She may not be Lance Armstrong, but she felt like she won the Tour de France just the same.

“When I got to the Edisto Gardens, I cried like a baby, not because I was sore but because I made it,” says Jennifer Mintz.

Mintz was one of more than 100 bicyclists who participated in the Nov. 7 ride organizers labeled the River’s Bridge Ramble. It’s the second annual cross-county ride aimed at raising money to continue a community-based gang prevention program.

Mintz said that at age 56, she wanted to accomplish several goals in her life and the bike ride was one of them.

Although she’s a five-mile-a-day rider, she’d never participated in a long-distance ride before the Ramble.

“They had to help me off my bike because I was stuck to it,” the Orangeburg woman said.

Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Chief Wendell Davis said that through donations and entry fees, the ride grossed $4,500 that will go toward Project 20/20, a community-based gang awareness and intervention program in the Orangeburg area.

Proceeds from the ride support Project 20/20 events held throughout the year, including a gang summit. At this year’s summit in September, more than 300 sixth-grade students were provided support and instructions on how to combat gang recruitment.

“I think we are well on our way to reaching our long-term goal, and that is to increase awareness of this gang involvement,” Davis said.

The ride began at the Edisto Memorial Gardens and traveled down Cannon Bridge Road into Bamberg County.

Although there were 27- and 62-mile rides, the full 100-mile ride rounded at River’s Bridge State Park near Ehrhardt.

Riders from as far away as Tennessee and North Carolina participated in a group made up of all ages, including an 80-year-old rider and his family.

Support vehicles trailed the riders and rest areas were set up along the route.

“You had hard core and recreational riders,” said Jim Johnson of the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce sports council. “The course route is really beautiful and the terrain is flat down to River’s Bridge.”

Mintz admits she was a bit intimidated by the professional look of the riders. But in spite of her baggy sweatpants and old sneakers, she wanted to do the ride.

“They had little skin-tight outfits and nice shoes,” she said. “I had on my tennis shoes.”

A dozen area businesses contributed to the effort, including Wal-Mart, GNC and State Farm insurance. With that local support in place, some see the ride becoming a much larger outlet for activity.

“I see this as going beyond our gang initiative,” Davis said. “I see it as big community event. You have short, medium and long rides that everyone can enjoy.”

Mintz certainly seems to have had a good time in spite of a particular German shepherd, losing her map and missing a turn.

“I’m going to be ready,” she said of next year’s ride. “I’m going to lose some weight and be ready for it.”

She says she may even be decked out in one of those skin-tight outfits as well.

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5516.

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