Registration has opened for the Aug. 4 Owl Ride, Omaha’s nighttime urban cycling adventure. The unique recreational bike ride, now in its eighth year, is the largest annual night bicycle ride between Chicago and Denver.
Participants can register online. The cost is $45 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under when riding with an adult; $50 and $30 the day of the event. There’s also a new Owlet Ride that will let the youngest of kids on their bikes, trikes and big wheels join in the fun. Cost for the Owlet is $10.
This year’s starlit ride will feature an earlier start (9 p.m.) at Lewis and Clark Landing on Omaha’s riverfront. There’s again a choice of a 17-mile course through Midtown, Dundee, Aksarben, Field Club and downtown, or a shorter, family friendly 7.5-mile course.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the great cause the ride benefits — helping the non-profit Meyer Foundation for Disabilities (MFD) improve the lives of adults with developmental disabilities in our community, including by funding programs at the UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute.
Almost everyone knows or went to school with someone who has Down syndrome, autism or some other disability. Did you know that as children with disabilities age out of the school system into adulthood, support for them and their families dries up, often leaving them socially isolated?
The Owl Ride gives these families a lift, providing recreational, social and life skills programs for young adults with disabilities, many delivered through UNMC’s renowned Munroe-Meyer Institute. When you register for the Owl Ride, you help these young adults enjoy an evening of swimming, playing games with friends, or learning to cook for themselves. And you give their families a much-needed break from the role of 24/7 caregivers.
In the past, as many as 2,000 riders have taken part in the ride. Bicycle decorations ranging from battery-powered holiday lights to custom neon creations enhance the atmosphere of the ride, with awards given for the best-decorated bikes. There’s a ride after-party, too.