The Rotary Club of Glendale is hosting the inaugural Jewel City Fun & Fitness Ride. The fundraiser is being held on Sunday, May 19 at Verdugo Park. Proceeds from this event will help benefit low income and homeless children and adults served locally by Ascencia, Glendale Healthy Kids and the Glendale Salvation Army.

The run is sponsored by Glendale Adventist Hospital and is presented in collaboration with Walk Bike Glendale (http://walkbikeglendale.wordpress.com). The event will feature three activities to promote bicycling, bicycling safety and fitness.

Starting at 7:30 a.m., there will be a grueling “gear grinder” ride from Verdugo Park to Deukmejian Wilderness Park in La Crescenta. This challenging 33-mile ride is for experienced riders, and features an elevation gain of over 2600 feet.

At 8 a.m., bicycling safety training and practice will be provided free to children ages 5 through 12. Walk Bike Glendale will provide instruction on bicycle safety and maintenance. A practice course will be available for children to test their bicycling skills.

At 9 a.m., the “ride & glide” family ride will begin. This is a relatively flat seven-mile round-trip ride from Verdugo Park to Fremont Park. This ride will be fun for the entire family and for less-experienced riders.

Registration for the gear grinders ride is $35, and the ride and glide ride is $15. A link to the registration page can be found on the Rotary Club of Glendale’s website at www.GlendaleNoonRotary.org. The link to the registration page is under the Club Events section on the right side of the webpage.

Live music will be provided and on-site food trucks will be available to purchase food. Fitness related vendors will also be on-site also for people to learn more about fitness and health.

For further information, call Natalie Komuro at (626) 375-6597 or email her at jewelcityride@gmail.com.

Verdugo Park, 1621 Cañada Blvd, Glendale