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Rona rides … and so can you!

Rona rides … and so can you!

by JENNIFER L. WILLIAMS

If you Google “Rona’s Ride,” you will see gorgeous pictures of Rona Altschuler cycling across the great Southwest.

The goals of her trip are to boost awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease and to raise money to help fight it.

“Um it’s very dry.  We’ve had sunshine every single day,” said Altschuler by telephone as she headed towards Texas.

Altschuler, chair of the Newport Walk to End Alzheimer’s, left March 7 from California on a cross-country bicycle trip to raise awareness and money.

Altschuler will turn 60 on April 23, the day after the third anniversary of her mother Joyce’s death from Alzheimer’s.

The cyclist’s blogs while on the road are both funny and personal. Her Sunday March 23 post was from Las Cruces, N.M.:

Day 16: Hello, Las Cruces!

Today, Saturday, March 22, I dedicate my blog to the Alzheimer’s Association of Las Cruces, New Mexico. We left Kingston about 8:15 am for a chilly and a 9-mile downhill stretch! Just for the record, I REALLY DO NOT LIKE cold bike riding! It was an 88 mile ride–some rolling hills, but many miles of flat desert riding.

Day16-3Day16-1

Oh, I had my first encounter with a loose dog (Womantours told us to bring a whistle in case a dog started to chase us). I had my whistle ready, and there he was across the two lane road in the middle of almost nowhere! I heard the bark and saw what looked like a great big angry dog, about 200 pounds and teeth showing.

I was blowing as loud and hard as I could as he came closer, then an 18 wheeler came up from behind me. Don’t panic, the truck did not hit the dog. He just got between me and the dog and it stopped! Yea, Rona 1, Dog 0. By the way he was not a huge, angry dog but in my mind, that’s what I saw. He was actually a white, fluffy, mid-size dog ! Ok, now you know I am afraid of dogs!!! Too many bites…..

The trip

The 3,100-mile bike ride began in San Diego, Calif., and ends in St. Augustine, Fla., on May 1. It runs 58 days with 50 days of riding and eight rest days, along a route averaging approximately 60 miles per day.

The 26 riders in the group are all women over age 50.

“If we don’t get this out of the closet, we’ll never find a cure,” Altschuler said.

To read Rona Altschuler’s blog about her cross country bike ride to raise awareness and benefit the Alzheimer’s Association or to donate, go to ronasride.wordpress.com



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