Bicycle enthusiasts come together for charity

The annual Double Decker Spring Ride will be held on Saturday, Apr. 30, in conjunction with the Double Decker Arts Festival.

The Oxford Cycling Club will host the event, along with the help of the Oxford Bicycle Company and Active Oxford.

In order to allow people to participate in both the Double Decker Spring Run and the Spring Ride, the board of directors has decided to move the starting time of the ride from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

The starting line has been moved as well.

Since the 5K ends in the parking lot of Mid Town Shopping Center, the staff has decided to begin the ride there so that participants do not have to hurry to the starting line.

“We want everyone (who) wants to ride to be able to,” Ryan McCready, event director, said.

As always, the Spring Ride is a non-competitive ride that meanders throughout the back roads of Oxford and Lafayette County to the shores of Sardis Lake.

The distances of the ride routes vary greatly, but they make sure to offer a ride to every level of cyclist.

Each of the rides varies in distance, with routes of 24, 50 and 66 miles.

The staff of the Spring Ride has created a new distance in an attempt to attract more families. A 10-mile distance will be added to the agenda this year for less experienced riders.

Families are invited to bring the children and take a leisurely ride around town.

There will be a rolling team of supporters along the ride routes with snacks and refreshing drinks for tuckered-out riders.  Also, the ride offers mechanical support from Oxford Bicycle Company should a bike chain decide to break mid-ride.

However, the Spring Ride is about more than just getting out and getting active in the wee hours of the morning before the festivities of Double Decker begin.

The race is also held to help raise money for the Oxford Cycling Club and several charities around the city and state.

The Spring Ride is the Oxford Cycling Club’s main fundraiser every year.  

Since the group is a non-profit, the money made through the ride’s admission prices goes straight to its funds for other various projects and rides throughout the year. Other than helping to fund the club, a large part of the proceeds is given to charities involved with the ride.  

This year’s charities are two local animal shelters that operate on tight budgets helping animals find homes.

“I want to encourage people to come out because the ride is for a good cause,” McCready said. “It supports not only the local cycling community but the local and state community as well.”

The Spring Ride is a great opportunity for the people of Oxford and anyone else who loves a nice bike ride.

McCready believes that it is a great way to incorporate something active into the Double Decker Festival, and he couldn’t be more correct.

Registration for the ride is currently open online at racesonline.com, and late registration will take place at Active Oxford on Friday from 5:30 p.m. until 8 p.m.

If you wake up on Saturday morning and decide that you would like to ride, the staff will be doing on-site registration and check-in beginning at 7:30 a.m.

The prices for registration along with additional information can be found at oxfordcycling.org.

So get out there and enjoy a bike ride before the Double Decker festivities begin.