去年9月，因主演电影《我嫁给了一个杀人斧》、福克斯电视剧《最后一个人》、Netflix获得金球奖的电视剧《科明斯基方法》而闻名的女演员南希·特拉维斯(Nancy Travis)从旧金山骑自行车前往洛杉矶，以支持关节炎基金会。
“能有多难呢?”在2018年3月报名时，这位57岁的意气风发的女演员问自己。“I read about theCalifornia Coast Classicin a magazine once, and thought, ‘Wouldn’t that be a cool thing to do?’” she recalls. “Plus, my mom suffered tremendously from rheumatoid arthritis, so I had a personal reason for wanting to do the ride. It was such a bonus that I could do this amazing thing and fundraise for the Arthritis Foundation at the same time.”
The goal of the annual bicycle tour is to raise over $1 million for the Arthritis Foundation. Funds raised help bring life-changing tools and resources to people living with arthritis; provide support to the 300,000 kids and teens with arthritis through the National Juvenile Arthritis Conference, JA camps and other educational activities; accelerate the path to better treatments and a cure; and break down barriers to optimal arthritis care.
Nancy had just a couple of challenges after registering for the 525-mile trip: She didn’t own a bike or ride regularly!
Shannon Marang Cox, ride director of the California Coast Classic (CCC), provided a helping hand. “Once I registered, Shannon gentled me into it,” Nancy says. “She answered all my questions, helped me connect with my local Performance Bicycle shop and introduced me to a CCC training ride in my area.”
Performance, which helped the Arthritis Foundation by promoting the California Coast Classic throughout their stores last year, outfitted Nancy with a Fuji bicycle and all the necessary gear, and the community of CCC veterans welcomed her — both online and in person.
“I joined a CCC training ride, and the people I met helped me learn to ride on the road and gave me lots of helpful advice, like why I should switch to clipless pedals,” she says.
从旧金山的渔人码头出发，为期八天的加州海岸经典自行车之旅环绕着加州美丽的海岸线。它的乘客是完全支持的，这意味着他们的行李和设备是由一个停一个停，而他们每天骑在一个明确的路线上，按照自己的节奏。晚上，骑手们可以在营地里一起享受美食，还可以选择睡在帐篷里或附近的酒店房间里。
The daily distance of the CCC ranges from 50 to 85 miles, and there are food and water stations strategically placed along each day’s route, staffed by cheering and helpful Arthritis Foundation volunteers. If riders have mechanical problems, want a ride up a hill or just feel too tired to keep riding, people driving support vans, called “sag vehicles,” provide assistance or transport them.
Participating in the ride helped Nancy pay tribute to her mother, Theresa, who was diagnosed with RA before she was born. “My mom lived in chronic, excruciating pain,” Nancy says. “Her arthritis was severe and debilitating, and she eventually lived in a wheelchair because her spine collapsed. There was a lot we could not do as a family, like go on a simple bike ride together. People with arthritis need support. It’s a chronic disease with no cure, no respite.”
While grinding out the miles of the CCC, Nancy thought about her good fortune in being healthy enough to ride a bike and enjoy the outdoors — but it’s still a big challenge to ride 525 miles.
她回忆道:“我确信我能完成第一天的工作。”“我对第八天的情况不太确定!”但我发现自己不断地抬起头，看到这些令人惊叹的景色，让我不断地前进，一次又一次。”最后，南希骑着自行车完成了加州海岸经典赛的每一英寸，从来没有使用现成的辅助车辆。
Aside from the scenery, another secret to Nancy’s success was becoming friends with other CCC riders. She found that she didn’t ride the same pace as some of the people she’d met originally, but by the second day, she ended up riding with two other women, and they quickly bonded and spent the rest of the week riding together.
“Everyone I met on the ride was very friendly and helpful. They were super welcoming,” Nancy says. “You really get to know people when you’re riding together for hours. We would talk and laugh and share our life stories. My advice to anyone who’s considering this ride is, ‘You can do it, and it will be a highlight of your life!’”
南希计划再次乘坐加州海岸经典赛，但她的拍摄日程将阻止她在2019年回归。In the meantime, she has continued to support the Arthritis Foundation as an honorary committee member of the 39thannualChampions for a Cure Gala, which will be held this October 27 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.