Wheels are in motion as the Women Against Violence Everywhere Foundation prepares to embark once again on its annual bike ride to raise awareness and funds for domestic violence victims.

This will be the seventh year for Cycle the WAVE, which brings together women cyclists from across the state to ride several routes to support the end of domestic violence.

“People don’t like to share that they’ve been in that situation or they’ve been affected by it, but I think the more awareness our ride can bring to women in Washington state and nationwide, the better the impact,” said Sharon Anderson, WAVE Foundation founder.

The ride takes place Sunday, Sept. 14, starting at Bellevue College, and participation is expected to be the greater than any other since it began in 2008. Deborah Maini, WAVE operations and fundraising director, said four routes allow women to select the degree of difficulty for their ride: Little Sister, 14 miles; Girly Girl, 30 miles; Middle Sister, 42 miles; and Burly Girl at 60 miles. Women can also elect to take spinning classes instead.

“This is a ride, it’s not a race,” Maini said. “It really brings in new riders who might be hesitant to be racing.”

Anderson said Bellevue College was selected for Cycle the WAVE to bring more awareness to students about domestic violence. There also will be agencies and support groups available to people seeking additional education.

“There’s so much sharing in these groups, where women are sharing they’re having these problems in their homes,” Anderson said.

The WAVE Foundation will continue to accept donations through September, which are then dispersed through grants to qualifying Washington agencies in October. Maini added Massachusetts was Cycle the WAVE’s first national expansion.

“We realized we needed an organization to put this all under because we’re on fire,” she said.

24 Hour National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 800-787-3224 or thehotline.org

Washington State Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-562-6025 (Voice/TTY)