Some 2,000 riders participated in last year’s BRR Bike Ride to Rippey, and a similar number is expected Saturday for the 41st annual event, which is sponsored by the Perry Chamber of Commerce.
Known as the original winter bike ride, the 24-mile round-trip rolls on regardless of the weather, and BRR riders have sometimes braved freezing temperatures, bone-chilling winds and blinding snow and other times enjoyed spring-like temperatures in February.
The ride starts Saturday at 10 a.m., with registration and packet pickup beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the Hotel Pattee, 1112 Willis Ave. in downtown Perry. T-shirts and other bling will be available, and the Perry Lion’s Club and St. Patrick’s Knights of Columbus will be serving a pre-ride breakfast.
Volunteer labor is essential the success of such events, and it abounds behind the scenes in BRR, which draws wide participation from Perry’s citizens and service groups.
Work starts about 4:30 a.m., when the women of the Regina Guild start in on baking some 500 cinnamon rolls in the ovens of the St. Patrick’s School kitchen using Rita Smithson’s timeless recipe.
Manning the St. Pat’s stoves nearby are members of the Perry Lions Club, who begin cracking and scrambling about 70 dozen eggs at 6 a.m.
Downtown sees much volunteer activity, too. Inside the Hotel Pattee, the stage is set for the registered riders and booths are waiting for the Let’s Connect committee, the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association and the American Discovery Trail.
The ride itself featured many stops familiar to riders after 40 years. Rippey amenities included the East Greene Youth Fellowship’s baked potato bar, the Rippey Lions Club’s roast beef sundaes and the Rippey Volunteer Fire Department’s beer tent.
“We’ve got another huge success on our hands this year,” said Perry Chamber of Commerce President Emily Leslie. “Your serious bikers know the BRR Ride as well as they know RAGBRAI, and it’s kept Perry on the map for years. The Chamber is proud to be continuing this great tradition.”
