The 2008 version of the Tour de Belleville bicycle ride will be seeing red -- not as in losing money, but as in red shirts, balloons and banners.
Organizers revealed the color, the T-shirt design and other particulars about the event Monday at a luncheon at Outback Steakhouse in Swansea, one of the event sponsors.
The third annual recreational ride around Belleville will begin at 8 p.m. July 11, a Friday, at the Union United Methodist Church on 721 E. Main St. Riders will have a choice of 10- or 17-mile routes this year with a bailout at an earlier place. Early registration is $15.
Founder and chairman Phil Elmore said, as always, the mission is to raise money to buy safety equipment for bike riders while providing an entertaining event for families.
The 2006 ride allowed the committee to buy a speed monitor. The 2007 ride produced a couple of emergency towers for the city's bike path. This year's goal is buying flashing red and yellow intersection lights for the bike path. Each of the lights costs $24,000.
"So we need lots and lots of riders this year," Elmore said. "We get great community support. Last year we had 1,038 riders. I'm predicting well over 2,000 this year."
That would continue last year's trend of doubling the previous year's attendance.
The T-shirt design by artist Gary McCoy honors Gary Hopfinger, the retiring director of the Belleville Parks and Recreation Department, for all his work on the previous tours.
A new part of the ride will be the St. Elizabeth's Bicycle Rodeo at the hospital, a couple of weeks before the actual ride. Craig Steiner, St. Elizabeth's CEO, said the rodeo will stress safety with police, fire and hospital departments all holding activities.
Another change will have the picnic before the ride moving from the Nichols Community Center to the Union United Methodist Church parking lot where the ride also departs.
The picnic runs from 6 to 8 p.m. and is sponsored by Outback. This year Radio Disney will be on hand for performances.
The organizing committee will be holding a bicycle raffle, selling safety flags and lights and holding registration parties throughout the weeks before the ride.
For more information, or to volunteer to help with the ride, you can call the Parks and Recreation Department at 233-1416.
Wally Spiers' column runs five days a week. Have a column idea? Call Wally at 239-2506 or (800) 642-3878; or e-mail: wspiers@bnd.com
