Kyle Petty Cross-Country Charity Ride Daily Update—The Kickoff

Rider magazine asked our two good friends David Andreas and John Puerner, who are participating in the 20th Anniversary of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, to keep us posted on the ride’s progress with a daily blog. Each entry will cover the previous day’s events (or perhaps the two previous days). Here’s their report from Friday, May 2, as they get ready to depart on the ride from Carlsbad, California, on Saturday, May 3.

Welcome from the beautiful beach community of Carlsbad, California, the start of the 20th Anniversary Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America.

KPCR_Ride2006
More than 200 riders are participating in the 2,800-mile coast-to-coast KPCRAA, which finishes up in Daytona Beach, Florida, on May 10.

Saturday morning, we’re taking off with more than 200 riders on a 2,800-mile coast-to-coast ride finishing in Daytona Beach, Florida, on May 10. Each day, we–David Andreas and John Puerner–will blog about this adventure from a rider’s point of view. David has been on 10 Charity Rides, while John has participated in five.

Advertisement

Many of this year’s riders began their trip days ago. Folks rode in from Florida, North Carolina, Texas, the upper Midwest, and many points in between–all to start this coast-to-coast ride.

Some narrowly missed tornadoes in Arkansas, and others rode through pounding sandstorms in West Texas to join us. These are avid motorcycle enthusiasts who ride all day in almost any weather.

The mix of bikes is about 75 percent Harley-Davidson–a Ride sponsor for several years–with some trikes and other brands in the lineup.

Kyle Petty
Kyle Petty and family started the KPCRAA 20 years ago to benefit Victory Junction, a camp in Randleman, NC, created by the Petty family to enrich the lives of children with chronic medical illnesses.

The Charity Ride benefits Victory Junction, a camp in Randleman, NC, created by the Petty family to enrich the lives of children with chronic medical illnesses. While the camaraderie, the scenery, and the countless memories keep us coming back year after year, it’s really this cause that unites and defines the Charity Ride family. The Ride has raised nearly $15 million to date for children’s charities, and we are excited to grow that number in our 20th year.
We invite you to follow us live on Facebook–www.facebook.com/KPCharityRide–and on Twitter–@KPCharityRide–where daily routes and stops will be posted. If we are riding near you, please come out and say hello!

Tomorrow is a 445-mile day through the mountains west of Carlsbad, to the Salton Sea, with our overnight stop in Tucson, Arizona.

We want to thank Mark Tuttle and the folks at Rider Magazine for this opportunity to share this unique experience with you. We are very excited and ready to go.

David Andreas and John Puerner

Next Blog Entries:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Days 6 & 7
Day 8 and Final Thoughts

2 COMMENTS

  1. OK, while I’m really proud of the commitment demonstrated by Kyle and all the riders, I can’t help wonder how much more $$$ would be raised if everyone just stayed home, put a ribbon on their bike and send 50% of the money they saved to the charity.

    Like that will ever happen…

    Ride safe everyone!

    • Steve Waclo, of course you are right, if all we were intending to do was raise dollars for Victory Junction Gang Camp. In fact, many riders contribute far more in addition to the net amount given to the camp from the riders’ entry cost of the Ride. In addition, one of the objectives of the Ride is to generate awareness and financial support from the generous fans of the Camp, Kyle Petty, and all the sponsors. We can all be part of the story that is the Victory Junction Gang Camp and the difference it makes for the Campers. The Ride is a fun time to celebrate our commitment over a great ride accross our country.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here