A call to ride for two good causes was answered recently by Team WTB/Fox/Santa Cruz at Levi Leipheimer’s King Ridge GranFondo ride on Saturday, Oct. 3. Mark Weir and Jason Moeschler joined thousands to give back in support of both the cycling and local communities.

“It wasn’t easy to complete my first 100-mile ride this year post Interbike, a time when I usually hit rock bottom,” Moeschler explained. “But it was a good cause and a great challenge to myself just to see if I could finish.”

Leipheimer’s 103-mile ride proved to be a day of intense riding for the team with more than 8,000 feet of climbing along the picturesque vineyards and orchards of the region and rugged Pacific coastline—a common sight for area residents and tourists to see along the road. What’s not-so-common to see on this stretch of road are the likes of Weir, Moeschler, Kenny Burt, and even Brian Lopes, to name a few of the group of pro mountain bike riders who turned out for the day’s event along side 3,500 participants.

“It was really cool to have the whole group of WTB riders around to carry the pace we wanted to ride and that kept it fun,” Moeschler explained. He added that the highlight of the ride was having Brian Lopes there. “I was pretty impressed to see Lopes finish a 100-mile ride when the guy makes a living finishing one-minute races. He was one of the strongest guys in the group.” Riding Jamis Xenith road bikes, equipped with WTB’s new Valcon saddles, Weir and Moeschler survived the grueling day on the road, and look forward to more exceptional events such as this to assist in their continued fitness training.

Funds raised through the ride will go towards the $175,000 needed for Santa Rosas’s bid to host a leg of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California. Proceeds will also benefit The Humane Society’s Forget Me Not Farm , a local charity that nurtures relationships between abused and neglected children and animals.