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Cycling for Change riders pass through Nevada
By Rusty Murry
Nevada Daily Mail
If you were up and on the streets of Nevada before 7 a.m. on Tuesday, you may have seen a crowd of brightly-clad bicyclists heading south on Main or Ash streets in Nevada. The group of about a dozen cyclists spent Monday night in Nevada, stopping off on their way to Joplin to raise money and help with ongoing tornado relief efforts.
The riders are part of the Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph Cycling for Change program. It's the group's goal to reduce poverty "one mile at a time."
The 13 riders are accompanied by several support personnel and vehicles, according to Catholic Charities' communication and marketing manager Kathie Conwell. The entire group was hosted in Nevada by St. Mary's Catholic Church. Monday evening, the church's youth group prepared a pasta dinner for the athletes and the parish allowed them all to sleep in the multi-purpose building. All of the money raised will go to Joplin relief, Conwell said.
The riders wanted to get an early start for Joplin, so they decided to be on their bikes and moving by 7 a.m. The Nevada Bike Club provided a continental breakfast for riders and support personnel and after a prayer by Stephen Belt of St. Loius, Mo., the group left the church with Nevada cyclist Frank Briscoe riding along.
Cycling for a Change riders each had to raise $1,000 to participate in the ride. Most had sponsors paying by the mile, according to supporter Suzanne Cronkhite. Much of the logistic and support work has been done by what Cronkhite called "super fabulous volunteers." The group had a professional photographer and videographer traveling with them for proper documentation. Conwell noted that the charities' largest corporate sponsor was the Inergy liquid propane company of Kansas City, Mo.
Their direction of travel is dictated largely by where the group has the hospitality of others.
The day's route was laid out on Monday night by Belt and it went south of Nevada, west to 43 Highway and back to the east again, in an effort to keep riders off 43 Highway. Belt said a four- inch shoulder isn't much to ride on. The riders, several busloads of people from Kansas City, and anyone who wants to join them will spend most of today working in Joplin.
After leaving Joplin, the riders will take a round about route through Stockton, then north to Holden before finishing the 500 miles in Kansas City this weekend.
Cyclists were Carol Beckel, Stuart Bintner, Troy Cronkhite, Tom Dillion, Jacque Kelly, Dana Meier, Steve O'Neill, Sam Otto, Dave Schmidt, Sam Swearngin, Sheila Swearngin, Jaytee Townsend and Frank Briscoe.