'One Lap of the Bluffs' to be held Sunday

Thu October 05 2006
Posted Oct 5, 2006
4,952

Talk about a sweet ride. Christy Creme's second "One Lap of the Bluffs" Sunday morning is expected to draw bicycle riders from across the metro area as well as from Boulder, Colo., Kansas City, Iowa City, Sioux City and Le Mars to Christy Creme, 2853 N. Broadway, where they will begin the approximately two and a half hour ride around Council Bluffs on the bike trails and city and county streets. More than 60 are pre-registered and another 20 to 30 are expected to register prior to the beginning of the ride. Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan will again start the procession around the city's extensive trail system, which encircles 95 percent of the city's perimeter, including a few streets in the northeast quadrant of town, where the trails do not connect. "The riders will face only two hills of any consequence," said Dave Christiansen, the event's organizer. "They are fairly steep, but very short in duration. Mynster Springs Road, which connects North Broadway a mile north of Christy Creme to Big Lake Park, will be the first; and McKenzie, which connects Kanesville to Christy Creme by way of Simms and Spencer avenues, will be the last. The remainder of the route is on bike trails, which are all paved and relatively flat. The riders will travel in a counter-clockwise direction around the city, leaving Christy Creme at 8 a.m. Sunday. "You would not want to bike these two hills in the reverse direction," Christiansen said "because of the steepness of the both grades. Both are much easier to coast down than to peddle up." "We've been sensitive to questions people have asked about 'the bike race' (as they put it)" said Christiansen. "This isn't a race; it is merely an outing. Riders will bike at their own paces. Some will finish in less than two hours, some will take the bulk of the afternoon exploring and stopping to enjoy the wildlife and the scenery. Most will finish in about two and a half hours." The event is being held as a fundraiser. The entry fee of $35 will include an event T-shirt and lunch at Christy Creme; and the proceeds will be contributed to Back to the River, Inc., the organization raising money for the pedestrian bridge, which will connect Omaha's trails with the Council Bluffs system at mile marker 6.86 of the "Lap." The entry fee is not required, as it is on public property. Riders are asked to wear helmets and to obey all pertinent traffic laws. Police escorts will be working the route providing traffic control for the event, and three cell phone-equipped vehicles will act as "sag wagons" to provide assistance to riders if needed. Excel Sports of Boulder is expected to provide one of them; and both Xtreme Wheels and Christy Creme of Council Bluffs will provide the others. "Because this is the Midwest in the fall, we can't predict the weather any better than the media can," Christiansen said. "We will go regardless of sun, wind, rain, or snow. But, because this is the Midwest in the fall, the scenery is guaranteed to be spectacular." For more information, call Christiansen at Christy Creme, 322-2778.