U of I officials to join part of cross-country bike ride

URBANA, Ill. (AP) - University of Illinois administrators will join riders for part of a cross-country bicycle ride to raise money for cancer research and patient support services.

The Illini 4000 is scheduled to leave New York City on May 18. Riders will travel an average of 70 miles (113 kilometers) per day, arriving in San Francisco on Aug. 2. Many riders are affiliated with the university.

Chancellor Robert Jones and University of Illinois Foundation President and CEO Jim Moore Jr. are among the administrators who will pedal along a segment of the June 5 ride to Urbana-Champaign. They'll be raising money for the Carle Illinois College of Medicine.

On Monday, representatives of the Illini 4000 will present the administrators with bicycle gear during a noon event at the Alma Mater statue in Urbana.