Pro and amateur bikers alike suited up to raise money at the 10th Annual Inlet Challenge to benefit child protection agency Kids in Distress.
"What we do is we have a shelter," said Jennifer Homan of Kids in Distress. "we do foster care, pre-school, we have aftercare, we have summer camps we have a dental and eye clinic we're very excited about, but most of all what we're doing is prevention services"
Kids in Distress helps abused and neglected children in Broward and Palm Beach counties. It runs a shelter in Wilton Manors that houses up to 24 kids ages 14 and under, and transitions them into foster care or relatives' homes.
"Having two kids of my own and knowing how important it is to have a supportive family, Kids in Distress is a great cause and we want to help children that don't have the necessary same support that we have," said participant Heather Mann.
1,000 bikers took off from Bahia Mar Beach Resort early Sunday morning in Fort Lauderdale beach for a 15 to 100 mile ride along A1A up to West Palm Beach.
"It's for a good cause, but I think today will also be a physical test with the wind," added participant Sophy Englund, who strapped on for a 62.5 mile ride.
There were no race times to beat, just medals to collect in the end - a reminder of the dozens of families and children they helped support.
"I'm a big family person myself, living in Miami now I'm pretty far from home," said particiant Kurt Wagner. My family's back in Ohio, so I don't get to see them that often, but as anyone else will probably tell you they're number one."
Last year the ride raised $140,000. This year, bikers brought in just under $200,000. You can still donate to help Kids in Distress reach its goal by visiting www.kidinc.org.
