Ride for the Rescue Aug. 13
Fares Schlank, owner of West Bicycles in Village Green Center, said cyclists of many different skill levels would find rides to enjoy at the upcoming Ride for the Rescue Benefit Ride, Saturday, Aug. 13.
“You’ll see some very fast riders who go out and just want to get after it. … You’ll have others who want to just see a new route and just kind of enjoy themselves and meet new folks,” he said.
The rides will start at 8 a.m. and finish around 4 p.m., on the drive in front of his business, 11531 Kingston Pike. Proceeds benefit Knoxville Area Rescue Minis-tries. Twenty-, 50- and 70-mile road routes also include a 4-mile greenway route. Road rides include rest stops.
For the 20-mile bike route, cyclists will turn left onto Campbell Station Road from West Bicycles. They will then turn right onto Snyder Road. Cyclists will continue straight to Outlet Drive, turn left onto Lovell Road, pass under Pellissippi Parkway, go left onto Schaffer Road and left onto Hardin Valley Road.
At this point the Knox County Sheriff’s Office escort would end, but cyclists still would have markers for the routes. Cyclists will take a left onto Hickory Creek Road, a right onto Buttermilk Road, left at Everett Road, left at the Flying J and left on an unnamed road past Oakley Downs. They would then turn left onto a greenway, left onto Cotton Blossom Lane, right onto Prince George Parish Drive, left onto St. John’s Circle, right onto Grigsby Chapel Road, right onto East Fox Den Drive, left onto Clover Fork Drive and right onto South Montichello Drive. They will merge right onto Old Colony Parkway, go right onto Campbell Station Road and right into Village Green Center.
The 50-mile route also would follow the same route as the 20-mile route up to the turn onto Hardin Valley Road. After that turn, cyclists would then take a right turn onto Solway Road. They will then take Pellissippi Parkway into Oak Ridge.
The 70-mile route will begin like the 50-mile route but instead of turning onto Warehouse Road, it will take Oak Ridge Turnpike north, then head onto Oliver Springs Highway into Oliver Springs. Eventually, it joins the same route back the 50, 20 and 70 mile routes take.
The four-mile greenway loop, with extensions that go up to 10 miles, mostly are on greenways. Schlank said they cross at crosswalks and include some residential streets.
They will turn right onto Edgemoor Road. Next, they will turn left onto Melton Lake Drive and left on Warehouse Road, before turning right onto Coal Yard Road, then Fairbanks Road. The route then follows Oak Ridge Turnpike, also known as Highway 95, south toward Lenoir City, before going left into the Melton Hill Dam area, which will serve as a rest stop. Cyclists then right onto Woodlawn Road, continuing onto Buttermilk Road. The route will then continue similar to the 20 mile route.
Schlank said cyclists should ride routes with which they are comfortable.
“If you can ride twenty miles, then have at it. If you can ride fifty, that’s your call. If you can ride seventy, that’s a long ride … You need to judge your own fitness level,” he said. He said the greenway ride was a good choice for families.
“Ten year olds that like to ride bikes—bring them,” he said regarding the greenway route. He said it was also good for taking children in trailers.
He said bikes, including electric bikes would be available for rental for the event.
Shlank said he liked working with KARM.
“They do a terrific job with very limited resources … I’m glad we can make a good donation out of this ride,” he said.
He said that West Bikes teaches road etiquette to the participants. He said he most important rule was to avoid crossing wheels with other cyclists.
“We live in the jewel of Tennessee. Farragut is terrific,” Shlank said regarding the number of opportunities for cyclists in general.
