A fundraiser everyone can try

 

For those who enjoy stationary biking and would like to participate in a fundraising event for cancer awareness, Amgen Tour of California is sponsoring its annual Pedalfest in Solvang on Jan. 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. As a bonus, participants can enter a raffle to win official Amgen Felt bicycles.

In addition, two teams participating in the Amgen race have set up training camps in Santa Barbara County.

Hosted by Union Bank, the “official Pedalfest professional road cycling race” will begin with local city and county dignitaries, as well as Amgen officials and racers, taking the first rides on a stationary bike, to be set up at the bank, which is located at 1714 Mission Drive in Solvang.

 

Individuals of all ages and abilities can help fight cancer during the event. For a $5 minimum donation, members of the public can ride the bike for five minutes.

For every mile ridden during the day, each of the sponsoring businesses will donate $1 to support Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer initiative, which raises awareness and funds for cancer patients and their caregivers, benefiting The Wellness Community and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

The businesses include Amgen Tour of California, Union Bank of California, and Anschutz Entertainment Group.

 

Union Bank of California, based in San Francisco, is the fourth largest commercial bank in California and is a founding partner of the Amgen Tour of California, which is a 650-mile Tour-de-France style professional race scheduled for Feb. 17-24.

It starts in Palo Alto/Stanford University and ends in Pasadena. Solvang is hosting the Amgen Tour of California Stage 5 Time Trial on Feb. 22. Santa Barbara is hosting Stage 6 Start on the beach on Feb. 23.

Free refreshments and gifts for every Pedalfest rider will be provided throughout the day.

 

In addition to the raffle tickets for the free racing bicycle, a live remote broadcast from radio station KRAZ will entertain riders. Winners for the raffle will be announced Feb. 22.

More information about Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer initiative is available at www.breakawayfromcancer.com

Meanwhile, two cycling teams competing in this year’s Amgen Tour will hold their pre-season training camps in Santa Barbara County.

 

Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team and Health Net Presented by Maxxis Pro Cycling have set up official headquarters in Solvang and will be training throughout the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara County.

Toyota-United’s camp is Jan. 18 through Feb. 1 and the Health Net camp is Jan. 28 through Feb. 3.

They are two of 17 domestic and international cycling teams scheduled to participate in the race.

The other teams, totaling 136 riders, include Astana, Luxemburg; Bissell Pro Cycling Team, Team Slipstream Powered by Chipotle, Jelly Belly Cycling Team, Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast, Rock Racing, and BMC Racing Team, all United States; Bouygues Telecom and Crédit Agricole, both France; Gerolsteiner and High Road Sports, both Germany; Quick Step, Belgium; Rabobank Cycling Team, Netherlands; Saunier Duval-Scott, Spain; and Team CSC, Denmark.

 

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, who trained in the Santa Ynez Valley for many years, has said this is an ideal cycling area, according to Tracey Farhad, executive director of the Solvang Conference & Visitors Bureau.

“From rolling country lanes through vineyards to strenuous mountain climbs, there is something for every level of cycling ability,” Farhad said.

In addition to hosting the Amgen tour, Solvang is home to some of the largest amateur cycling events in the nation, including the Solvang Century, with 5,000-plus riders every March, and the Solvang Prelude, with 3,000-plus riders every November.