LIVESTRONG "Bike to the Ball Park" a big Success!

Sun May 13 2007
Posted May 13, 2007
13,072

Today marked the first annual Cityview's LIVESTRONG ride and "Bike to the Ball Park" in Des Moines. With pristine weather conditions, 500 cyclists took off from Water Works Park in Des Moines Sunday morning at 10 am to raise awareness for the Lance Armstrong LIVESTRONG Cancer Foundation and showcase downtown trails and entertainment opportunities.

A sea of YELLOW was seen as cyclists biked the 4.5 mile leisure ride through Gray's Lake and onto the Meredith Trail and ending at Principal Park to take in the afternoon I-Cubs game. Each cyclist was given a bright Yellow LIVESTRONG T-shirt along with an I-Cubs ticket and food voucher for $10. Cyclists got to ride their bicycles around the outfield and then pose for photos before parking and having a quick lunch before the game started.

The "Commuter of the Year" and "Advocate of the Year" were announced before the opening pitch.

Commuter of the Year - Jeff Mertz - After he began commuting 2 years ago, Jeff has lost over 70 pounds and is admittingly a "changed man". He commutes 3-4 times a week 25 miles one way from Waukee to Meredith in downtown Des Moines. Jeff has also been racing this season with DMOS and is a member of the Waukee City Council. With Jeff's busy schedule he still manages to commute daily.
Advocate of the Year - Carl Voss - In the last 3 years, Carl has become involved with many successful bicycling projects in Des Moines. Carl has a knack for making the right contacts and turning dreams into reality. A few of the projects include: Bike racks on buses, Share the Road bus, "real" Bicycle lanes, Liberty Station bicycling parking, a Bike Rack program and is constantly working to get Des Moines designated a "Bicycle Friendly Community" by 2008.

CONGRATULATIONS to Jeff and Carl for making a difference, changing lives and making Iowa a better place to ride!

A special THANKS goes out to Bill Throckmorton from Bike World and Rebecca and Shane from Cityview. You all sure know how to make an inaugural event successful! LOTS more photos will be posted soon! More about the event can be found here.