Can you help with the 2009 ‘Tour de Mansfield’?

Volunteers are needed to help with the fourth annual Tour de Mansfield: Village to Village bike tour, which will be held on July 18. (Rain date is July 25)

The tour is a cooperative project of the Mansfield Community Center, Mansfield Downtown Partnership and the Town of Mansfield.

The event - which runs from 7 a.m. to noon - is meant to bring the community together around a social and recreational activity, encourage exercise through cycling, bring awareness to the scenic beauty of  Mansfield’s villages and provide a family-oriented activity for area residents.

Volunteers are needed for two 4-hour shifts: from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Tour de Mansfield routes are designed to appeal to riders of all levels, including:

• a 5-mile Family Fun Ride, which begins at 11 a.m., around the UConn campus and surrounding roads, accompanied by police officers

• and 20 or 40 mile Challenge Rides (which include rest stops with snacks and water). To follow these routes, you must be experienced with cycling in traffic.

Maps of the routes will be provided.

The rides start and end at the Mansfield Community Center - and conclude with a barbecue.

All riders must wear helmets.

The entry fees are:

• $10 for riders age 12 and over, payable by July 17

• $25 for family registration, payable by July 17

Or register on the day of the bike tour, but there is an additional $5 charge.

There’s no fee for children under age 12, but they must be accompanied on the ride by an adult.

The first 100 riders at the event will receive a free commemorative T-shirt.

To register online, visit the town Website at www.mansfieldct.org and click on the bike tour logo.

Or you can register in person at the Mansfield Downtown Partnership offices (on Route 195, lower level behind Starbucks), at Town Hall/Audrey Beck Municipal Building at 4 South Eagleville Road (next to E.O. Smith High School) and at the Community Center (behind Town Hall).

You can also download a copy of the registration form (in PDF format) at this link: http://www.mansfieldct.org/town/current/events/2009_bike_tour.pdf

If you would like to volunteer, or for more information about the event, please call Sara-Ann Chainé at the Town Manager’s Office at 429-3336.

Posted July 5, 2009

Tell them, “I read about it Mansfield Today!”