NEWBERRY — The Electric Cooperative Ride Across South Carolina is a seven day, 648 mile ride with stops at 18 cooperatives.
Starting on October 25 in the Upstate, and ending in the Lowcountry on November 2, 20 cyclists will make their way through the state building awareness for heart disease and offering heart screenings to more than 2,000 electric cooperative employees.
The ride was established in memory of Brian Kelley, former president of Pee Dee Electric Cooperative, after his death from undetected heart disease. A CrossFit athlete and avid golfer, Kelley died from a heart attack in 2017. The ride, also dedicated to all cooperative employees who have been impacted by heart disease or stroke, aims to build awareness for heart disease and provide preventative education for cooperative employees.
Heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S. with more than 800,000 people dying annually. According to the American Heart Association, S.C. has the 14th highest death rate from cardiovascular disease in the country. Many of those deaths could have been prevented through early detection and education. For more information on heart disease and prevention, visit www.heart.org.
The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and Clemson University’s Rural Health Initiative will bring the statewide program, Healthy Me – Healthy S.C., to each cooperative along the cycle route. The Healthy Me – Healthy S.C. initiative will provide heart screenings and education for all electric cooperative employees. Employees will also receive access to a blood pressure screening, and body composition screening with an individualized nutrition plan.
The American Heart Association, also a statewide partner, will also be onsite providing heart and stroke education.
“We are proud to support and participate in the Ride Across South Carolina. As frontline workers critical to keep our system up and running, it is important that our employees are heart healthy. It is also an opportunity to set an example for the members we serve,” Keith Avery, CEO of Newbery Electric Cooperative, said.
The bicyclists will be coming through Newberry on October 27, beginning at Wilson’s Grocery in Pomaria around 11:00 a.m. They will come up 176, take a left on Highway 219, and turn left at CVS onto Wilson Road headed to Newberry Electric Cooperative.
2021 Electric Cooperative Ride Across S.C. route:
Day 1 – October 25 (94 miles): Blue Ridge (Pickens), Laurens/New Horizon (Laurens), Little River (Abbeville).
Day 2 – October 26 (101 miles): Broad River (Gaffney), York (York), Lynches River (Pageland).
Day 3 – October 27 (71 miles): Fairfield (Blythewood), Newberry (Newberry), Mid-Carolina (Lexington).
Day 4 – October 28 (84 miles): Berkeley (Moncks Corner), Santee (Kingstree), Sumter.
Day 5 – October 29 (85 miles): Black River (Sumter), Horry (Conway).
Day 6 – November 1 (116 miles): Central (Columbia), Tri-County (St. Mathews), Coastal (Walterboro).
Day 7 – November 2 (97 miles): Edisto (Bamberg), Palmetto (Ridgeland).