Riding for health: Cyclists pedal their way through Sauk Valley
By SAM SMITH ssmith@svnmail.com 800-798-4085, ext. 52
ROCK FALLS – As most of the Sauk Valley was getting out of bed Saturday morning, nearly 100 cyclists cinched down their helmets at Rock Falls Middle School and set out on a 62-mile ride.
The CGH Health Foundation’s fifth Tour de Health took riders from the middle school into Bureau Valley through Deer Grove, then north into Tampico before swinging back toward the school.
The race gives a nod to the World Series of cycling, the “Tour de France,” and generates several thousand dollars for community health and education programs carried out by the not-for-profit arm of CGH Medical Center.
Joan Hermes, executive director of the foundation, said the board focuses on community programs, rather than construction projects, because Whiteside County lags in overall health and quality of life.
Two-thirds of adults in the county are overweight. Thirty percent of school kids are obese.
The five top killers in Whiteside (heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and obesity) are linked to economic stability, and the county has underperformed since the closure of Northwestern Steel and Wire Co. 8 years ago, Hermes said.
“We’re behind the state averages in terms of overall community health,” Hermes said. “This race is a way to get people to stop and think about your health. … We want to instill that this is something you do for all your life.”
Ed Andersen, CGH Medical Center’s executive and an avid exerciser, rode in the foundation’s second race of the day: a 29-mile ride to Tampico and back.
“We’ve gotten into the mind-set that there’s a pill for this, or a shot for that, … but if you want to have a long, healthy life, it’s your responsibility,” Andersen said.
To donate
To learn more about the CGH Health Foundation, including how to make a tax-free donation, visit www.cghmc.com/foundation or call Executive Director Joan Hermes at 815-625-0400, ext. 5672.
Reagan connection
What do Ronald Reagan and jelly beans have to do with a bike race in Rock Falls?
It’s not the start of a joke. Here’s the skinny:
Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, one of the villages along Saturday’s Tour de Health ride, a 62-mile race to raise money for the CGH Medical Center’s charitable not-for-profit arm.
While president, Reagan was an open lover of Jelly Belly candies, a brand he helped transform into a household name during his 8 years in the Oval Office.
Jelly Belly, in turn, sends thousands of caffeine-infused variations on its kidney-shaped confections to the race as a source of energy for the riders.
The jelly bean company also sponsors local bike shop owner and professional cyclist Bryce Mead.
Mead runs the Velo Tempo Club, a group of avid cyclists who formed the single largest contingent of riders in Saturday morning’s “Tour de Health,” a once-yearly race to help support community health.
