WOW8 Bicycle Ride offers four great routes for all bicycling levels

SIOUX CENTER, IOWA � Whether you�re an avid cyclist or enjoy taking a leisurely ride with your children, you�ll enjoy the eighth annual Wellness on Wheels Bicycle Ride.

The eighth annual Wellness on Wheels Bicycle Ride
is slated for Saturday, June 2. Four routes of up to
miles will be offered for WOW8.

WOW8 is slated for Saturday, June 2, as an official event of Sioux Center Summer Celebration.

The event � which is put on by Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center with the help of many great business sponsors � will offer four routes for all bicycling abilities ranging from a revamped family route to a 60-mile ride. WOW8 also will feature a brunch with breakfast pizza from Pizza Ranch, prize drawings for two youth bicycles donated by Brothers Bicycle Shop of Sioux Center and a complimentary event T-shirt.

�Our Wellness on Wheels Bicycle Ride is a popular event for bicyclists every year,� said Derrick Vander Waal, public relations officer for Promise. �Riders come from communities across the tristate area to participate in the event. Many of them return every year, and we always get many new riders as well.�

All four rides will start again this year at Children's Park in Sioux Center:

Four routes will be offered for the WOW8 Bicycle Ride
on Saturday, June 2: 60-mile paved route, 30-mile
paved and gravel routes, and a Family Fun Ride
on the Sioux Center Recreational Trail.

• A 60-mile paved route will travel through scenic southwestern Sioux County through the communities of Hawarden and Ireton. Aid stations will be located in those towns to welcome riders and rejuvenate them with Gatorade, water and snacks before heading back out on the road. The ride will depart at 6:30 a.m.
• A nearly 30-mile paved route will travel through rural Sioux County to Ireton, where one of the welcome stations will be located, before returning to Sioux Center. The ride will depart at 8 a.m.
• A 30-mile gravel route will take riders on a large loop through rural Sioux County past some interesting features and will intersect with the Ireton welcome station before returning to Sioux Center. The ride will depart at 8 a.m.
• A Family Fun Ride will take a short, leisurely ride on the Sioux Center Recreational Trail to the prairie on Dordt College�s campus � a revamped route this year. Dordt staff will offer prairie-related activities for children, and a refreshment station with beverages and snacks will be provided. The ride will depart at 9 a.m. 

�Riders always provide us great feedback on our routes,� Vander Waal said. �They enjoy the scenic beauty of western Sioux County with its rolling hills and the Big Sioux River. They enjoy the quiet county roads with relatively low traffic counts. They appreciate how well-marked the routes are.�

The Family Fun Ride will take a shorter, easier route
this year on the Sioux Center Recreational trail to the
Dordt College prairie, where prairie-related activities
will be offered. The ride will be free to participants.

Participants who register by the early-bird deadline of Thursday, May 24, will receive a discount. The cost is $25 for the 30- and 60-mile routes through that date. Prices will increase by $10 to $35 thereafter until the day of the event. A complimentary moisture-wicking T-shirt will be given to riders participating in the 30- and 60-mile rides. Participants who register by the early-bird deadline of May 24 will be guaranteed a T-shirt in their size.

The Family Fun Ride is free to participants.

�The family route not only is shorter and easier than past years, but we�re thrilled to have Dordt College biology staff participate with prairie activities,� Vander Waal said. �This will be a wonderful event for families with children of all ages.�

A meal featuring Pizza Ranch breakfast pizza will be served to all the riders when they return to Children's Park from their morning treks.

WOW8 not only will be a fun, relaxing, outdoor activity that promotes wellness, but it also will serves as a fundraiser for Promise. The health center provides a comprehensive range of health-care services to patients � with a particular focus on reaching out to underserved people and helping them overcome barriers that they face to health care.

�We have the mission of making health care accessible to all people � no matter their income level, ethnic background or life situation,� Vander Waal said. �We desire to care for the whole person, whether it be their physical condition or mental well-being. In doing so, we can help build a healthier community overall.�

The four routes for the WOW8 Bicycle Ride will start at
Children's Park in Sioux Center. The event is Saturday,
June 2, during Sioux Center Summer Celebration.

Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center serving the northwest corner of Iowa. Promise provides medical, prenatal, dental, vision, behavioral health and family planning services. To learn more, visit www.promisechc.org and watch this video. To read more Promise news, visit promisechcnews.blogspot.com.

TO REGISTER:

Bicyclists can register online for the Wellness on Wheels Bicycle Ride (WOW8) at wow8.eventbrite.com. Or, they can fill out and return a paper registration form. A form can be accessed online on Promise's webpage at www.promisechc.org, by clicking this link or by visiting Promise Community Health Center at 338 First Ave. NW, Sioux Center, IA. For more information, call Promise at 712-722-1700 or email derrick@promisechc.org.

SPONSORS:

Promise Community Health Center is bringing you WOW8 with the help of these generous sponsors: American State Bank, Peoples Bank, Northwest Bank, Primebank, Proactive Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab, Brothers Bicycle Shop, Dordt College, Iowa State Bank � Ireton Branch, Isakson Chiropractic Health, Lewis Family Drug, Mane Attraction and Sioux Center Chiropractic Wellness Clinic. The following businesses are donating materials or services to the event: Pizza Ranch, Fareway, Hy-Vee and McDonald�s.