Plans are underway for the first-ever Ride to Remember bicycle ride this summer in Bluffton.

The Saturday, July 11, event offers short bike routes for families interested in biking together all the way to a 100-mile route for experienced riders.

Based at BFR Sports and Fitness and the Buckeye lake area of Bluffton, the event serves as a springboard to a make Bluffton a bicycle destination and bike center for enthusiasts of the sport.

Details are still in the planning stages, but sponsors hope to offer routes of 15, 31, 62 and 100 miles on July 11.

The event is a fund-raiser for the Bluffton Bike and Pedestrian Pathway group. That group has already constructed the Lions Way Trail bike path from County Line Road to State Route 103. It is also working on a path from Augsburger Road to Maple Crest and Riverbend.

Bill Triplett, Bluffton native now of suburban Chicago, son of the late Ropp and Mary Em Triplett, proposed the idea to several Bluffton organizations including Bluffton Family Recreation, CG Pro Bikes and the Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce.

After an initial meeting on Feb. 21, the planning group will next meet at 9: 45 a.m. Saturday, March 21, in the main floor History Room of the Bluffton Public Library.

Persons interested in attending the March meeting or wanting additional information may contact Raymond and Liz Harner at CG Pro Bikes, 127 N. Main St., Bluffton, or the Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce at [email protected].