Neighborhood schools benefit from local bike race
By Birgit Moran
Backed by 9News sports anchor Susie Wargin and her brother Ted, the Annual Wacky W bike race was the reason residents saw bike riders filling the streets in Castle Pines on Sunday, September 9th.
According to Brad Meyering, public works and parks/open space manager for the City of Castle Pines, the event was effortless for the city because it was well planned with traffic control handled directly between Wargin and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s good to see large events showcasing exercise come through our city,” Meyering said. Future fundraising/fitness events involving our city are the Rockslide Race for Buffalo Ridge Elementary on October 6th and The Run Wild event for the Douglas County Libraries on October 20th.
Wargin’s second annual Wacky W bike ride involved about 565 riders (up about 30 percent from last year) riding either the 6-mile, 32-mile, 45-mile or 62-mile ride, which kicked off and commenced with a fun-filled expo at Rocky Heights Middle School. Next year, Wargin said they’ll add a 100-mile ride.
Local riders Ray Charbonneau and Jim Spencer, who rode the 32-mile route in less than three hours, said they loved the scenery along the route and plan on repeating the ride next year.
Registration fees for the race go to the Douglas County School’s PTO or general fund of the rider’s choice. When asked why she put herself through all the work of creating this kind of event, Wargin said, “The art teacher at my child’s school told me she only had a $1,000 budget for the entire year.” This fueled Wargin to use her experiences and love for event riding to help fund budgets like those of that art teacher. “The fund raising is for the PTO’s of individual Douglas County schools because they know where monies are needed for their students,” Wargin said.
Registrations for next year’s Wacky W ride will begin in April 2013 at www.warginevents.com.
