WFXG Fox54 Augusta-Your News One Hour EarlierBicycle Ride rolls through the CSRA

Four ambitious women are undertaking a cross country endurance ride that kicked off in Key West on February 5, 2012 and culminates in San Francisco in late April. Two sisters, Jeanie and Chelsea Ward-Waller, their mother, Jane, and close friend Stephanie Palmer are riding across America to benefit the bicycle safety advocacy efforts of the League of American Bicyclists and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.

Dubbed "Ride America for Safe Routes" (RASR), their ride follows a route traversing 13 southern states and 20 major cities, logging over 5,000 miles between Florida and California. The mission of RASR is to raise $50,000 for the League's Bike Friendly America program and for Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs in local communities. In addition, the RASR Team will advocate the critical need for bike safety and promote the public health benefits of bicycling through events with local bicycle groups and SRTS programs in communities along their route.

The women will roll into the CSRA in the late-afternoon on Tuesday, February 21. The group will do a presentation on their adventure for the North Augusta Greeneway Trust at the North Augusta Activity Center Kraft Room at 8pm. The meeting is open to the public. The women will also do a presentation for Richmond Academy students on Wednesday morning before undertaking the next leg of their jaunt, which will lead to Athens.

A group of area cyclists, led by local cycling advocacy group Wheel Movement of the CSRA, will escort the women on the ride from Columbia, South Carolina into North Augusta. A group of area bike riders will also escort the women out of town following the presentation at Richmond Academy. Information on their routes, as well the presentation Tuesday evening will be posted at www.wheelmovementcsra.org. For information on Ride America for Safe Routes see the RASR website at http://rideforsaferoutes.blogspot.com or contact rideforsaferoutes@gmail.com .