Family Centre will host its annual Cycle 4 Change event this Sunday with over 150 cyclists expected to pedal along the Rail Trail to raise money for the charity.

The Elite Ride will begin at 9.45am in Dockyard with cyclists racing to Ferry Reach along a route designed specifically for more experienced riders.

A family, more leisurely ride will begin at 10am, leaving from the Arboretum and continuing along the trail and public roads through Flatts Village, Shelly Bay and finishing at Bailey’s Bay Cricket Club.

Sign-up is available through the Race Day World website at https://racedayworld.com/Race/BM/Various/Cycle4Change.

“The Cycle 4 Change event is a fundraiser for Family Centre so it is hoped that participants will take the time to raise funds, personally donate on the website or e-mail cycle@selectsitesgroup.com for bank deposit details,” said statement. “And, if an individual’s company matches fundraising efforts, matching funds are very gratefully accepted. The top fundraiser will win a weekend stay at the St. George’s Club.”

Family Centre Executive Director Martha Dismont added: “We are very pleased to be partnering with the Fat Tire Massive Group, once again, to host this cycling event and we are also very grateful to Colonial for their continued sponsorship that helps to make sure this event takes place.

“It is important for us to hold events that bring families together for quality time, and we first held the Cycle for Change in November 2012. We were joined by families, school groups and groups of friends who came out and enjoyed a pleasant a ride on the Railway Trail to Somerset Bridge.

“The ride on March 5 will be our sixth cycling event for families. Members of the Fat Tire Massive Cycling Club participate in full force and have helped to make a big difference in fundraising since that first ride in 2012. We encourage families to come out and join the event for great fun, good exercise, and quality time so necessary for the children of today.”

Participants can collect their event number and T-shirt, along with a choice of back pack or water bottle on Friday from 10am-4pm in the Jardine House lobby at 33-35 Reid Street.

Kathy Perry, senior marketing coordinator at Colonial Group, said: “We’re excited to support this event again this year for many reasons. Of course, we’re pleased to be part of a fundraiser for the Family Centre to support the amazing work they do, and we’re also glad that the Family Centre are encouraging people to get out on their bikes, getting active, with this event. Colonial staff are looking forward to getting out there to help out and to participate on the day.”

This year, the Bermuda Tourism Authority has planned a Rediscover the Rail Trail event that coincides with Cycle 4 Change. The Rail Trail event starts at Shelly Bay at 10.30am and C4C cyclists are invited to stop there before resuming their ride.

Other walkers and riders from the BTA event will continue onto Bailey’s Bay Cricket Club and the C4C Family Ride finish line.

Pat Phillip-Fairn, chief product and experiences development officer at the BTA and Family Centre Board Member, said: “The Cycle 4 Change ride on the Rail Trail is exactly the kind of activity we love to see on the island in March — our community using this great public space for their sporty adventures.

“The BTA is proud to partner with the Family Centre to set up a finish line for the Cycle 4 Change participants. As their ride pulls into Shelly Bay, we hope they stop and join up with us to go their homestretch to Bailey’s Bay where we’ll have a host of cultural experiences, including Gombeys. Rediscover the Rail Trail promises to be a day full of family fun and outdoor activity, perfectly aligned with the mission of the Family Centre.”