Suicide Awareness Ride Covers 250 miles from San Diego to Santa Barbara for 5th Year
John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Supporters on two wheels from the Central Coast are among those gathering in San Diego for a special three-day journey as part of a Suicide Awareness Ride. This is the fifth year.
Rema Raimsford-Hunt boarded a southbound Amtrak train in Santa Barbara Thursday morning at 6:50 a.m. with her bike and friend Joanna Berger from North Hollywood who also had a bike for the journey ahead this weekend.
Their next stop is San Diego to begin the official ride Friday morning with a group of about 50 riders.
“Obviously it is for suicide awareness and helping people who are struggling. I personally have had a friend commit suicide this year. I started out riding for my best friends’s niece who committed suicide,” said Raimsford-Hunt who has riden before and is now in her third year.
The ride will have two days at 100 miles each and the final day will be 50 miles.
It previously went from Santa Barbara to San Diego. This year it is the other direction.
The 3-Day SuicideAwareness Bike Ride, was founded by Victor Banales and Mike Malicdem in 2020. It was going to be a one time ride. It has created a “growing platform for survivors, supporters, and advocates to take action, build community, and speak up about mental health.”
Proceeds from the ride will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. This directly supports mental health programs for veterans. These programs provide life-saving resources such as counseling, peer support, and resilience training to help service members cope with post-traumatic stress, depression, and other invisible wounds of war.
“It is grueling. It is difficult. Everyone is so positive. If you are struggling, the person next to you will motivate you and help you along,” said Raimsford-Hunt.
Joanna Berger of North Hollywood said as she departed, “I started riding because a friend of mine knew the struggles I was going through and gave me a bike. It changed everything. I started meeting people in the community and found out about this ride.”
A special saying is also a motivator for Berger who said, “the pain that I will feel going up these hills and mountains and three days of riding my bike is nothing compared to the pain that someone had when they chose to unalive themselves.”
The ride will finish at the Santa Barbara Dolphin Fountain Sunday around 12:30 p.m. They hope to have many people there to celebrate the arrival from Port Hueneme to Stearns Wharf.
“There is cheering, there’s crying sometimes. There is a feeling pf pride and accomplishment. I think a range of emotion that comes through,” said Berger.
Afterwards the riders are invited for a reception and a meal at Jill’s Place restaurant in Santa Barbara.