After many months of uncertainty thanks to COVID-19, the eighth annual Dean’s Ride event is finally set to happen next week.
As long as the weather holds up, riders will hop on their bicycles and hit the road with staggered starts beginning at 7:30 a.m. Sept. 12, once again starting from and finishing at the Trinkle Center at Hillsborough Community College, 1206 N. Park Road.
Riders can arrive at 6:30 a.m. to sign in, eat a light breakfast and get their packets. The four routes of 19, 39, 46 and 62 miles have been changed to give riders a tour of the Plant City countryside and strawberry fields. After the ride, participants can wind down with lunch, craft beer and music.
Proceeds from the event benefit the Plant City Family YMCA’s LiveSTRONG program, which offers free wellness services for people fighting cancer, those who have beaten it and their families. The event was created in 2013 by Dean Snyder, who fought esophageal cancer and sought a way to help others in the fight against cancer through road biking, a passion of his. Snyder himself participated in the inaugural event and it has continued since then as a way to both honor his memory and continue to accomplish his goal.
If you register now, the cost is $60 per rider and anyone participating must be age 14 or older. Visit caamevents.com or mail your registration form and entrance fee to the Plant City Family YMCA, 1507 YMCA Place, Plant City, FL 33563, to get signed up. Registration forms are available at the Plant City Y. Email Paul Conley at paul.conley@TampaYMCA.org for more information.