News Details (Posted: October 3, 2006):

CYCLISTS RIDE TO BATTLE CHILDHOOD OBESITY

Full Description:

16th Annual “Tour de Farm” Charity Bike Ride on October 21

With a greater percentage of American children obese now than ever before, Arizona cyclists are gearing up to raise money to support wellness programs and model healthy exercise habits.

The 16th Annual “Tour de Farm” bicycle ride is expected to be one of the largest rides in Arizona. The annual event usually attracts more than one thousand cycling enthusiasts from around the country.

The ride begins and ends at the Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale on October 21. With four routes of varying lengths (10, 34, 43 and 63 miles), the “Tour de Farm” allows for families and casual riders to enjoy the ride as much as serious cyclists.

Cutting through the farm areas along Estrella Mountain Ranch, Rainbow Valley and Buckeye, the “Tour de Farm” includes a buffalo ranch and a rose farm. The courses were designed by Eric Laubach, who also designed the original “Tour de Farm” path.

Proceeds from the ride support H3O4 Charities. H3O4 promotes nutrition education and exercise opportunities for children that are at-risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and high blood pressure. H3O4’s “Give a Bike, Change a Child’s Life” program is a 12-week after school program that provides bicycles and fitness information to fifth and sixth grade students from low-income families.

Online registration for the ride is available at www.tourdefarm.com. For a limited time, captains who sign up a team of ten or more riders will receive a gift certificate worth $20 from DineSmart, courtesy of LunchClub.com. The team captain who registers the largest team will receive an additional $100 worth of gift certificates on the day of the ride.

More information on the “Tour de Farm” is available at www.tourdefarm.com. For details about H3O4 and “Give a Bike, Change a Child’s Life”, visit h3o4.org.