Bike ride to aid Y, TRMC scholarship fund

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March 12, 2013

Bike ride to aid Y, TRMC scholarship fund

Anonymous Special to The Gazette The Tifton Gazette Tue Mar 12, 2013, 09:12 PM EDT

TIFTON — The Tiftarea YMCA invites you to come out and “spin your wheels” to help raise money for a worthy local cause April 6 at the fourth annual Tour de Tifton/Ilse Boyette Memorial Bicycle Ride.

The event is a fundraiser for Y programs helping youth and families in the community and also aids a scholarship fund at Tift Regional Medical Center for non-traditional nursing students.

Boyette was a German woman who married an American soldier, Henry Boyette, from south Georgia. She made the Tiftarea her home and with her husband’s help, raised two sons who graduated from Tift County schools. Late in life, she went back to school to become a nurse and served various nursing roles at TRMC.

Outside of work, Boyette was an avid cyclist, participating in Bike Ride Across Georgia (BRAG) and numerous organized rides. Her example of promoting healthy living and physical fitness in the community fit well with her nursing profession. She put her love of cycling to community service by helping organize the first Tour de Tifton charity bicycle ride four years ago and was a rider in or volunteer for the event ever since.

Boyette died last summer from cancer. This year the Tour de Tifton was renamed in her memory.

The Tour de Tifton/Ilse Boyette Memorial Ride is not a bicycle race but a scenic ride on paved roads through the rolling countryside of the Tiftarea. There will be an 11-mile beginner’s ride, 24- and 45-mile intermediate rides, a 62-mile (100km) “metric” century ride, and for those who are well prepared and up for a challenge, a 100-mile “full century” ride. Volunteers will provide refreshments at rest stops every 15-20 miles along the routes.

A post-ride pasta meal will be provided to those completing any of the routes; all pre-registered riders are guaranteed an art deco T-shirt and a signature event water bottle. Those individuals completing one of the century routes earn a special reward.

Online registration is available at www.tiftareaymca.org. You can also register at the Tiftarea YMCA at 1657 S. Carpenter Road or on the day of the event from 7 a.m.-7:30 a.m. There is a registration fee with a multi-rider discount for families. Pre-registration is encouraged, and a $10 discount is offered to those registering by March 15.

Last year’s event brought in dozens of cyclists to the Tifton community from ore than 20 cities in Georgia and Florida. The youngest rider was in elementary school, and the oldest was more than 70 years old. This year’s organizers are hoping for an even bigger turnout.

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