PRINT ADS

The parking lot at Onalaska Middle School was overflowing with cars, bikes and Lycra shorts Saturday morning as the fourth annual Minds in Motion Bicycle Tour geared up for its 8 a.m. start.

Riders ranged from elementary school students out for a leisurely 10-mile ride on a mostly flat trail to hardened bikers on ultralight bikes who would tackle 60 miles of challenging terrain on the “Hammerin’ the Hills” route.

Somewhere in between — maybe slightly less serious than average — was Sharon Singer, who moved to the area three years ago from New York City and still retains a charming New Yorker accent.

Singer only started bicycling about four years ago after winning a bike in a bar raffle — the frame of her bike has a Bud Light decal on it. She and her riding partner, John Dawidowski, opted for the 16-mile route. “I call it the kiddie ride,” Singer said with a laugh.

Singer and Dawidowski were among 340 riders who took part this year, up slightly from last year’s 330. They had ridden the year before, but 194 of this year’s riders were new to the event, said Harvey Bertrand, one of the event organizers.

The Minds in Motion tour is a fundraiser for the Onalaska School District’s Fit Kid Living Healthy program for elementary kids. Including this year, Bertrand said the event has raised about $48,500 that has been used to augment wellness education in the elementary schools.

This year’s nearly $15,000 might be used to start a “wheels” unit in the physical education program that could include in-line skates, skateboards and bicycles.

Event chair Colleen Dixon, like Bertrand, has been involved since the first year, when the ride had three routes and drew 220 riders. Things are starting to really click with the event, Dixon said, and sponsors are getting easier to find.

“I think we’re becoming a well-known and respected ride,” Dixon said.

This year’s event featured a couple new twists. At the free lunch provided after the ride, pianists from Reedy Music Studio entertained. The participants also were eligible for prize drawings this year.

Dixon was especially happy with the designs for the event jersey and T-shirt this year, and not just because her daughter, Tiana, helped design the T-shirt with Emilee Bergman. Eric Olson of Verdi Advertising designed the jersey, and Dixon said she got comments from the company that printed the jerseys that it was one of the best designs they’ve seen.

School district instructional services director Fran Finco, who went out early Saturday morning to put up signs on the course, said he was very impressed with the event and the event organizers.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “These people put a lot of work into it. It is so organized.”