PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Providence Bridge Pedal event returns this Sunday, and alongside it, the start of a cross-country bike ride to raise awareness for Alzheimer's disease.

Koenraad Köllmann is bicycling from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine, in a powerful message to end the stigma.

He plans to bike more than 3,000 miles in eight weeks from coast to coast:

“I've been nervous since the day I decided to do this,” Köllmann said with a laugh.

Nervous but committed, Köllmann's bicycle journey is in support of his friend of 25 years in her recent battle with the disease. • The Providence Bridge Pedal in Portland, Oregon (file, courtesy Providence). • Tracey Collins is riding in a car alongside her bicyclist friend traveling cross-country to raise awareness for Alzheimer's. Augu

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