Cambridge, MN -- Anoka-Ramsey Community College’s Cambridge Campus will welcome bicycle riders to campus Saturday, Aug. 14 when the Rum River Bicycle Classic returns to Isanti County roads. The event will offer all ages of bike riders an opportunity to join a 20- or 51-mile scenic bike tour.

The event will begin and end on the Cambridge Campus of Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC). Both tour routes will start at 8 a.m. and ride through Cambridge south into Isanti. The longer tour will continue north past Cambridge into Braham’s Freedom Park and back down to the college. The shorter tour will bike a different route back to the college.

Begun back in the 1990s, the once-popular bike event has been resurrected by the nonprofit community group Active Living by Design. A national coalition sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, it coordinates efforts throughout the nation that help integrate more physical activity into people’s daily routines.

In Isanti County, Active Living by Design has spearheaded the creation of a multi-use recreation and transportation trail connecting Isanti and Cambridge. All proceeds from the bike event will go towards the Isanti County Bike/Walk Trails.

To receive a registration form or more information on the Rum River Bicycle Classic, contact Lisa Perlick by phone at 763-552-3254, or by e-mail at lisaperlick@cs.com.

Participants and those attending the send-off for the bike classic will have an opportunity to support another good cause and earn the chance to win a new Trek bicycle donated from Allsports of Cambridge, Minn. The Cambridge Community College Foundation will sell $1 raffle tickets from 7:30-8 a.m. during the registration/check-in period to raise money for the new Bob Erickson Part-time Student Scholarship program.

The bike raffle drawing will be held on Aug. 23, when Erickson, a Former Trustee of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, visits ARCC’s Cambridge Campus. That day marks the kick-off of his third annual 2,000-mile bike tour of the state, where he’ll bike to each of the 53 campuses of the state system to bring awareness to the financial needs of part-time students.

For more information about Cambridge Community College Foundation’s fund-raising effort, contact Lynnette Brambrink at 763-422-3436.

ABOUT ANOKA RAMSEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Anoka-Ramsey Community College, with campuses in Coon Rapids and Cambridge, has been a leading provider of higher education and training in the north suburban area of Minneapolis/St. Paul and East Central Minnesota since 1965. Annually, the college serves more than 9,000 learners of all ages as they pursue associate degrees that transfer as the first two years of a bachelor's degree, or certificate programs that lead immediately to rewarding careers. Anoka-Ramsey Community College is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.