PORT TOWNSEND — A group of bicyclists riding to raise money for cancer research are leaving Wednesday to head for Forks after they were hosted by a church in Port Townsend.
Bicyclists in the 2013 Baltimore to Seattle 70-day ride have traveled across the nation and are making a circuit of the North Olympic Peninsula before arriving in Seattle on Saturday, said Jeff Boyles of First Presbyterian Church of Port Townsend.
After coming across on the ferry from Anacortes on Tuesday afternoon, the 28 college-age cyclists were fed at a communal dinner at the church and then stayed in private homes overnight before gathering at the church to leave at about 8 a.m. today.
They planned to ride from Port Townsend through Port Angeles and on to Forks on U.S. Highway 101 in one day, Boyles said, adding that he did not know where they were staying in Forks.
A call to a rider who organized the Port Townsend stop was not returned.
After Forks, they planned to ride to Grays Harbor, then cycle back to Bainbridge Island and on to gather at about noon at a park adjacent to Pike Place Market in Seattle. The address is 2001 Western Ave.
The 4K for Cancer is a program of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults, based in Maryland.
Money is raised for various cancer research centers through donations to the website at http://tinyurl.com/n337glv.