Tour de Marco Raises $4,500 for YMCA

Riders in Tour de Marco 8 were treated to a perfect day on Marco Island, with comfortably warm temperatures, sunshine and a pleasant breeze making the 5, 15 and 30 mile rides delightful for the 205 participants.

The ride was also a success for the Marco Family YMCA, as $4,500 was added to their scholarship fund.

“I can safely say that we raised at least $4,500,” said the Y’s Steve Reynolds, who organized the ride.

There was not a United Nations meeting during the Tour de Marco, but there were 13 countries represented nonetheless.

“We had riders from England, Ireland, Switzerland, Poland, Sweden, Libya, Canada, Mexico, Columbia, Ecuador, Brazil and Australia,” Reynolds was proud to share. And of course there were plenty of folks from the U.S.A. Reynolds also enjoyed the young and old of it. “The youngest participant was 20 months old,” Reynolds said. “The oldest was 88 years old.”

Regardless of age or nationality, the Tour de Marco was a rousing success. Many riders were surprised to find out just how hilly Marco Island can be for a cyclist. Riders encountered hills on Sheffield Avenue, in Key Marco and in the estates area. One rider shouted, “Who says Marco doesn’t have any hills?” as he climbed Indian Hill Road, the highest elevation in Southwest Florida. The Tour ended up where it started, at the Y’s airnasium, where many of the riders walked away with gifts donated by a host of island businesses.

Reynolds, ever the promoter, wants everyone to know that Tour de Marco 9 is already planned for February 24, 2019.