More than 100 cyclists ride to support people with disabilities

Onlookers cheer riders Saturday at the second bike stop of the Ark-La-Tex Challenge ride. (Photo by Stan Shavers)
Onlookers cheer riders Saturday at the second bike stop of the Ark-La-Tex Challenge ride. (Photo by Stan Shavers)

Local and area cycling enthusiasts took advantage of the mild early spring temperatures Saturday to help physically disabled residents meet daily needs.

Bicyclists numbering at least 120 gathered at Liberty-Eylau High School to launch the seventh Ark-La-Tex Challenge ride-a fundraiser aimed at helping Texarkana Resources, a nonprofit organization, support individuals with disabilities.

Texarkana Resources Executive Director Jennifer Lewis said the school has always served as a good central launching point for riders taking the five different bike routes, especially the one that leads to the Three States marker, which sits at the Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas ground-level intersection.

Lewis said the annual route riders have enabled the organization to collect, on average, $12,000 to $15,000 during the last few years.

"One hundred percent of the funds raised always go toward helping employees train and empower our disabled residents," she said. "Besides being a good central place for our fundraiser, the high school has also been a very good community supporter for our program. Traditionally the weather has also been good about this time every year for the riders, although last year it was only 46 degrees. We usually have about 200 bicyclists come out to the event, but this year the threat of rain has kept quite a few of our bikers away."

The rain held off long enough to allow most of this year's bikers to ride back dry.

One of those riders, Lesley Thompson of Magnolia, Ark., said that while last year's event was cold, this year's weather felt just right.

"This year's temperatures proved to be a great improvement," Thompson said. "Bicycle riding is also a great way to relieve stress. I mostly like to ride with a group because we all have a common interest. I rode bicycles as a kid before I dropped out of it-then picked it up again after I got out of college. This event has allowed me to meet people as far away as Dallas. This year, I also got to do some more casual riding as well as socializing and interacting."

Apart from the riders, the annual gathering also attracted its share of volunteers, such as a group of guys from BancorpSouth's main Texarkana office. They showed up this year to cook 200 hamburgers and 100 hot dogs.

"We flipped burgers about every five minutes to keep each side evenly cooked," Anthony Pinkham said. Pinkham and fellow bankers R.J. Norris and Buck Buchanan plan to come back next year.

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