By KELLY WILSON
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
Last year, the Friends of the Trails group added a 62-mile route to its annual Bicycle Fun'd Ride, which raises money for the organization's projects and promotes the development of biking and walking trails in Quincy.
This year, they're changing the bike routes and adding a route for walkers.
"The first year (2006) we didn't really have any specific expectations. We just wanted to promote Friends of the Trails, to promote using trails and highlight what we've done in the community," said Becky Woodward, a member of the organization.
"We expanded it last year, adding the 62-mile metric, which attracted a lot more riders, the serious type of riders," she said. "People were asking for different routes and variation in the length of the rides. We tried to accommodate them, and even added a walk this year."
About 160 people participated in the bike ride last year, Woodward said.
The third annual event will take place Aug. 23, with routes starting and ending at Wavering Park.
The event features four routes for bicyclists -- 5-mile, 15-mile, 39-mile and 62-mile -- and a 5K, or 3.1-mile, route for walkers.
Woodward said the 5-mile ride is an easy route tailored for families, while the other three routes are for more seasoned riders. The 15-mile trek will take riders to Madison Park and the Illinois Veterans Home; the 39-mile route will go to the Mendon and Marcelline areas and back; and the longest ride will go to the Quincy Regional Airport, Loraine, Mendon and Marcelline areas and back.
The walker's route will be in Wavering and Moorman parks.
Start times are staggered to ensure participants get back to the park at about the same time. Start times are 6-6:30 a.m. for the 62-mile ride; 8-8:30 a.m. for the 39-mile ride; 10-10:30 a.m. for the 15-mile ride; 10:30-11 a.m. for the 5K walk; and 11-11:30 for the 5-mile ride.
Riders and walkers will stop at five checkpoints along the way to pick up cards -- and on the return to the park, the participant with the best poker hand in each category will win a prize.
Prizes are $75 for first place, $50 for second place and $25 for third place in each category. All of the entrants will receive a chance to win a grand prize, a family fun pack.
Participants will enjoy a pasta lunch when they're finished, from 11:30 to 3:30 p.m.
"The routes are marked in bright colored paint, so it shouldn't be a problem about getting lost," Woodward said. "We also have a volunteer, the last rider, to make sure nobody's going to be left out on the routes. We have a SAG (Support and Gear) vehicle if they need to be picked up or if they have a flat tire."
All auto support ends at noon and poker cards need to be turned in by noon.
Entry fee is $20 for singles; $12 for children under 14; and $50 for families of three or groups up to five. Entry fee includes lunch and a T-shirt.
Registration forms are available online at www.friendsofthetrails.org or at the Madison & amp; Davis Bicycle Shop, 912 S. Eighth. Participants also can register the morning of the event.
For more information, call Woodward at the Adams County Health Department, 222-8440, ext. 149, or the Madison & amp; Davis Bicycle Shop at 222-7262.
-- kwilson@whig.com/221-3391
