Born To Ride News

 A motorcycle ride led by a well-known name famous for his years on four wheels is celebrating its fifteenth year as it leaves Stevenson, Washington on a 3,500 mile trek.

The Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America is setting out exactly 15 years since the inaugural Kyle Petty Charity Ride left Sacramento, Calif., on its first cross-country journey. The 15th anniversary Ride benefits Victory Junction and other children’s charities. Petty and his wife, Pattie, founded Victory Junction in Randleman, N.C., in 2004. The year-round camp serves children ages 6 to 16, with serious health issues, at no cost to their families. The Petty’s plans to open a second Victory Junction will come to fruition on May 13 when the Ride stops in Kansas City, Kan., to participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking celebration at the site of the new camp.

This year, notable Ride participants include NASCAR legend Harry Gant, Chick-fil-A President and COO Dan Cathy, football great Herschel Walker and PGA Tour Professional Davis Love III. Over 200 riders are expected to participate in the ride.

“It’s hard to believe we’ve been crisscrossing the country on our bikes for 15 years,” said Petty. “We have a great time, but it’s really all about the kids. We’ve seen so many lives touched through Victory Junction and the other charities we’ve partnered with over the years. Pattie and I are looking forward to many more successful Rides. These riders make kids’ dreams come true.”

Now in its 15th year, the Ride has donated more than $12 million to children’s charities, with 6,100 participants logging more than 7.9 million cumulative motorcycle miles. All along the ride communities have volunteered to be part of the event by raising funds as well as awareness for the Charity Ride and its beneficiaries.

“We’ve already seen a wonderful response from communities across the country in the second year of the Charity Ride Dream Team Challenge,” said Petty. “From the ‘Stevenson Dream Team’ in Washington state to the ‘Make-a-Difference Team’ in Charlotte, N.C., people are working hard to support the Ride and spread the word about our arrival in their communities. I hope even more Dream Teams will join us and get excited about helping children with serious medical conditions.”

For those not lucky enough to join the ride or live near its route, the event can be followed on cyberspace with ‘The Virtual Ride’ which allows users to view video footage, photos, Kyle’s daily blog entries and sound clips from each day’s adventures on the road. In true current web-craze fashion Kyle Petty will even be ‘twittering’ from the road.

The ride is expected to arrive at its destination in Randleman, North Carolina on Sunday May 17th.

Source: 05/08/2009 www.clutchandchrome.com