Alexander: The California Coast Classic bike tour's greatest booster

Pete Staylor is persistent. He has been for 22 years.

He floods the zone-- with leaflets, with social media posts, with discusses in conversations with good friends and associates and anybody who may possibly be interested. His goal: To raise awareness and involvement for the annual California Coast Classic bike trip, an eight-day, 525-mile jaunt down Highway 1 from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

It will start on Sept. 30 and will conclude Oct. 7. It is the Arthritis Foundation's main fundraising occasion, consistently raising more than $1 million a year, and riders are needed to raise a minimum of $3,500 to participate, either by obtaining smaller donations or by composing a check.

Staylor, 69 and a homeowner of Riverside, will be riding in case for the 20th time, with a personal fundraising goal this time of $20,525. His first trip remained in 2002, and his motivation then was basic.

" I began doing it because I wanted to discover a cure, since I had arthritic knees," he stated. "I was type of selfish. I want to do something big, make a distinction."

The motivation: Staylor's knees no longer enabled him to play basketball, his first enthusiasm. He was pretty good in high school-- complete disclosure, This Space was a year behind him at Notre Dame High in Riverside and can guarantee it-- and he said that as he aged "I got way better than I was in high school. … … I would play five, six days a week, and when my knees went south it was dreadful. I kept attempting to play, since I enjoy playing basketball."

For help, Staylor went to orthopedic surgeon Gregory Heinen, who provided him Synvisc injections in each knee in November of 2001 to assist cushion the knees and permit greater movement. As Staylor informed it, when he understood how much better those injections made his knees feel, "I stated, 'Doc, this is great. Can I go play ball?'

" And he stated, 'No, no, no, no, NO! You can swim or ride a bike.'".

Fair enough.

" I'm making a vehicle payment at the bank, and I see this leaflet and select it up: 'Take the trip of a life time, sleep under the stars, make a difference,'" Staylor stated. "I do not own a bike. I take a look at it. I took it home. I looked at it for 2 weeks, and I informed my partner (Merry Lou), 'I've got to do this.'.

" My partner says, 'You're insane.' I said, 'I understand, however I'm doing it.'".

Staylor began training in June of 2002-- a couple of months later on than is typically recommended for this occasion-- and did the flight for the very first time that September. He found that riding an e-bike was much easier on his joints, and he's ridden one in this event ever considering that.

And a footnote: After almost twenty years of Staylor pestering his medical professional to join him on the trip, Heinen finally rode and acquiesced in the 2021 occasion, and he'll be back this year. Did we state Pete's convincing?

" He's vibrant," said Shannon Marang Cox, the ride director and associate executive director of the Arthritis Foundation. "And he's figured it out-- you just ask everybody due to the fact that you never know. Individuals that you would definitely believe, 'Oh, they'll contribute to me,' sometimes do not. And in some cases people come out of the woodwork and you're believing, 'Well, I haven't talked to that person given that high school, and I'm just Facebook pals with them. And yet here they featured a truly, you know, kind and generous donation for my project.'.

" And so I believe Pete has actually found out (the approach). You sort of ask everybody. You advise individuals frequently.".

The tour isn't a race but rather a go-your-own-pace flight, with rest stops every 20 to 25 miles, support vans tagging along and complimentary camping sites-- or hotels, for those ready to pay for more comfort-- in between stages. The aim is for around 250 riders, and Cox stated that as of this week "there's most likely about 45 or 50 areas left.

There is likewise the Arthritis Challenge Experience, which enables riders who can't do the eight-day tour or those who live in other regions to pay a $39 registration charge, receive an official T-shirt, select their own activity, post about it on social networks and connect practically to other individuals.

That idea might have had its roots in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic limited not just this occasion but all sort of pursuits. Nevertheless, the Arthritis Foundation raised $960,000 that year without the eight-day tour, "which was impressive," Cox stated. "I imply, when you consider that individuals fundraise to be able to do this occasion and it's like a vacation, a trip of a lifetime or an obstacle, to not have that and to have people continue to support, it spoke a lot about how committed individuals are to our cause and our mission.".

A great number of riders either are affected by arthritis or have family members who are impacted. Others have their own back stories, whether they're participating for a specific cause or in memory of an enjoyed one, or even if it marks off an item on their pail list.

Staylor recalled the 2018 trip, when he had a 30-rider team that included two individuals riding in memory of family members who had actually passed away. Another female who had actually connected for aid in training for the trip told him, "I've got 2 angels on my shoulders," for her 2 children who had died in the previous seven months.

" She had the largest group of individuals ever awaiting her at the goal," Staylor stated. "And there wasn't a dry eye in the place.".

There has actually been a star part throughout the years. Former Olympic miler Mary Decker Slaney has ridden in it. So has star Nancy Travis and former KCBS/KCAL news anchor Linda Alvarez.

When it comes to getting attention for this trip and this cause, few are as effective (or, yes, consistent) as the man his fellow riders refer to as Cap'n Pete.

Case in point: During last year's tour, Staylor was part of a group relaxing at a Mexican restaurant in Oceano after the day's ride when a San Luis Obispo TV reporter appeared with a video camera and stated he 'd been sent out to talk with riders. He asked who was willing to be spoken with, and the other eight all pointed at Staylor.

" So I'm kind of an unofficial representative," he said.

" You have to self-promote. I'm not searching for attention. I'm looking for connection.".

For additional details about the California Coast Classic or to sign up, the occasion site is arthritis.org/CaliforniaCoastClassic .

jalexander@scng.com.