By Neto Baptiste
Leisure and competitive cyclists alike will be given the opportunity to get back onto the bike, literally, when on Sunday, the Road Runners Cycling Club hosts its Island Provision Ltd (IPL) 10/10 Family Fun Ride starting 7:30 am at the IPL parking lot.
One member of the Road Runners Cycling Club, Alistair Savoury, explained that the event is geared towards participation and will target riders in different bike categories.
“Ten-ten is 10 miles or 10 kilometers, so you have a choice and if you come on a road bike we have got a 10-mile circuit lined up for you, but if you come on a mountain bike we’ve got a 10 kilometers circuit lined up for you. So it’s a 6.2 miles or 10 miles because, generally, mountain bikes are a little bit heavier and there is a bit of off road riding,” he said.
“The circuit will start from Island Provision Ltd car park and we have a cap of 100 participants on this event but we have worked out a system where we are going to break them into groups of 20 with a chaperone and they will be set off at 10 to 15 minute intervals,” he added.
Savoury said participants will be given ample time on the road to get the juices pumping and hopefully rekindle their drive for the sport.
“From IPL, up Airport Road or the Sir George Walter Highway to ABIIT; we then turn left past ABIIT up to AUA along the Jabberwock stretch, through Hodges Bay and then we come down Old Popeshead Road just after Cedar Grove and then back down to Judges Hill, Cassada Gardens and then back to IPL,” he said.
“The mountain bike circuit actually spears off at the top of Firestone stretch where there is a road that cuts through to the back of New Winthorpes, so we will be using that dirt road for the mountain bikers and to shorten the circuit,” Savoury added.
The cyclist said Sunday’s event is part of an ongoing drive by the club to encourage participation across a number of disciplines.
“We have been doing a lot of events over the last few months with a three-partner group which includes Rory Butler and Hurricane Force Athletics Club with a lot of them being swim or hike oriented because our club is very proactive in these fields. But we felt it was time to really get people to dust off their bikes because there are more bikes on the road like never before and we are a very inclusive club so we are trying to get people mobilised and get them on the roads,” he said.
Registration for Sunday’s event is $20 per adult and $10 per child under the age of 10 and can be done on the morning of the race at the IPL parking lot. Potential participants can register by going to the Road Runners Cycling Club Facebook page.