Ashland University Bicycle Day is bringing together the Ashland community with four bike rides on Sept. 8.

The event is a collaboration between the Ashland Bike Company and Ashland University’s Campus Wellness program. It will begin at 9 a.m. and features four different bike routes for riders of all levels.

The Family Ride is a three-mile route, The Family Challenge route is eight miles, The Half Marathon is 13 miles and The Road Ride is 23 miles.

Ashland University Campus Wellness Director, Deborah Sullivan, thinks that the event will get people to spend more time with nature, she said.

“This will just get people more engaged with bike riding and spending time outside in nature,” Sullivan said.

Bike shop employee, Troy Chipka, plans many community bike rides and coordinated the Ashland University Bicycle Day.

“I am also a proud employee of Ashland Bicycle Company who is a huge supporter of my events,” Chipka said. “They want to see the community strive as much as I do.”

Participants can register online at https://www.bikereg.com/aubikeday or an hour prior to the event. Registration is $4 for AU students and $8 for non-students pre-registering online. On the day of the rides, registration will be $5 for AU students and $10 for non-students.

All proceeds from the event go to The Ashland City Bike Project, an organization that provides quality bicycles to Ashland children in need.

“I believe last year that they gave 20 bikes to fifth-graders in the community,” Sullivan said.

The rides will start in front of the Ashland University Rec Center on Saturday morning.

Chipka hopes that the event will unite the entire Ashland community, she said.

“The goal is to get both the community of Ashland City and Ashland University to bring their friends, family, and bicycles to enjoy a Saturday morning on their bicycles,” Chipka said.

Sullivan hopes to accomplish that same goal.

“I want them to just share that time together and share the ride together,” Sullivan said.