Bike ride raises money for abused children

Allison Brucker said she is still recovering from last weekend’s Courage Classic Bicycle Tour, a three-day, 162-mile trek through three mountain passes.

Brucker was one of four Redmond residents who took part in the fundraiser ride, which benefited the Rotary Endowment for the Intervention and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Trust Foundation.

John Crosley, Jason Kozleski and Lev Nachmanson were the other three Redmondites who endured the exhausting ride for a noble cause.

But for Brucker, a member of team her recent journey through Snoqualmie, Blewett and Stevens Passes was just “a warmup ride.”

“I’m going to take a 30 day ride down the Oregon and California coast in September,” said Brucker, a rider in Odyssey 2000, a year-long bike ride around the world. “That’s my big ride this year.”

Participants must raise at least $400 to qualify for the ride. Riders bike 50 to 60 miles per day with overnight stops at Cle Elum and Leavenworth.

Brucker, riding in her fifth Courage Classic, said she likes the event because it’s for a good cause, the scenery is breath-taking and it’s a good workout.

“It’s just a really good cause and it’s a beautiful ride,” she said. “And I can eat whatever I want when I get home.”

Another attraction for Brucker is that the event is not a race. The point of this ride is not to cross the finish line first, but to enjoy the ride and meet new people, Brucker said.

As for crossing the steep mountain passes, Brucker said, “I just go five miles an hour and eventually get to the top. I get passed a lot, but that’s OK.

“Like I said, I’m still recovering.”

For more information, see www.courageclassic.org.