzheimer’s victims’ lives as good as it can possibly be,” Robinson said.

“This ride isn’t a race,” explained Robinson.  “Everybody in it has been affected by Alzheimer’s and it creates such a bond.  There is so much love and support knowing we are all there for the right reasons.”

Robinson has trained hard to ride again this year.  She rides four days a week and accomplished a 100-mile trek in the Brevard, NC, mountains in June. She plans to ride all three days and has currently raised $3,100 toward her $5,000 goal.

While the deadline for signing up to ride was July 1, the push is still on now to meet the fundraising goals.  This year the riders have currently raised $411,659.70 with a goal of $750,000 yet to be met.  To make a donation to support a specific participant, like Robinson, or for a specific team or to make a general donation toward the goal, log in to alz.org/sc.  For additional information contact AundiHunter:[email protected] or call 864-699-0623.

Contact us: (803) 767-5711 | P.O. Box 675, Blythewood, SC 29016 | [email protected]