Bicyclists get set for Tour DaVita

More than 600 cyclists are expected in the Virginia countryside on Sept. 23 for the start of the annual Tour DaVita, an event that raises money for DaVita Kidney Care’s Bridge of Life medical missions.

“Over 3 days, riders will cycle nearly 230 miles across Virginia to not only raise awareness about kidney disease, but to support Bridge of Life medical missions around the world,” said Dave Hoerman, DaVita’s chief wisdom officer. “The ‘Spirit of the Ride’ empowers our patient, physician and teammate riders to support each other in achieving goals they might not have thought possible while coming together for a common purpose.”

To participate in the event, riders each met a fundraising goal and paid their own travel expenses. Individual fundraising combined with donations from DaVita and other corporate sponsorship payments will contribute more than $1.1 million to Bridge of Life, a nonprofit organization founded by DaVita that supports medical missions in the United States and abroad. Bridge of Life missions focus on early detection testing for kidney disease and education.

The ride starts in Doswell, which is 25 miles north of Richmond. Riders will cycle through several rural Virginia counties and cover 66 miles before heading toward rural countryside east of Richmond, ending in Williamsburg. Riders can choose a 75- or 100-mile route.

On the final day, riders will cycle from Williamsburg to the northwest and into Charles City County. The route will leave and return on the Capital City bike trail and covers 58 miles.

To date, Tour DaVita has helped raise more than $11 million for nonprofits dedicated to raising awareness of kidney disease, providing kidney disease screenings and expanding access to kidney care and primary health care in developing countries. Past Tour DaVita ride locations include Tennessee and Alabama; Wisconsin; Michigan; Washington State; Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts; Iowa; South Carolina; Oregon; North Carolina; and Tennessee. Sponsors for this year’s event include Amgen, ASD Healthcare, Henry Schein Inc., Wells Fargo, Baxter, ADI Construction of Virginia LLC, Dell Technologies, NxStage Medical, Meridian, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Tata Consultancy Services. Spectators can follow the ride on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and with hashtag #TourDaVita.

Reference:

http://pressreleases.davita.com/2018-09-20-More-Than-600-Cyclists-to-Ride-through-Virginia-to-Raise-Awareness-about-Kidney-Disease