The Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America has been postponed for a second time due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, ride organizers announced Tuesday.
The 26th anniversary Ride, presented by Cox Automotive, is now scheduled for Apr. 30-May 6, 2022. It was originally set for May 2-8, 2020, then first postponed to May 1-7, 2021.
The Ride will still follow the previously announced route and schedule stops across Arizona and Utah.
“We talked through every ‘what if’ scenario and tried to come up with a way to safely execute the Ride this spring, but ultimately we don’t feel we could safely make that happen,” Ride founder and NBC Sports’ Kyle Petty said in a statement.
“There is still so much uncertainty and risk with the pandemic, which is why we have decided to once again postpone the Ride, now to 2022. The health and safety of our riders and the communities we visit is of the utmost importance to us, and we simply cannot take that risk.”
The Ride raises funds for Victory Junction, a year-round camp for children with chronic and serious medical illnesses that was established in honor of Kyle’s late son, Adam Petty, in 2004.
Since the Ride’s inception, more than 8,650 riders have logged 12.4 million cumulative motorcycle miles and raised more than $19 million for Victory Junction and other children’s charities.
“I hope that we will soon be in a much better place. I’m choosing to cling to that hope and now focus on making our 2022 Ride the best it can possibly be,” Petty continued.
“The camaraderie of the riders, the beautiful scenery of our country and the mission to raise funds to send so many deserving kids to camp at Victory Junction is what the Ride is all about!”
Thank you for understanding! Health and safety are vital and none of our Riders are worth taking that risk.https://t.co/KP9UuWITJw
— KylePettyCharityRide (@KPCharityRide) January 12, 2021