Sonoma Man Set for 500-Mile Bike Ride to LA for Pablove Across America Fundraiser

Sonoma dad Neil Maiers, who works at Wine Country Connect in town, is embarking on a 500-mile bike ride this week from Palo Alto to Los Angeles as part of Pablove Across America, a five-year-old event to raise money for childhood cancer research. Forty riders are participating in the event in 2013.

Maiers' connection to the event dates back to his work in the music video business in Los Angeles with Pablove co-founder Jo Ann Thrailkill. He had been riding bikes since he was a kid, but the personal connection to Jo Ann’s loss of her son Pablo to cancer urged him to start cycling for a cause.

“I've never done a ride this challenging," he said. "In college I did a 2-day March of Dimes ride that was 100 miles total, and I recently did the Echelon Gran Fondo in Sonoma. I've been training throughout Sonoma (Cavedale Rd, Loval Valley, Trinity, Sonoma Mountain Road) and have recently tackled 70-plus mile rides from my house to Tomales and Point Reyes Station. As a parent, I can't even begin to imagine losing my child. I'm grateful to be able to ride in support of Pablove.”

The 411: Visit the Pablove website here and click on Donate to a Rider to find Maiers' page.