Sunday, July 1, 2012

Rooney, Drogba in L.A. to ride motorcycles

Both will be in Southern California today for the fifth annual ride to raise money and awareness for Arms Around the Child, a program that aids African and Indian orphans affected by HIV/AIDS, and Education for the Children, which works to improve educational opportunities in Central America.

Rooney, Manchester United's star forward, and Drogba, the Ivory Coast superstar who just signed with China's Shanghai Shenhua after eight years at Chelsea, are among six players from the English Premier League who will climb aboard motorcycles for a four-hour ride around town.

Queens Park Rangers winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, a former English national-teamer, is the man behind the ride, which will begin at 11 a.m. at motorcycle rental company EagleRide's headquarters in Hawthorne.

The route is not being publicized -- organizers don't want to disrupt L.A.'s notoriously complicated traffic flow -- but fans can gather from 9 to 11 a.m. at EagleRide, which is located at 11860 S. La Cienega Blvd., to greet the players and get autographs.

Also riding are Chelsea stars Ashley Cole and Salomon Kalou and Bolton defender Zat Knight. They will stop for lunch during their ride -- no particular spot has been determined -- and return to EagleRide at 3 p.m.

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