Cyclists thrilled by ride of a lifetime

By: ALEXANDRA DELUCA - For the North County Times | Sunday, November 20, 2005 9:07 PM PST ∞

OCEANSIDE ---- Several lucky cyclists had the ride of a lifetime Sunday ---- cruising up and down the coast with U.S. cycling star and Tour de France rider Floyd Landis.Ý

The cyclists won the honor of riding alongside Landis during a live auction at a fundraiser for Canine Companions for Independence in June.ÝÝ

"When I went to the event, I was planning to give something," said George "Jeep" Rice, a cycling enthusiast and Canine Companions volunteer who won a bike ride with Landis for himself and five friends with a winning bid of $9,000. Ý

"There was no limit to how high I was going to go," said Rice. "Floyd is kind of a God to people who bike."Ý

When Rice was declared the winner, Graham Parry, husband of Canine Companions board member Pauline Parry, and his cycling partner Jennifer Royce offered to match Rice's bid in exchange for two of the six spots on the bike ride. Parry and Royce each paid $4,500, bringing the total to $18,000.ÝÝ

"We doubled the amount that (Canine Companions) got, which really was the most important part," said Parry. Ý

Landis said he was flattered when he heard how much was raised for the honor of riding with him.Ý

"Maybe they had a lot to drink (before bidding)," he said, laughing. Ý

Rice, Parry and Royce, all avid cyclists, said they had been counting the days until their ride with Landis. Ý

"For six months we've been looking forward to it," said Rice. "Half the fun was the anticipation."Ý

Sunday's ride began at the Encinitas home of Canine Companions development associate Davielle Huffman.

The eight cyclists were treated to breakfast before starting their ride. Huffman and her husband are friends of Landis, which is how the ride came about.Ý

After breakfast, the group biked up Coast Highway and over to Canine Companion's headquarters on Rancho del Oro Drive in Oceanside, continued on to Camp Pendleton, then rode back down to Encinitas for a celebratory dinner at the Huffmans' house.ÝÝ

Despite the hot weather, the group was in good spirits as they arrived at the Canine Companions facility around noon. Ý

"It was good, it was a beautiful day," said Landis. Ý

"It was very nice," said Parry. "Floyd's a great guy. It's a privilege to be able to ride with someone who finished ninth in the Tour de France. I saw a few people gawking at us."Ý

"It's like a once-in-a-lifetime thing," said Royce. "It was more of a social ride, not competitive at all. It was a very pleasant way to spend the day."Ý

At Canine Companions, Huffman explained to the group how the facility provides highly trained assistance dogs for people with disabilities, and thanked them for their donation. Since the facility receives no government funding, Huffman said "things like this today are huge for (the facility)."

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