Four senior Colorado women raced 3,014 miles from coast to coast across America in "The World's Toughest Bike Race" and beat their competition as they raised funds and awareness for the Partnership of Rural Colorado Boys & Girls Clubs.

There were three four-person all women's teams this year competing in the Race Across America; two of these senior teams. The Colorado Flash beat the other two women's teams with a time ofeight days,four hours, and 37 minutes.

Golden resident Lark Birdsong is a member of this senior women's cycle team, the Colorado Flash that has raised more than $32,500 to date for the rural youth clubs in Colorado. This donation will fund a full year of programming and supplies in an art room, or it could pay for more than 60 kids to attend a Boys & Girls Club for a year.

The Race Across America is the longest running ultra-distance bicycle endurance competition in the world. 250 competitors from 17 different countries participated in this transcontinental race. The team left Oceanside, California June 11 and raced non-stop through 15 states, finishing in Annapolis, Maryland June 19.

Lark is 57 and a first time competitor to this race. The other team members are Carol Whipple, 50 also a first time competitor to this race; Helena Harman, 50, a first time competitor to the race; and Celeste Callahan, 65 and a two-time team Race Across America finisher, including the record-holding Senior Women's Team.

The Partnership for Rural Colorado Boys & Girls Clubs provides safe and positive centers staffed with youth development professionals where kids can spend time at the clubs when they aren't in school. This partnership covers 10 different rural Organizations and 15 separate sites, serving more than 5,000 kids ages 6-18 in rural Colorado.

For more information about The Colorado Flash, please visit http://www.coloradoflash2008.com/. For more information about the Partnership for Rural Colorado Boys & Girls Clubs, please visit http://www.coloradoruralkids.org.