On Saturday, Altadena’s Beth Bax will join thousands of other cyclists at the 15th Annual Tour de Palm Springs, an event designed to raise money for nonprofit organizations that serve their local communities.
Riders will bike different distances, ranging from 1 to 100 miles. Bax plans to cover 25 miles in her recumbent bicycle and will be one of a 13-member team that includes her 11-year-old daughter, Natalie. Her team, Beth’s Biking Beauties, will join others from across the nation to raise awareness of Friedreich’s ataxia, a debilitating genetic disorder that affects the body’s heart and muscles. Together the teams will converge as Team FARA, whose proceeds will go to the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance.
It is a cause that is especially important to Bax. The 43-year-old engineer and mother of two was herself diagnosed with the rare disorder at age 30.
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