Ann Arbor's Annual 'Tour de Kids' Returns
Many of us are familiar with the Tour de Kids and many of us have personal memories from previous TdK races. My daughter's first ride without training wheels was during the Tour de Kids. (Her training wheels came off on their own in front of the law quad. Shows the importance of a good bike mechanic.)
For those of you who are unaware, the Tour de Kids was started as part of the Ann Arbor Festival of Cycling. In 1991, the sponsors asked race organizers to conduct a kids' bike race in conjunction with the adult races. Approximately 50 kids raced on Main Street before the pro race -- and the Tour de Kids was born.
By historic attendance, it's estimated to be the fourth-largest Ann Arbor-based outdoor community athletic event (such as local runs, walks and biking) and the only top event aimed for kids. From 1997 to 2000, approximately 1,000 kids, ages 3-12, raced bikes, trikes and big wheels in downtown Ann Arbor.
(for more complete review, see Ted Green's article on Mlive from which I derived the history)
Date: Sunday, June 10th, 2012
Volunteer: They are looking for volunteers at all levels, both in advance and on the day of the event. There are volunteer leadership roles, such as an overall Volunteer Coordinator, and Coordinators for Marketing, Race Staging, Course Marshaling, Rentals, Set-up, and Registration.
They'll have a Festival area with arts and crafts, music and food, which they'll need help with as well.
Sponsorship Opportunities: They can always use sponsors to help defray costs and there are various levels of sponsorship. They will put the sponsor's name in the spotlight for a very good and healthy cause.
Website: http://www.tourdekids.org
To learn more, contact Rob Pulcipher via e-mail at: pulcipher (at) gmail (dot) com.