Tuesday marked day 4 of the 8-day ride across California to raise funds and awareness for arthritis. Cyclists in the California Coast Classic pedaled from Paso Robles to Cambria with rest stops in Paso Robles and Templeton.
One in 4 people throughout the United States have arthritis, like Wendy Appleby, one of the cyclists in this year’s tour.
“At age 41 I started getting symptoms,” Appleby said. “The pain kept going. I had to continue working. I had to keep going.”
She said low-impact exercises, like cycling, help manage the pain.
“You have to exercise and keep the body moving. Once you sit on that couch, the bones will stiffen up. You have to exercise and that’s what we do here. Cycling was perfect,” Appleby said.
Physician and first-time rider Dr. Srinivas Ganesh said he recommends people with arthritis take up cycling.
“I’m a sports medicine and lifestyle medicine physician, and about half of the patients I take care of have arthritis in one form or the other. Cycling is actually one of the best forms of exercise for people who have arthritis. It’s low-impact for the joints,” Dr. Ganesh said.
Ganesh and Appleby are just two of the 250 cyclists riding across California this week, who have raised more than a million dollars combined for arthritis research, with a goal of $1.5 million by November.
Ganesh raised $5,000 before beginning his cross-state journey.
“I was seeing a patient the day before I came on this ride and I was treating them for [arthritis] and I said, 'By the way, next week I'm going to be riding for the Arthritis Foundation' and they asked me, 'Oh wow, have you reached your goal yet for raising money?' I said 'I’m almost there.' Right then and there they - in the office - went online and made a donation to the cause,” Dr. Ganesh said.
Appleby is optimistic that the proceeds from this ride will help fund research for a cure.
“My hope is a cure,” Appleby said. “I go by and I thank the big, big donors. I say this is the face you’re looking at. You’re helping me.”
If you'd like to donate to a rider or team participating in the California Coast Classic, click here.
Here is where cyclists will be headed over the next few days:
- Day 5 - Wednesday, September 25: Cambria to Oceano
- Day 6 - Thursday, September 26: Oceano to Buellton
- Day 7 - Friday, September 27: Buellton to Ventura
- Day 8 - Saturday, September 28: Ventura to LA
