For the City Times
STEVENS POINT – This year’s Pedal Point Rally has some new additions. Hosted by the Hostel Shoppe to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County, this event will take place on July 15, and July 16.

In the past, the Pedal Point Rally has been a single-day event in which participants would meet in person at the Hostel Shop to complete their biking challenge. However, it has evolved since then. Last year, event goers could choose between a virtual biking challenge, an in-person ride, or both.

This year’s Pedal Point Rally will now also feature an ice cream ride and rally dinner on July 15. Riders will meet at the Hostel Shoppe to bike approximately 10 miles to local ice cream shops to devour an ice cream cone, then ride back to the Hostel Shoppe to enjoy a delicious dinner provided by KitchensBrew to kick off the event weekend. To participate in the ice cream ride and rally, you must pay a $50 registration fee; this fee will cover both Friday and Saturday events.

The in-person main event will meet on July 16, at the Hostel Shoppe, where riders can choose between five different ride lengths: a 60-mile ride, 40-mile ride, 20-mile ride, 13-mile ride, or 4-mile Rich Johnson Family ride. Participants can choose to be a part of a team or ride individually but there is a $25 registration fee for adults and a $10 registration fee for children to participate in just Saturday’s event. Prices for registration will go up on July 1st. Boys & Girls Club members ride free thanks to Mark Toyota of Plover. To register, visit www.bgclubpc.org/pedalpointrally.

Saturday’s event will feature an award ceremony, food trucks, a bounce house, and games for participants to enjoy. Awards will be given to the participant who bikes the most miles and the participant who raises the most in pledges or donations. Portesi Italian Foods will be providing cheese fries and pizza for children to eat free.

The Pedal Point Rally raises funds for Boys & Girls Club programming. This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Club, which currently serves 2,000 youth. With the community’s participation, the Club can continue impacting the lives of local youth and opening doors for the future leaders of Portage County.