Bike for Life 2011 to benefit UAF
The Utah AIDS Foundation announced the 2011 Bike for Life course and their goals in continuing the biking fundraiser as Saturday, Sep. 17, starting at Liberty Park in conjunction with the annual Walk for Life 2011 event.
“This is the third year for the Bike for Life,” said Larry Lee, UAF board member and Bike for Life committee member. “This year we have a great, flat, scenic route with very little traffic, and the ride is fully supported.”
According to Lee, the route will begin at Liberty Park, Saturday morning at 8 a.m., through Salt Lake neighborhoods to the Salt Lake City Airport’s south end, where “big gates” will be opened for riders to continue to Salt Air and the Great Salt Lake marina. Two distances are planned, a 25- and a 50-mile ride. The route will have rest stops and SAG vehicles to pick up riders with any problems. The end of the ride will be in the vicinity of the 9th and 9th Street Festival area.
“We just got Brent Hulme, the owner of SLC Bicycle Company to donate our on-site mechanic,” Lee said. “The mechanic will be located at the rest stop in the International Center. Anyone breaking down will be taken to this rest stop by our SAG wagons.”
Registration is $15 and riders raising $25, including the registration fee, will get a Bike for Life T-shirt that they can wear on the ride. Other incentives include a water bottle for $75 raised, a commemorative UAF cycling jersey for $100 raised, and for more than $500, an invitation to the annual UAF 500 Club Party, hosted by Gastronomy.
“The goal this year is to increase the number of riders,” Lee said. “We started the planning and advertising much earlier this year and we are hoping for 100 to 200 riders. The Bike for Life has the potential to not just be a significant fundraiser for UAF, but to remind more Utahns that HIV impacts all of us and we need to work together to combat the disease.”
For more information, go to UtahAIDS.org and click on the Bike for Life/Walk for Life links.