With just one week to go before they have to ride 508 miles through Death Valley, Bob Thunselle and Keith Frick have been loading up on carbs and taking it easier with their training.

But they haven't slowed down at all on fundraising. The Casper cyclists invite everyone to a fundraiser barbecue Sunday. And if you're feeling really supportive, you can join them beforehand for a spinning class. Both events are at Lifetime Fitness, 300 Landmark Drive, with the class at noon and lunch at 1 p.m.

So far they've collected about $54,000 toward their goal of raising $100,000 for the Ronald McDonald House in Denver, where more than a third of the families who stay are from Wyoming.

The house is an affordable home away from home for families whose children are receiving hospital care. Denver facilities have care for premature babies and children with cancer and organ transplants that Wyoming hospitals don't offer.

When the cyclists decided to go for the 508-mile ride, they wanted to make the effort about more than themselves, Thunselle said.

Since they visited the Ronald McDonald House a year ago, they've met many families in Wyoming who are grateful for the awareness. A second House is under construction and donations will go toward that project. Eventually there will be a "Wyoming" wing or kitchen in the home to honor the donations, said volunteer Connie Hirz Herrick, a former Wyoming resident whose brother Jim rides with the cyclists.

Several donors and communities have been instrumental in getting the cyclists this far, Herrick said:

* The McMurry Foundation gave $20,000, with encouragement from the Peter Nicolaysen family, who stayed at the Ronald McDonald House.

* The cyclists raised $10,000 with a 24-hour cycling kickoff event in February.

* The Cheyenne Central High School cheerleaders held a car wash and made about $1,150.

* Nick Bebout held a fundraiser in Riverton, bringing in around $8,400.

* The Torrington community including banks, radio listeners and high school football fans has raised more than $6,000, led by optometrists Grant and Lynda Jones, who also stayed at the House.

The fundraising events have usually been tied in with the cyclists' long-distance training.

"It's just been amazing to both of us meeting the people around the state that have used the House," Thunselle said. "You don't go out and do that without meeting some people that have gone through some really tough times and still are. Us going out and riding a bike is nothing compared to that."