INFOBOX
Ticket to Ride
Visit fireflytrail.com for the sponsorship form and more information about the event, including the route, registration prices and locations of each start line.
A map of the trail's progress within each county can be found at www.fireflytrail.com. (Graphic/Firefly Trail Inc.)
The idea for a rail trail began at an Oglethorpe County meeting 15 years ago, when Mary Cook attended as the county planning and zoning commissioner.
She thought it was a “perfect idea” to create a trail that would show off the county’s beauty and also be a “great economic engine.”
“Residents are not in favor of industry that creates noise, runoff, and offensive odors,” she said. “We really want to celebrate how beautiful Oglethorpe County is and increase the tax base at the same time.”
Since 2011, Cook — now the president of Firefly Trail Inc. — has helped the Athens Physical Therapy Ticket to Ride bike race strengthen the future portions of the Firefly Trail.
“The purpose of the ride is to both raise awareness for the completion of the trail and to raise money to assist with matching funds for grants,” Cook said. “The route is certainly not set, and it is determined by the local governments and property owners along the route of the old Georgia railroad.”
On Saturday, roughly 250 cyclists will start at either Athens Dudley Park, the depot in Winterville and the Union Theatre in Union Point for a morning of paved and gravel bike routes spanning 14 to 82 miles.
The Union Point start will begin at 9 a.m. on both paved and gravel routes, and the Winterville and Athens start times will be at 10 a.m. on paved routes.
“As closely as possible, the ride goes along the route of the former railroad, which was constructed on a ridge line to minimize hills,” she said. “Residents of the towns the ride passes through can see how popular Firefly Trail is becoming, and cyclists can meet the wonderful folks to live in these lovely small towns and enjoy the beautiful countryside.”
Firefly Trail Inc, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has raised more than $300,000 in matching funds to the trail communities. The funds made it possible to secure more than $2.3 million in grants and build more than 12 miles of completed trail.
Only a “fraction” of the trail’s funds stem from the Ticket to Ride event, Cook said.
“We had a really great year-end fundraiser this year and surpassed our $50,000 goal,” she said. “And we’ve got more sponsors this year for the ride than ever before.”
Sponsorship dollars help provide matching funds to attract grants to fund the building of the trail.
This year’s sponsors include Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center, BankSouth, Athens Retina Center, Creature Comforts Brewing, the Winter Bike League, among others.
Athens Physical Therapy and Athletic Brewing Company are title sponsors for this year’s bike race, each matching the $5,000 donation level.
Denise Miller, practice manager for Athens Physical Therapy, said the race is a necessity for the community.
“I think it’s definitely a need for Athens, and so I feel like everyone’s very enthusiastic about it,” Miller said. “Just wanting to stay active is what is encouraging the enthusiasm for it.”
Cook said she was “thrilled” to see the registration numbers for the race “slowly increasing” from 100 riders in the beginning to approximately 300 riders.
She said community members can “see the trade-off” between the trail construction and the beauty of the outdoors.
The trail is also a “great amenity” for the community and an “off-road, safe place” for recreation and alternate transportation, she said.
She emphasized that the awareness for the trail is “not just bicycles,” and also includes the Firefly Trail Race Series, which has become “popular.”
“The race series is all about running on the trail,” Cook said. “It is important to show that the trail isn’t just for cycling. In every town where the trail is completed, residents are out walking, skating with their children, strolling babies, walking dogs and enjoying being outside away from cars.”
For Cook, the Ticket to Ride is a chance to share her enthusiasm for the trail’s vision and “get other people hooked.”
“The majority of the people that visit our tent (at other events) have heard of the trail and have walked on the trail,” she said. “In years past, they had never heard of it before. So the bike ride is definitely helping raise awareness.”