The group is staging the first Relay Riders Bike-a-thon from 8 a.m. to noon at the Harold Davis Fitness Center for bike riders of all ages. They hope to attract as many people as possible to ride laps around the campus and to take part in a poker run for prizes like gift certificates and movie passes — all for a fee of $10.
Free water and sodas will be supplied to participants, and Domino’s pizza will be available for $2 per slice.
Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, but entry forms and contest rules may be picked up at the Fitness Center during the week or by calling Brandi Stewart at 816-6234 or 264-5108 or Cadet Bryant at 264-5631.
Bryant and Stewart, co-directors of the bike-a-thon, will be assisted by other members of their Relay for Life team Relay Riders. They include Terry Watkins, Gaylon Knowlton, Paige Knowlton, Freddy Olivas, Richard Cypert, Jon Green, Brendan Stanislas, Josh Nalley, Tyna Milton and Jordan Stanislas.
Stewart, who serves as education chair on the Howard Glasscock Relay planning committee, is assistant to the director at the Harold Davis Fitness Center. She has worked on Relay for the past six years in various capacities. The Forsan graduate knows first-hand the seriousness of the fight against cancer, having had surgery for a brain tumor and follow-up treatment at age four.
“I’ve gone from team captain to entertainment to door prizes to education for Relay; I know how important the money we raise is,” she said.
Co-chairman Bryant is the biking expert of the team. The Howard College English teacher is the 2007 ACA West Texas XC MTN Bike Series champion and aspires to be a professional mountain bike rider. He was unable to be present for a team “trial run” of the Bike-a-thon April 19 because he was in Tennessee at a series race. Bryant had hoped to have the bike relay as part of the 2008 Howard Glasscock Relay in May, but logistical problems prevented that and the team opted for a stand-alone event.
Getting youth riding their bikes is one of his goals. As he commented recently to Herald Sports Editor Jonathan Hull, “I was in my first bike-a-thon when I was seven or eight years old and I outlasted just about everyone in the event.”
Both Stewart and Bryant encourage anyone with a bike to enter and ride as many laps as possible. In the poker run, bikers ride to pick up cards, with the best poker hand winning the prize. For the lap ride, first-, second- and third-place prizes will be awarded. Door prizes will be given to people with special tickets.
“We hope to have a good crowd; but even if we get a small number this year, it will be a start to something we hope to grow bigger every year,” they asserted.
