Cove House Classic Bike Tour set for August 14
By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press
The Cove House Classic Bike Tour will return to Copperas Cove on Saturday, August 14, bright and early at 7 a.m.
The bike ride originated in 2002 and acts as one of the largest annual fundraisers for the Cove House Emergency Shelter. The shelter is not federally or state funded and runs off of donations. All proceeds from the ride will benefit the shelter and the Free Clinic.
The inaugural ride consisted of only 27 riders and has grown in attendance over the years, with nearly 130 registered cyclists converging on the City of Five Hills in 2019.
Many of the riders who come to the Cove House Classic Bike Tour are preparing for the Hotter’n Hell Hundred event in Wichita Falls, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary the final week of August 2021. The Cove House Classic Bike Tour acts as a warmup for that 100-mile ride, with its distances of 26 miles, 42 miles, 50 miles or 63 miles.
Cove House director Brian Hawkins said that he calls the Cove House Classic Bike Tour the “Hill Country 100K.”
The event was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Hawkins said that he is excited to have it finally happen again this year.
Registration fees are $35 for single riders and $50 for tandem riders until August 4, when fees will increase to $40 for single riders and $60 for tandem riders. Registration for the bike tour begins at 6 a.m. Participants can pre-register at https://www.bikereg.com/cove-house-classic or on-site at the day of the event.
The starting location and ending location will be at First Baptist Church at 300 W. Ave B in Copperas Cove.
This event is sponsored by Cove House Homeless Shelter and Bike Central Texas (Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce). The ride supports the Texas Bicycle Coalition.
For more information on the event or to sponsor this year’s event, people are encouraged to contact Hawkins via email at bhawkins@covehouse.org or by phone at 254-547-4673.