The second annual Rotary Spirit Centre Ride will attract cyclists from around the region to raise money for what will be the biggest athletic facility ever built in Westlock — the Westlock Rotary Spirit Centre.
Scheduled to start at noon this Saturday, July 16, the event is tailored to riders of all ages and skill levels — beginning with the 10-kilometre loop around Rotary Trail.
“There’s also a 35km, a 50km and a 100km loop all with stations along the way for riders to rest, visit and that sort of thing,” said organizer Ted Brooks.
The long-distance riders will head west on Highway 18 toward Highway 776 where the course turns north to Linaria. Brooks said that course will see riders head to Linaria Hall and back to town, which is close to 100 kilometres.
Last summer about $8,400 was raised via the event and Brooks expects a similar result this time around. The idea for the ride came about because the Westlock Rotary Club was looking for a sports-themed fundraiser that would reflect the idea behind the Spirit Centre.
“Bicycle riders are very popular nowadays,” said Brooks. “There are a lot of people who bicycle for exercise, for sport or even for vacations. We were quite surprised with just how many people really do enjoy riding.”
Registration is open right until the day of the event and information sheets are available at the town office.
Construction at the Spirit Centre site continues and some significant milestones have been reached in recent weeks, town manager Darrell Garceau said.
Tens of thousands of square feet of concrete has been poured and more is on the way.
“There are currently 45 people working on site, which is representative of at least four trades,” he said. “Work is progressing nicely and there haven’t been any major delays.”
Most of the outer shell of the facility is up, meaning that the heavy rainfalls of late won’t cause a significant delay.
As well, most of the sub-contracts have been awarded and the last few will be handed out in the coming week, Garceau said. While the current timeline for the project remains the same, Garceau said another meeting next month will iron out any additional details.
“Probably by about mid-August we’ll get back together with Brenex and council and revisit and review what the revised schedule might be.”
