Amy's Ride South Australia - Sunday 2 November 2008

The inaugural Amy's Ride in South Australia was a resounding success, with almost 2000 people riding their bikes and sharing the road from the Flinders Medical Centre to McLaren Vale.

Those who arrived early were slightly wet thanks to the morning thunderstorm. However, by the time everyone was registered and ready to go the skies had cleared so people were able to set off in beautiful sunshine.

Leading the ride were Amy's parents, Mary and Denis Safe, along with other friends and family, many of whom were wearing the new AGF 'safe together' cycling jersey. It was fantastic to see so many teams taking part in the ride, including SASI, CMV and the Fatboys Cycling Club.

For many people the highlight of the ride was being able to travel along the Southern Expressway without any other traffic. 2000 cyclists riding together to promote road safety was a spectacular sight. There was also a challenge for people of all abilities, whether it was the first climb of the Southern Expressway, the notorious Willunga Hill, or simply taking a wrong turn and riding a few kms too many!

The McLaren Vale Visitors Centre provided a beautiful place to rest at the end of the ride, with local stallholders on hand and the massage tables and face-painter being given a workout. George Donikian (Channel TEN) was the event's MC. He generously gave his time to keep everyone entertained and informed, as he interviewed event organisers and participants and chatted to the crowd. The popular place to be was relaxing on the grass in the sunshine, listening to local band The Transatlantics.

A huge thank you goes to Bicycle SA who coordinated  the event and made the day such a success. The CEO of Bike SA, Christian Haag, presented a cheque to the AGF's CEO, Tony Fox, for over $47,000 - an amazing result!

Photos: a selection of photographs from Amy's Ride is now available - click on the pink icon at the top left of your screen to view the photo gallery.

Thank you: the AGF would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and energy - without you our task would be that much harder.

And finally, Amy's Ride SA would not have been possible without our sponsors, supporters and all of our participants. Thanks for your support and we look forward to your involvement in future Amy's Rides. With your help the AGF can continue to improve road safety for cyclists and motorists.