Northside Hospital partners with Bicycle Ride Across Georgia for 8th year

Northside Hospital has partnered with Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG) for an eighth consecutive year, the Atlanta-based medical facility announced on Thursday. Bicycle Ride Across Georgia is a nonprofit that features thousands of riders and a rich local history.

The organization began around 40 years ago, with the first ride starting off in Savannah and ending in Columbus. From Dublin to Perry to Thomaston, dozens of riders journeyed 300 miles before finishing. Now the organization is all about making dreams come true for the next generation.

“The BRAG Dream Team was created in 1994 as a partnership between BRAG and Atlanta Public Schools (APS) to provide middle school students the opportunity to train as a team and complete the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia summer ride,” according to the organization’s website.

“Adult mentors serve as coaches. Thanks to sponsors and individual donors, the BRAG Dream Team’s cycling equipment, food, and transportation costs are covered. The students, who might otherwise not ever consider cycling, are given bikes, helmets and other accessories needed to ride safely and confidently.”

Since 1994, more than 200 middle school students have completed BRAG. But the organization’s Dream Team does even more these days.

“Over the past two decades, the BRAG Dream Team has evolved from a program of BRAG to an independent nonprofit organization that operates year-round with cycling clubs targeted at middle school and high school aged youth,” according to the website.

“Currently, there are Dream Team Cycling Clubs in Atlanta, Madison (Boys & Girls Club), Milledgeville (Baldwin Club) and coastal Georgia (Geechee Kunda Club). The Dream Team is currently providing more than 100 youth the opportunity to experience long-distance cycling adventures each month.”

BRAG hosts six rides each year, including trips to Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Then there’s Big BRAG, a weeklong journey from Brookhaven to Savannah. Riders will make overnight stops along the way, where hosting cities will feature concerts, community cookouts and tours. From June 1 to June 8, cyclists will average around 60 miles per day.

Those interested in participating in the 44th annual Bicycle Ride Across Georgia can register here. To learn more about the event, read the 2024 BRAG guide here.