Return of the Plaids
July 9, 2014
Helping kids get acquainted with the water
July 9, 2014
The Bayou Country Cyclists (BCC) hosts a female-only ride for the second year in the row that will benefit victims of domestic violence.
The nonprofit organization’s second-annual Bayou Belle bicycle ride is set for July 13, with proceeds donated to The Haven, the Houma shelter that stands against domestic and sexual violence against women.
BCC President Christy Jaccuzzo said the club always intends to donate monies from this particular ride to The Haven.
The 42-mile ride will begin at 8 a.m. at Peltier Park in Thibodaux with various rest stops along the route for cyclists to replenish themselves with fruit, water and sports drinks. The event also coordinates a 25-mile route.
The entrance fee for those who preregister is $25. For those who show up the day of the event, the price will be $30. Registration the day of the event will begin at 6 a.m. The BCC expects to have a good turnout with roughly 150-200 women participating.
“As time goes on, it should get bigger and bigger,” BCC Vice President Brian Naquin said. “It is only the second year for this event so people are just starting to find out about it.”
Naquin believes the Bayou Belle ride is a great way to get women involved and debunk some of the misconceptions about cycling.
“It is nice to put on the event just for women because there are some women who may be intimidated to participate because they may think it is a male-dominated sport, which it isn’t,” Naquin said.
Third-year club member Lynette Callahan joked, saying it is nice to participate in a ride where it is all women and the men can “sit back and support us.”
The Bayou Belle ride is the only BCC event that is all women.
In order to make sure that the hand-picked charities benefit, the BCC has reached out to plenty of sponsors to help cover the cost of events. Some of their sponsors include GMC, Community Bank and Thibodaux Regional Medical Center.
BCC Treasurer Bill Barbera said Huey Ice has been a “huge help” because the company donates the ice needed for the race. Other contributors include local restaurants who donate food for the riders to enjoy after the events.
“We could not do it without the sponsors because if we did, we would just be covering the cost,” Barbera said.
The BCC puts on several events every year outside of the Bayou Belle ride.
“We put on another small event called MS Training Ride, which is part of the Multiple Sclerosis MS-150, where we ride from Hammond to Percy Quin, Mississippi, and then back the next day,” Jaccuzzo said. “Our green team, which is our race team, does the Alan Kelly criterium in August, as well.”
The club’s biggest event is the Spring Ride, which raises anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000. Although attendance was down this year due to the Spring Ride being moved to an earlier date, BCC still managed to raise $3,000 for the organization Girls on the Run.
“We wanted to do something a little different keeping it local,” Jaccuzzo said. “Last year, we raised about $9,000 for the Wounded Warrior project.”
The thing that most of the participants and club organizers raved most about is the fact that they get to do something they enjoy to raise money for charity.
“The camaraderie is amazing and that is why we do it with events and our group rides and you know you are riding for a charity and I have never done an event that was not for a charity,” Callahan said. “We are staying healthy and benefiting a charity, so it is a win-win situation.”
Jaccuzzo added to that saying, “To be able to help others out while doing something you love, it doesn’t get any better than that.”
Jaccuzzo, who is in her second year as president of the BCC after the position “fell into her lap,” said the club is a great way to make new friends and even stay healthy.
Aside from the sponsored events, the club tries to have group rides on a regular basis just for the enjoyment of the sport.
Women cyclists unite for a good cause July 13 as they ride through the streets of Thibodaux and beyond. The Bayou Country Cyclists is riding to raise money for The Haven, a Houma shelter that houses victims of domestic violence.
