Brownwood Bike Rally and Run Rolls on May 14

By Jill Seider
The 8^th annual Brownwood Bike Rally & Run will be held on Saturday, May 14, in East Atlanta, from 8:00am to 2:00pm. The rally features bike races and a 5K run/walk for kids and adults on the streets and trails in and around Brownwood Park. The event also includes a bike safety rodeo, a health and fitness fair, a moonwalk, crafts, and other fun activities for the whole family. All kids race for free.
Proceeds benefit the East Atlanta Kids Club (www.eastatlantakids.org), an after-school program for promising youth in southeast Atlanta. The Kids Club offers tutoring and a year-round cycling and fitness program that provides kids with bikes and hands-on road skills training, led by coaches from Tri-Kids, Inc. and Metro Atlanta Cycling Club.
The 5K Run/Walk begins at 8:00am and follows a new, less steep route through East Atlanta. At 9:30am the cycling events begin, starting with the bike rodeo and street races for kids. Next are street races and cyclo-cross races for adults.
Races for children will be a 1/2 mile to 1 mile long and broken into age categories: 5-7, 8-11, and 12-15 years old. The Fun Race for adults (16 and up) will be 1 mile long. Medals and ribbons will be awarded to all children who place first, second or third in their age groups.
All children and adults who participate will receive an event T-shirt. Medals, ribbons, and cool prizes will be awarded to overall and age group winners for the bike and running races.
The Cyclocross-Track Criterium races (one for beginners, another for intermediate and advanced cyclists, men and women) will last 15 minutes plus one lap and 30 minutes plus 3 laps, respectively. All street races will be on the streets around the north end of Brownwood Park, a half-mile course that will be closed to vehicular traffic. The Cyclocross-Track races will also include a loop on the dirt trail that runs through the south end of Brownwood Park. Medals and cash prizes will be awarded in all adult race categories.
Back this year is the team competition. Youth and adults on teams of five or more people will compete in races and/or volunteer individually, while earning team points. The team with the most points at the end of the day will receive an award. So will the person with the Funkiest Bike!
The health and fitness fair will feature free health screenings by local medical providers and also great info about Atlanta cycling and fitness groups.
On-site registration at the park (602 Brownwood Avenue, SE, Atlanta, GA 30316) will begin at 7:00am. The rally is free for kids and $10 to $25 for adults. Bike race and 5K participants are strongly encouraged to register for racing at www.active.com to ensure your spot.
The rally will also highlight cycling safety. All bikes must be in safe, working condition, and all riders must wear helmets. East Atlanta Kids Club, which is hosting the rally, will lend bikes and helmets to children and adults who do not have them.
Sponsors of the 2011 Brownwood Bike Rally & Run at press time included Metro Atlanta Cycling Club, REI Foundation, Gilyard Group, Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, Sopo Bike Co-Op, TriKids, Inc., Triple Play Foundation, and City of Atlanta Dept. of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs.
The Brownwood Bike Rally and Run is presented by and benefits the East Atlanta Kids Club. For more information on racing, volunteering, or supporting this event, please visit www.eastatlantakids.org or contact Jill Sieder at 404-627-8050 or jsieder@eastatlantakids.org.