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DISCOVER! | SEPTEMBER 17, 2016
10 | Sports
Regional | Iowa
RYLAN HOWE | STAFF WRITER
At a Glance:
WHAT: University of Okoboji 25th
Annual Oktoberfest Bike Ride
WHERE: Start at Arrowwood Resort
and Conference Center
WHEN: Ride begins 10 a.m. on
Saturday, Sept. 24
COST: $30 before Sept. 19, $35
after Sept. 19
CONTACT: 712-338-2424
ONLINE: UofOOktoberfestBikeRide.
com
Voyage:
The University of Okoboji also
encourages everyone to take
advantage of the last voyage of
the Queen II for the season.
There will even be a final sail of
the season aboard the Queen II.
Departure is 1 p.m. sharp and the
cost for a 1 hour and 15 minute
sail is $15, with drinks and snacks
available on-board. Tickets can
be purchased at the Queen II
dock in Arnolds Park by the
Amusement Park anytime prior to
departure. This is a great event
for the non-riders in your group.
Limited to 165 passengers.
- www.UofOOktoberfestBikeRide.
com
RIDE INTO
OCTOBER
U of O wraps up 2016 schedule with Oktoberfest Bike Ride
This 27-mile ride has a 22-mile
option and is entering its 25th
year. The University of Okoboji
Oktoberfest Bike Ride celebrates a
quarter century of rides around West
Lake Okoboji.
Beginning at Arrowwood Resort
and Conference Center in Okoboji,
riders will make a counterclockwise
loop around West Lake Okoboji with
various stops along the way.
“This is the 25th year and a big
change is opening things up more
to non-riders and spreading things
throughout the community,” ride director
Ken Hanson said.
Restaurants and bars such as Minerva’s,
The Ritz, Okoboji Store, Barefoot
Bar, The Gardens, and Pub 19
will have various food and beverage
specials going on throughout the day
for everyone.
There also will be a West O Beer
rendezvous along the route. Participants
wearing their ride shirts will be
able to take advantage of even more
specials.
“It’s Oktoberfest, which is all about
getting together, good eats and drinks
and having a good time,” Hanson
said. “We’ve concentrated most of the
stops towards the end of the ride to
ensure a safer ride for everyone.”
To take advantage of the specials
riders should wear the official longsleeve
ride T-shirt, which comes with
the registration fee of $30 if signed
up before Sept. 19. The price for the
ride increaseS to $35 up through the
morning of the event.
Hanson said about 500 riders
signed up last year and he’s expecting
as many, if not more, this year.
He’s also encouraging participants
to follow the race on Twitter for trail
detours, weather updates and other
event communication.
Many of the riders, both local and
out-of-state, have been coming back
to the Iowa Great Lakes area for this
fall ride almost every year.
“We just had people from Joplin,
MO, sign up and I’ve seen a name
from California on the list already,”
Hanson said. “It’s pretty fun to see
what a great core of people we have
that return every year, including some
that have been here 10-20 years in a
row.”
Hanson chalks up the longstanding
tradition of the ride to a couple
things; the University of Okoboji and
the trails system.
“We’re so blessed to have the trails
we do and they certainly get used a
lot. And obviously whenever you say
University of Okoboji before something
it has a certain cachet to it,”
Hanson said. “It’s a tradition deeply
rooted in the resort community and
all the visitors love to participate.”
Riders of all ages can enjoy the
event. Hanson said he’s seen someone
sign up with their ten-year-old, as well
as local groups that always bring their
kids and riders all the way past 70
years of age.
Whatever age the rider and however
many stops they make along the way,
there is a shortcut available once they
make it past the Trestle Bridge into
Okoboji.
Instead of making their way along
scenic Lakeshore Drive they can follow
the highway back to Arrowwood
cutting off about five miles of the
total.
Take the shortcut or ride the whole
route. Either way there will be plenty
for everyone to enjoy during the 25th
Annual University of Okoboji Oktoberfest
Bike Ride. F