Women Outnumber Men In charity:water 2020 Cross-Country Fundraising Quest

Nearly a decade after a five-man team cycled from coast to coast to raise money for charity:water, the nonprofit has unveiled a bold, three-pronged cross-country strategy for 2020 — with its female members out-numbering the men.

Year Eight of the Ride for Water initiative will feature one team of seven males departing from Bodega Bay, Calif.; a team of six females starting in Cannon Beach, Ore.; and a third team of five females launching from Westport, Wash. Eleven of the 18, including seven women, will ride; the other seven members will serve as drivers.

Although the nonprofit has not yet revealed the detailed 2020 routes, if history holds, the teams will converge around Chicago, and ride in unity across the midwest to the organization’s headquarters in Manhattan. From 2016 to 2018, the Ride included a male team and a female team; 2019 saw a unified team ride together, coast to coast.

The nine-person 2019 Ride for Water team included five males and four females, including two female riders. Their ride spanned 3,437 miles over 52 days, according to the official website.

Sixteen of this year’s 18 team members hail from California; the other two come from Washington state. Here are the teams (riders marked with *):

California route (starting in Bodega Bay, CA):

^{Ben Gildea* - Stockton, CA}

^{Bryan Jow - Garden Grove, CA}

^{Kenny Ledesma* - Lakewood, CA}

^{Matthew Mendoza* - Long Beach, CA}

^{Andy Plascencia - Gilroy, CA}

^{Daniel Quon - Palos Verdes, CA}

^{Jacob Tanis* - Lakewood, CA}

Oregon route (starting in Cannon Beach, OR): 

_{Nina Dykes* - Glendora, CA}

_{Sydney Grove* - Walnut Creek, CA}

_{Ellie Howard* - Rancho Santa Margarita, CA}

_{Rachel Ingram - Lafayette, CA}

_{Jazmine Itzep* - Rialto, CA}

_{Katey Hickenbottom - Sacramento, CA}

Washington route (starting in Westport, WA):

^{Hannah Peterson* - Anchorage, CA}

^{Shelby Thompson* - San Jose, CA}

^{Senna Larson* - Olympia, WA}

^{Jenna Brouwer - Lakewood, CA}

^{Reilly Dixon - Bothell, WA}

Ride for Water has raised more than $350,000 since 2013; this year, the group has set a collective goal of $100,000. Donations can be made at RideForWater.com.