Locals biking to benefit arthritis charity

BY ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

Carpinteria resident Joe Sevilla has been cycling for about 15 years, so when a buddy told him about a 525-mile bike tour along the coast of California, his interest was peaked.
The clincher, however, came when Sevilla discovered the charity benefiting from the ride is the Arthritis Foundation. Sevilla's daughter, Paula, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis six years ago when she was 25.

"That was the hook," Sevilla said. "I was interested before, but that has been the real motivation."
Sevilla will join close to 250 other riders in the Amgen California Coast Classic, a bike tour from San Francisco to Santa Monica that will pass through Santa Barbara next Friday. The event is expected to raise more than $1.3 million for the foundation.
Although the minimum amount participants have to raise is $2,900, Sevilla said he's pulled in about $12,000 from friends and relatives.
"It was really humbling," Sevilla said. "So many people contributed. ... I've never done anything like this, so I didn't know how they would respond."
Alexandra Kummer, a Santa Barbara resident and massage therapist, will also be hitting the road this Saturday. Kummer, 44, said several of her clients suffer from arthritis, prompting her to start training six months ago when she found out about the bike tour.
"I wanted to give back to the community and this ride is kind of in my field," Kummer said.
Nearly 46 million Americans, one in every five, suffer from arthritis, including 300,000 children, according to the Arthritis Foundation. The chronic, debilitating disease can strike at any age and accounts for $128 billion annually in medical bills, lost wages and other economic loss.
A large portion of the money raised during the bike tour, which will begin Saturday morning, will go to support children's arthritis camps and research programs.
"It's just a wonderful charity and there is such a need," Sevilla said. "It's way more sweeping than I would have ever guessed."
Manny Loya, president and CEO of the Southern California chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, said about 75 percent of the funds raised by the riders will go directly to the foundation. Now in its seventh year, the Amgen Coast Classic netted only $60,000 from its inaugural ride, Loya said, but now typically brings in more than $1 million annually.
"One of the things it has allowed us to do now is expand the number of people we can reach with our children's camp," Loya said. "We are now able to join Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Camps. We have a place there."
More money is also available to invest in arthritis research, fast-tracking advancements in treatment options, he added. Loya will be riding in this year's bike tour as well after being challenged by his coworkers.
Kummer, Loya and Sevilla will head to San Francisco for a kickoff dinner tonight and the start of the ride at 8 a.m. on Saturday. Sevilla, already on the road with his wife and speaking on his cell phone, said he will stay overnight at his son's home in San Francisco before setting off on the initial, 85-mile stage to Santa Cruz.
Sevilla started training in October last year for the bike tour. Although he rode several hundred miles along the Oregon coast on a tandem bike with his wife, he said this is his first organized, multistage ride. He plans to ride at his own pace and enjoy the scenery, especially through Big Sur.
"I'm not a kid, so it's not a slam dunk," the 66-year-old said.
Riders will arrive in Solvang next Thursday afternoon, camping out at Old Santa Ines Mission before leaving Friday morning and biking through Santa Barbara and on to Ventura.
"The one good thing is it's not a race," Kummer said. "You can go at your own pace."
Kummer said since she started training half a year ago, she's lost weight and toned up. She will be camping in her tent at each staging point along the route, mostly at campgrounds and schools, and expects to have a large group of friends and clients out to support her when she rides through Santa Barbara.
After loading up on carbs, getting a massage and visiting the chiropractor today, Kummer said she is ready to hit the road for her first major bike ride.
"I think the main thing really, what I'm nervous about, is getting in the saddle every day," she said. "All you do is eat, ride and sleep."