Over 1,200 riders were counted on the road during the 49th Annual Bike Ride to Rippey on Saturday.

Perry Chamber Executive Director Lynsi Pasutti says 1,203 riders participated in the 24-mile trek from Perry to Rippey and back. She adds that 789 of those registered and 150 decided to register the day-of.

Pasutti has been part of the yearly tradition for eight years and details that her favorite part is witnessing the amount of support from riders.

“This is a fun tradition and I love being a part of it. The big thing is that this puts Perry and Rippey on the map and we love having riders come from all over the state, all over the country. And they come back every year, not just for this one day, but all throughout the year to ride their bikes.”

Angie Duncan, of Ankeny, has been riding BRR for eight years. She first participated in 2002 for the ride’s 25th anniversary and she’s looking forward to next year’s 50th.

This was Duncan’s fifth consecutive year and she enjoys the challenge of getting her bike out for the original winter ride.

“It’s kind of a motivation to get off the couch even though it’s the middle of winter and get started back into biking because the summer is coming fast.”

Ken Thielen, also of Ankeny, was participating in BRR for the second year in a row.

“It’s a great way to kick off the year with a bicycle ride. It’s a great event, tons of people, we really like the involvement of everybody and it draws people from all over. It’s just a great event to give back to the local communities.”