One would think cycling and animals have little in common, but not so for Levi and Odessa Leipheimer of Santa Rosa.
By now you may have heard of Levi Leipheimer’s King Ridge Gran Fondo, if not, it’s a bike ride set for October 3rd in Sonoma County, patterned after the tradition of the fun rides in Italy.
The event, consisting of rides of varying lengths with the world-ranked cyclist, is to raise money so the region can afford to host another Tour of California stage, but a big chunk of change will go to animals.
Odessa, long an animal advocate, will be pledging some of the money toward the Forget Me Not Farm which rescues and rehabilitates farm animals, cared for by at risk youth in Sonoma County.
It’s that part of the event that finally got this semi-retired cyclist to dust off her beautiful mango colored Kestrel, slap on the cycling shoes, squeeze into the sausage casing known as bike shorts and hit the roads of western Sonoma County this past weekend. I am a sucker for good causes that combine one of my favorite sports with animals.
Better yet, the people who volunteer at the Forget Me Not Farm will be hosting a champagne brunch for the riders of the shortest route, the Piccolo. I like that. It assumes we will finish in fine style.
Don’t let me do this alone. Tell me where to ride and your favorite routes. This is supposed to be a pet blog so give me an inspirational story that makes me motivated or YOU motivated.
