An Arkadelphia dentist recently presented CARTI Foundation officials with a check totaling $2,000 representing funds raised while participating in a cross-country ride for antique motorcycle enthusiasts this past September.
Dr. Scott Byrd was one of 93 cyclists from nine countries selected to ride in the 2016 Motorcycle Cannonball Run, a coast-to-coast journey across the United States in which participating motor bikes are required to be a minimum of 100 years old.
Byrd and his fellow riders traveled a total of 3,306 miles over the course of 16 days, leaving from Atlantic City, NJ and finishing at Carlsbad, CA.
Riding his own 1916 Harley Davidson twin cylinder motorcycle named “Gypsie,” Byrd became the first – and to date, the only – Arkansan to participate in the Cannonball Run. According to Byrd, the oldest vehicle in the 2016 run dated back to 1904.
Dedicating his cross-country ride to raising awareness for breast cancer, Byrd collected the signatures of breast cancer survivors nationwide as he made his way across the country during the ride.
Byrd selected CARTI as the beneficiary of his fundraising efforts in part due to his familiarity with the organization’s annual CARTI Tour de Rock bicycling event. His donation will specifically benefit the CARTI Patient Assistance Fund and the new CARTI Patient Resource Center that offers a number of programs and services specific to breast cancer patients.
Rodney’s Cycle House in Little Rock sponsored Byrd in the Cannonball Run.