Bike Ride Deemed Success; Roberts Sees Potential Growth

RISON - Rison Mayor Charles Roberts called the Second Annual Cruisin' Cleveland County Bike Ride held this past Saturday a success, and believes the event has the potential become even larger in the future.A total of 38 riders registered but 34 showed up to participate in Saturday's ride that offered four routes ranging from 21 to 65 miles in length. In the debut event last year, 37 riders took part.The riders left the starting line on Mockingbird Street outside the Pioneer Village at about 7:50 a.m. Saturday. The routes took in portions of Highways 8, 35, 63, 79, 97, 114, 133 and 189, and took riders through communities like Woodlawn, Calmer, Rowell, Pansy, New Edinburg and Kingsland. There were rest stops set up along the way staffed by volunteers from the Cleveland County Extension Homemakers Clubs."This year was at least on par with last year, and we got a lot of encouraging feedback," Roberts said Monday in assessing the event.The Cruisin' Cleveland County Bike Ride was birthed out of a casual conversation at a Rison restaurant about two years ago. Roberts said he struck up a conversation with a man wearing a t-shirt that was promoting a bike ride and the next thing he knew, they were talking about planning a ride for Cleveland County.That man Roberts encountered at the local eatery was Darren Austin, a Cleveland County native who got involved with long distance bike rides through his job with parks and recreation for the City of Sherwood.The inaugural Cruisin' Cleveland County Bike Ride was held June 17, 2023, and it received some good reviews from those participating, especially considering it was a first-time event. Roberts said many of those who participated last year were back again this year.The first riders began returning to the Pioneer Village about two hours after they departed. It took about three and a half hours for those riding the longest routes, which included crossing the Saline River at both the Hwy. 63 and Hwy. 79 bridges, to return to Rison…