Hundreds turn out for Tour de Cape bike ride

More than 300 bicyclists gathered in downtown Cape Girardeau Saturday morning for the start of the 10th annual Tour de Cape charity bicycle ride.

Money generated from the tour will be donated to Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship. The organization will use the money to fund scholarships for children with disabilities who may not have the financial means to receive therapy from the organization.

Keith Shaw of Golconda, Ill., said he was glad to have the opportunity to help others while doing something he enjoyed.

"The charity was one of the draws. I want to help out where I can," Shaw said.

He said he spends much of the summer biking throughout the Midwest but that this was his first Tour de Cape.

"I've seen this ride advertised and have never done it, so I decided to come over. It's a beautiful day, and there are nice, friendly people. It is well-organized. The terrain is a little bit hilly coming out of town, but it wasn't too bad," Shaw said.

Participants had their choice of a 15-mile, 30-mile, 62-mile or 100-mile ride.

Tour veteran Cara Little of Metropolis, Ill., decided on the 15-mile ride this year instead of her usual 30-mile route.

"It was a great, beautiful ride. It was hilly and got your heart pumping," Little said.

Stewart Humphrey recently moved to Cape Girardeau from Sacramento, Calif., and decided to use the tour as a chance to test his rehabilitation from an injury.

"I'd been planning on riding the 100-mile run but just wasn't recovered enough from the injury. I rode the 30-mile route," Humphrey said.

After the race, Humphrey said he had a great time and would participate in future tours.

Tour organizer Joel Allison said he was pleased with this year's tour and with the comments on the route change for the longer rides.

"Everyone likes the new routes. It worked out very well. I have had wonderful feedback," Allison said. The longer rides traditionally cross the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge into Illinois, but organizers had concerns about the state's road conditions this year and kept the race entirely in Cape Girardeau County.

Local organizations sponsored rest stops for the riders. Sites were stocked with fresh fruit, snacks and drinks for participants.

Cary Harbison, president of the Cape Girardeau chapter of Greyhound Pets of America, said sponsoring the first rest stop on the tour helped introduce his group to a new audience.

"When Joel asked us to help, I was excited. This opened us up to a different group of people," Harbison said.

Members of his organization and their greyhounds were on hand to cheer on riders and offer encouragement.

Allison said he did not know yet how much money the tour raised this year. The tour typically generates about $6,500 for Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship, he said.