This morning, PeopleForBikes and 30 riders pedaled east out of Asheville, North Carolina to begin a four-day awareness and fundraising bicycle tour. The PeopleForBikes Ride on Atlanta (ROA) celebrates bike riding in the Southeast and aims to make it better.

Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, Jimmie Johnson, along with fellow NASCAR champion Matt Kenseth and Supercross rider Justin Brayton joined the group for today’s kickoff—a challenging 130-mile route between Asheville and Charlotte. Johnson, an enthusiastic road and mountain bike rider, is a proponent of cooperation and respect among all road users.

All levels of bike riders are invited to join Jimmie and the ROA on the final 15 miles from Belmont to Charlotte this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. Details on the meeting location can be found here.

Thomas Dimitroff, General Manager of the Atlanta Falcons, will ride with the group on the final day as they roll nearly 100 miles from Athens to Atlanta.

"Outside of football, bicycling is one of my greatest passions," said Dimitroff. "I believe there is so much opportunity for it to be a bigger, better and safer experience here in the Southeast."

Dimitroff and PeopleForBikes encourage the public to join them in celebration of the final 22-miles of the Ride on Atlanta. Meetup details can be found on the final roll-in event page.

The group, which also includes professional athletes, bike advocates and business executives, will pedal roughly 400 miles from Asheville to Atlanta. They will make stops in Charlotte, Greenville, South Carolina, and Athens, Georgia before arriving in Atlanta on April 2.

Created in 2011 by six-time national cyclocross champion Tim Johnson, the Ride On event series raised nearly $400,000 for PeopleForBikes' non-profit foundation that supports the development of safe, fun, convenient and appealing PlacesForBikes. The Rides showcase how bike riders and motorists can share the road, safely and easily.

Bike enthusiasts of all levels are invited to meet the riders each morning for coffee and pastries at local venues in each stopover city. Find information on Asheville, Charlotte, Greenville, and Athens send-off times and locations by clicking the hyperlinks.

Learn more at http://www.rideonatlanta.org.

To receive photography of the Ride after today's leg to Charlotte, please contact Lauren Fallert, lfallert@verdepr.com, 412-780-5000. Those seeking an on-site media contact at any leg of the ride, please contact Wendy Mayo, 510-332-9851, wendy@peopleforbikes.org.

About PeopleForBikes:

PeopleForBikes is uniting millions of individuals, thousands of businesses and hundreds of communities to make better bike riding for everyone. When people ride bikes, great things happen. Join us at PeopleForBikes.org.