Memories of Seniors on Bikes members are often surprised at how time flies. A year has already passed and again The Texas 4000 riders arrive in Santa Fe on Friday, June 7. SOB members meet the riders at the Agora store in Eldorado Friday afternoon and lead the 30 riders to their motel in the Railyard District in Santa Fe. This is a fun ride because we ride Old Las Vegas and move to Old Santa Fe Trail to ride to the Plaza and then to the motel. Meeting these men and women students is stimulating and one forgets that we are somewhat isolated from young Americans. They convince you that there are great people moving soon into careers and contributions to society.
These students join the Texas 4000 program two years before they are eligible to ride. The route is almost 4000 miles from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Texas. Their purpose is to raise funds for cancer research, and a major effort is to raise funds for the Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. But funds go to other research institutions as well. Several of the riders are cancer survivors themselves, and others have family members who have faced the disease. The Texas 4000 riders raise nearly $1 million each year!
There are almost 100 riders that ride three different routes. The Sierra Route is the one that stops in Santa Fe. This route heads north out of Santa Fe and then turns west to Las Vegas, NV and then to Yosemite National Park and to San Francisco and north on the coast. The Ozarks Route follows the Mississippi River to Canada and then turns west. The Rockies Route goes north out of Austin and along the Rockies to Canada. All three routes meet together in Whitehorse, Yukon Ter. and ride together into Alaska and to Anchorage. They arrive in Anchorage in mid-August.
Our long-time member of SOBs, Frank Battaglia, gives generously to the program and pays the cost of the motel bill for the group here in Santa Fe. This is the first major stop for the group after a week of riding. The motel and a shower are very welcome. But that’s not all! The University of Texas alumni here in Santa Fe host a fantastic dinner at the Las Campanas Country Club to which all SOB members are invited to attend. It is a remarkable evening and the opportunity to sit and eat with the students and Alumni is outstanding.
More to follow on this web site in next few days.
Here’s the basic schedule
Friday, June 7: 2:00 p.m.
Wear SOB jerseys and meet the Texas riders around 2 p.m. at the Agora. With our combined group it is an exciting down Old Santa Fe Trail to the Plaza where the size and speed of the group gets lots of attention from pedestrians.
Friday, June 7: 6:00 p.m. Meet at Las Campanas Country Club for social bar and dinner (casual dress) . Dinner will conclude about 8:30 p.m.
Watch this web site for more details. Here’s a challenge question: What is the hand signal for the slogan “Hook ’em Horns”?
Submitted by Bill Pollock
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