It was an invitation she gladly accepted.
Prince George resident Dorrie Sharcott will be in her saddle for the first day of the Livestrong Texas 4000, an annual bike ride from Austin, Tex., to Anchorage, Alaska. The ride covers nearly 4,700 miles and raises money for cancer research.
The cyclists are all University of Texas students. Every year, they ride together on the first day from the Cedar Park area of Austin to Lampasas, Tex. After that, they split into two groups for the trek north. One group follows a path that takes it through the Rocky Mountains and the other goes through the Sierra Mountains of Nevada and then up the west coast. Eventually, both pedal through Prince George.
Since 2005, the second year of the Texas 4000, Sharcott has been a welcoming face for the groups when they stop here. Among other things, she has organized potluck dinners and overnight accommodations. In a show of appreciation, Texas 4000 alumni riders asked her to be part of this year's opening day, called The Atlas Ride.
The 46-year-old Sharcott has never before participated in the actual ride so she's thrilled about getting the chance to turn her wheels this year.
"It's going to be pretty cool," said Sharcott, who will receive help from Texas 4000 alumni to cover her trip expenses. "I'll get to reconnect with the alumni, join up with the two groups and meet some of the families that have supported riders in the past.
"I'm humbled by the alumni to put it out there," she added. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be riding with them. They always invite me to ride with them to Bednesti or Vanderhoof or whatever and I always think, 'I'm not even in shape to keep up with you guys.'"
Sharcott, an avid cyclist, is scheduled to fly to Austin next Tuesday and will ride on June 2. There will be three different routes to Lampasas -- 25 miles, 50 miles and 70 miles -- and she'll probably take the shortest one. That way, she'll get to the finish line in plenty of time to enjoy the camaraderie and festivities at the end.
Sharcott has been given a Cops for Cancer jersey by the Canadian Cancer Society and will wear it while on the road to Lampasas.
"I want to promote our Canadian fundraising," she said. "I'll be riding alongside with all these burnt orange Texas 4000 jerseys and I'll be in my Cops for Cancer jersey. Maybe people will start talking about it and stuff."
Texas 4000 riders -- who range between 19 and 26 in age -- will cover 70 to 100 miles per day and will have seven rest days built into their schedules. The slogan for the ride is "Fighting Cancer Every Mile." Last year, riders raised $330,000 for cancer research.
The Rockies group is slated to arrive in Prince George on July 15 and will take July 16 as a rest day. On July 17, the riders will get back in gear, heading toward the next rest stop, Whitehorse. The Coastal group, meanwhile, is scheduled to reach Prince George on July 28 and will then ride one more day before traveling by vehicle to Whitehorse, where it will rendezvous with the Rockies group. From there, everyone will ride together to Anchorage.
This year, 43 riders were chosen from a Texas 4000 applicant list of 300. Each cyclist must log 1,500 training miles and raise a minimum of $4,500 in advance of the ride.
