By Jill Sieder
Kids and adults will race their bikes on the streets and paths in and around Brownwood Park in East Atlanta on Saturday, September 16. The 13th-annual Brownwood Bike Rally will be another great day of cycling activities and festival fun. The event includes street bike races and a bike rodeo for kids, featuring bike safety and agility skills, “crit-cross” races for adults, a health fair, a food court, and a festival area featuring bike decorating, Zumba, a moonwalk, face painting, and a slew of family-friendly activities.
The East Atlanta Kids Club launched the Brownwood Bike Rally in 2003 to promote youth fitness through a fun biking event that is free for all kids. Each year the event has grown, drawing more youth and adult participants who compete in bike races and other fun fitness activities. The Brownwood Bike Rally remains free for all kids each year, with the help of more than 150 volunteers, and the support of several local cycling and fitness clubs and other generous event sponsors.
Sponsors and partners committed at press time included Presenting Sponsor Synovus, Software Anywhere, Metro Atlanta Cycling Club, Cornerstone Solutions, Access Insurance, Argosy, East Atlanta Pharmacy, East Atlanta Thai & Sushi, Little 5 Flyers, Park Pet Supply, Midway Pub, Earthshaking Music, Grant Central Pizza, Intown Pediatrics, Nia Massage, Set Supplies, Sopo Bike Co-Op, and Tomatillo’s.
Kids ages 5 to 15 can compete in bike races on city streets closed to traffic and lined with cheering neighbors, and the bike rodeo, held on the park’s tennis court area. At the same time, ages 16 and up have their choice of street races as well as two “crit-cross” races. Crit-cross is biked on a hybrid race course that goes through and around the park, on both street and dirt paths. Adults vie for cash prizes, while kids compete for ribbons, medals, and bragging rights. An on-site raffle offers chances for all to win prizes to local retailers and restaurants.
East Atlanta Kids Club has plenty of bikes and helmets for both kids and adults to borrow. You can pre-register at HYPERLINK “http://www.active.com”www.active.com or on-site the day of the event, Saturday, September 16, beginning at 8:00am. The event runs from 9:00am to 1:30pm. Details on the races, race schedule, volunteering and much more can be found at HYPERLINK “http://www.brownwoodbikerally.com/”www.brownwoodbikerally.com. And yes, we do need volunteers, lots of them! You can also call 404-627-8050 for more information.
The Brownwood Bike Rally and EAKC’s year-round cycling and fitness programs encourage youth to stay fit and active. The rally also highlights cycling safety for kids and adults. All net proceeds will benefit the East Atlanta Kids Club’s free after-school tutoring, mentoring and enrichment programs for promising youth from under-resourced families in southeast Atlanta.
Come show us how you roll!
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