Great Green Clover Ride Gives Yellow Jersey to 4-H

First posted on 07-17-2009

4-Her’s from Garland County will be pedaling what they preach during the 197-mile Great Green Clover Ride to promote youth fitness and bicycle safety.

The ride begins Friday, July 17, at Hot Springs and will end Monday, July 20, at Fayetteville, just in time for the biggest annual gathering of 4-H’ers in Arkansas: The 4-H State O-Rama at the University of Arkansas campus.

Joshua Wright, a Garland County 4-H extension agent for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, said he and three other riders, Brock Westerman, Jake Meredith, Carter Weston, ages 16-18, all of Hot Springs, will be doing more than just sweating the distance

“Along the way, we’ll be conducting programs promoting 4-H, fitness and bicycle safety,” he said. “The programs will be conducted during our stops at Lake Nimrod, Mount Magazine State Park and Lake Fort Smith.”

The riders will offer their programs from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. at the following locations:

* Friday, July 17 - Lake Nimrod, Fourche Junction
* Saturday, July 18 - Mount Magazine State Park, Paris
* Sunday, July 19 - Lake Fort Smith, Mountainburg
* Monday, July 20 - University of Arkansas campus, Fayetteville.

The riders have been training hard with “about four to five times a week with long rides on the weekends on hilly terrain,” Wright said. “Our plan is to stay out of the heat by leaving at first light in the mornings and staying hydrated.”

He said the ride has its own Facebook page: http://tinyurl.com/kosthr, and followers can link to a map with the ride course outlined at: http://tinyurl.com/mhgv8j.