Nearly 230 cyclists from Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia participated in the third annual Old Howard 100 Bike Ride at Judson College in Marion April 21.
The 100-mile ride through Perry and Hale counties highlights the historic ties Samford University (formerly Howard College) in Birmingham has to Marion. Marion Military Institute (MMI) was the original site of Howard College.
The bike route included a number of historic sites — Judson; MMI; Siloam Baptist Church, Marion, where the Southern Baptist Convention’s Home Mission Board (now North American Mission Board) was born; the original building of The Alabama Baptist newspaper located on the Judson campus; and the site off state Highway 14 in Greensboro where the Alabama Baptist State Convention was founded in 1823.
One hundred and fifty cyclists gathered at MMI in 2005 for the first Old Howard 100 Bike Ride, and 200 gathered at Judson for the second ride in 2006.
Two hundred and twenty-nine cyclists participated in this year’s race.
"We’ve seen an increase (in the number of cyclists) year after year," said ride coordinator Rosemary Fisk, associate dean of Samford’s Howard College of Arts and Sciences.
Fisk said not all riders traveled the full 100-mile, or "full century," route. Routes of 30, 50 and 70 miles were mapped as well.
The 2005 ride generated $2,000 for Perry County’s Sowing Seeds of Hope interfaith initiative, and participants gave $3,000 in 2006.
The total for this year’s ride is still being tallied. (JC)
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