by Abby Palmer

STAFF WRITER

The second annual Bike2Bike Ghost Town Century Ride will take place this Saturday across Tooele County. Proceeds from the ride will be donated to Valley Mental Health's New Reflection House in Tooele.

The ride is not a competitive event, said Bob Kinney, Bike2Bike director.

"It's a recreational ride," he said. "Not a race."

Participants will include hard-core riders, families and even scouts trying to earn a bicycling merit badge.

The ride will begin with preregistration Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Valley Mental Health building at 100 S. 1000 West, said Reed. There will also be registration Saturday morning beginning at 6:30 at the Deseret Peak Complex. All riders must be on the road by 8:30 a.m.

Registration for adult riders is $55, tandem teams is $100 and children under 16 is $35. There will also be a barbecue celebration at the end of the ride that is $14 per person, and you don't have to be a rider to enjoy the barbecue.

Registration includes the ride, a T-shirt, on-road support, equipment drop off and pick up, an event pin, entry into an end-of-ride raffle and six food and rest stops throughout the ride. The six stops are the start and finish at the Deseret Peak Complex, the Stockton Fire Station, Ophir town, lunch at Fairfield, Faust, lunch at Rush Valley and the Old Mormon Trail.

The ride begins and ends at the Deseret Peak Complex with two distances, said Kinney.

"About 75 to 80 percent of the riders will be doing the century course," he said.

The century course will start at Deseret Peak Complex with stops in Stockton, Ophir, Fairfield, Faust and Rush Valley, he said.

"The riders will ride up to Fairfield and then turn around and head to Faust," Kinney said.

The course for the 50-mile ride will also begin at Deseret Peak Complex with stops in Stockton, Ophir, Faust and Rush Valley, Reed said.

"There will be volunteers from the clubhouse at all the stops except Faust and the Old Mormon Trail," he said. "These volunteers will explain about the clubhouse while the riders rest."

At last year's event there were about 300 riders and $3,500 was raised, Reed said.

"We're hoping for a better turnout this year," he said. "Last year it was freezing so hopefully we'll have better weather, and more attend this year."

Kinney said they are expecting about 400 riders this year.

Since the ride is not a race, prizes will not be given out for winners. However, there will be a raffle at the end of the ride. Raffle prizes will include mostly bike equipment, Kinney said.

New Reflection House is a psychosocial rehabilitation program for adults with severe and persistent mental illness. Funds from the race will be used to help the program expand facilities and services, according to Reed.

For more information about Bike2Bike or New Reflection House contact Matt Reed at 882-4845.

apalmer@tooeletranscript.com