TEMECULA, CA — Four self-described Temecula “ballet dads” will put pedals to the pavement this fall for the California Coast Classic Bike Tour, the annual fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation.
This is their second year of making the journey from San Francisco to Malibu by way of Highway 1. They will once again tour 525 miles, scale 26,000 feet in elevation, riding for eight days from the Golden Gate Bridge, through Monterey, Big Sur and across the Central Coast. They complete the journey by way of Solvang into Malibu.
This year, they hope to take time and enjoy the ride, they told Patch in a recent interview.
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The tour supports the Arthritis Foundation in finding a cure and treatment for various types of arthritis. Each rider must raise over $3,300 to participate in the tour, according to the California Coast Classic website.
Last fall David Guinn, Lorenzo Villafranco, John Kohrmann and David Lu —all parents of Temecula Ballet Studio graduates—threw their collective cycle helmets into the ring to ride in the California Coast Classic. Over 165 cyclists raised over $1.1 million in funds for arthritis research for the Arthritis Foundation in 2022. In 2023, they hope to raise even more.
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Though a few were used to cycling, Kohrmann didn’t have quite as much experience. They took rides close to home, and trained together. One day, they learned about what the Arthritis fundraiser was all about while on a ride in San Diego.
“I thought (the others) were out of their minds,” he said. “It goes to show you can do anything you put your mind to,” he said.
Cycling along the coast of California was one of Guinn’s “Bucket List” events he told Patch, but riding with three of his best friends made it even more meaningful.
Guinn first met Villafranco, Kohrmann and Lu at their daughters’ ballet classes over ten years ago at the Temecula Ballet Studio, he said. The girls all had the same teacher, Svetlana, and grew up on those hardwood dance floors. Guinn’s daughter Rachel Guinn still dances and attends San Francisco State University. The other girls have gone on to college or gotten married, Guinn said.
“We would sit in the waiting room for hours while our daughters danced and maybe complain a bit, but that’s where we became friends,” he said. When the four men decided to join the tour and create a team of riders, “Ballet Dads” seemed a natural team name. Still, they worried about excluding future team members.
“We all work in all different professions, but we do share a mutual love of our daughters, cycling and beer,” Guinn said. Thus they settled on the all-encompassing “Ale Riders” team name. Once they decided to do it, they trained as a group.
According to Lu, what started out as four dads supporting their daughters as they pursued their passion for ballet and dance became lasting friendships.
“We bonded over countless hours and years our girls spent in ballet training, rehearsals and ballet performances,” Lu said. “As fathers, we came to appreciate the beauty of ballet and the confidence, discipline, creativity and teamwork that developed in our daughters through dance.”
While their daughters grew up together through ballet, the four dads discovered a mutual interest in improving their personal fitness by purchasing bicycles during the pandemic.
“What started out as recreational cycling quickly developed into a new purpose,” Villafranco said. “Now, having participated in the CCC in support of the Arthritis Foundation, it was clear that we dads had embarked on a new, fulfilling journey to help millions of Americans battle arthritis.”
Lu described the journey through training, even as the four stepped out of their comfort zones toward the “larger than life” eight-day cycling adventure.
“We began by cycling together,” he said. “Then we started training for triathlons, and then one year later we embraced the challenge to cycle 525 miles over eight days from San Francisco to Los Angeles to help raise funds and increase awareness for the Arthritis Foundation.”
As a surprise, his daughter, Rachel Guinn, came along for the ride. She is now a San Francisco State University student, and joined their efforts, volunteering as they went.
Having his daughter along for the occasion meant the world to Guinn.
“Rachel tagged along all eight days, and when she would drive past, waving a cowbell, it gave me extra energy,” he said. “It was beyond amazing to see her at every rest stop. Her spirit of adventure is something I admire.”
Guinn described what it was like to finish the race after spending over 40 hours in the saddle.
“As I came across the finish line at Malibu, I was overcome with emotion and had a steady stream of tears for at least 15 minutes, seeing my wife and friends,” he said. Those tears continued, he said, as he watched other friends finish the race.
“It was an amazing experience that changed us all in so many ways,” he said.
Joining the cause the help fight America’s number one cause of disability has been especially rewarding as a physician, according to Lu.
“Personally, I see the profound and daily impact arthritis has on my patients,” he said.
This has been an amazing journey that has brought the four of us smiles, sweat, laughter and leg cramps but most of all, an amazing sense of fulfillment.”
When asked what the group hopes to do differently this year when they race again, Guinn sighed.
“We all want to enjoy the ride a little bit more,” he said. “Last year, we thought of the ride like athletes, trying to finish each leg. There is a particular ride on day 3 when you pull into the river at Big Sur. There’s a place to sit and relax with your feet in the water, and we saw people doing that but just went ahead and rode on, like we had to get to the finish. That night, people asked why we didn’t stop, drink a beer, rest, and soak in the view. I learned that this tour is a journey. Nobody cares who finishes first. It’s not a race. It’s a ride.”
Villafranco added that the deeper purpose of the race, helping those who are battling arthritis, is worth the pain of getting up those steep hills.
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“We rode because we could, and it was the right thing to do,” Villafranco said. “The CCC is such an epic cause and event because of the camaraderie derived from its 20+ year history of fundraising and support for the Arthritis Foundation. Everyone, from volunteers to participants, was so amazing they made us feel like we’ve been participating and supporting this cause for over 20 years. They were so appreciative of us and made us feel like family. It’s just such a great feeling to be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves.”
Their next ride will be held between Sept. 30 and Oct. 7 this year, and the group has but mere months to make their next goal.
“In 2023, we are looking for 75 friends or family who are willing to make a 100 percent tax-deductible donation of at least $100 to my ride,” Guinn said. “Of course, please feel free to donate more if you are able.”
To join the Ale Riders on their next adventure, or to support them in their efforts, visit events.arthritis.org.
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