Eight women are bicycling through Lompoc on their journey from Seattle to San Diego.
“Their main goal to ride the 1,700 miles is to continue to bring forth conversations and raise awareness against human trafficking,” said Ann McCarty, North County Rape Crisis Center executive director.
Cyclist Gracie Hornung says the cause is important to her.
“I’m from Houston, Texas and even before I found out about Pedal of the Pacific, I didn’t know that Houston led the nation in, in reporting sex trafficking cases and a real hot spot for this massive crime," she said.
Organizers say more than $500,000 has been raised to help combat human trafficking since the annual ride began in 2017.
“It’s also really interesting to be a part something so big and get to go through communities down the coast and learn how to interact with the public," said cyclist Clare Harkins.
