Take a group of 22 cyclists down any South Carolina road in the July heat, and you're certain to draw attention.

With exactly that goal in mind, participants in the S.C. Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association inaugural "A Ride to Remember" closed out the second leg of their three-day, 261-mile excursion at the Hampton Inn in Orangeburg on Saturday.

State chapter board chairwoman Missy Johnson said the ride started in Simpsonville on Friday, July 24, and ended at the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in Charleston on Sunday, July 26.

"It's a cross-state ride to bring awareness to Alzheimer's disease," Johnson said. "This spotlights the need for research and the need for funding for local programming, such as our respite vouchers for caregivers. We are one of the only chapters in the country that does that. Our goal for this year's ride is $20,000, and we have raised about $12,000 now."

"We also use the money to help provide programming for families throughout the state to provide education and access to support groups," she said. "We are getting closer to preventative and curative measures. That's why there's hope and why raising the funds is so important. That's why we need the dollars now, not tomorrow."

Johnson said each rider covering all three legs of the journey was asked to raise $1,000 each. The state Alzheimer's Association also has a Web site -- aridetoremember.kintera.org -- where anyone can make a supporting donation.

Jim Johnson of Orangeburg participated in the Saturday leg from Newberry to Orangeburg. He said he thinks the event will grow and expand.

"I'm committed to helping more next year and will probably do the whole ride," Johnson said. "Other similar fund-raisers like the Tour de Cure have cut back; it used to be a two-day tour. If the Alzheimer's Association stops in Orangeburg again, I'm willing to help out."

Ashton Baker, the state chapter's vice president of development and communications, said riders shared the message with others along the route.

"Everybody's been really excited to meet us when we have been in the different towns, especially the small towns," Baker said. "When we were setting up a water stop, we had a lot of people stop by and ask, 'What are y'all doing?' The really cool part was stopping at city hall in North for lunch ... and the mayor pulled up and started talking to us. Everyone has been very receptive.

"This is our first year, so I feel like we are gaining a lot of momentum as we go through the state. There are a lot of people who want to be involved next year."

One of the event's top fund-raisers, Jane West with the Coastal Cyclists of Charleston, said she enjoyed using her passion for riding to benefit the Alzheimer's Association.

"A lot of us know people who have Alzheimer's, so it's special to us to be able to do this for them," West said. "It's good to be able to make a statement like this. Down in Charleston, I'm going to make a push to have this next year."

Missy Johnson said the sacrifice she and the other riders are making is a metaphor for what families with loved ones suffering Alzheimer's experience.

"Personally, there has been pain involved with this, but what gets me through it is thinking of Alzheimer's patients and their families," she said. "I think about families each day waking up to the challenge of watching someone losing their memory, a person that is still alive and losing a connection to them.

"I think if people can get up every morning and be caregivers, I can get through this. This is temporary. Alzheimer's is not. There are no survivors of Alzheimer's."

T&D Staff Writer Phil Sarata can be reached by e-mail at psarata@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5540. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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