Thousands of bikes began the 60-mile fide through St. Louis and St. Charles counties at 1 p.m. under a bright, sunny sky.  Grand Marshall Patty Bush, owner of Doc’s Harley-Davidson, and Honorary Chair Steve Smith, CEO of the Lawrence Group, led the way.  Shadow Riders, the club raising the most funds, $33,787, was the first group out.

 Bikers reported that conditions were extremely safe.  More than 20 government jurisdictions sent police officers to control entrance ramps and intersections along the way.  The Ride was monitored from the air by a crew in the St. Louis County Police helicopter.  A dozen fire districts placed trucks along the route to cheer on the bikers.

 Following the Ride, the name of Patrick Rushing, Cedar Hill, was drawn as the winner of the 2008 Super Glide, donated by Doc’s Harley-Davidson.

 The March of Dimes Bikers for Babies ride is presented by Budweiser.  Additional statewide sponsors are Farmers Insurance, Doc’s Harley-Davidson, Ameristar Casino, WIL92-FM, and Mobil On the Run.  Kawasaki is the national sponsor. 

 Additional local sponsors included: Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Wide Open Magazine, Monty’s Services, Full Throttle Midwest, Thunder Roads Missouri, The Lawrence Group, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, Allstate Insurance, Edward Jones, Harrah’s Casino, LMI Aerospace, Inc., and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.  Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to reduce the rate of premature birth.  For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish Web language site at nacersano.org.  Missouri’s Web site is marchofdimes.com/Missouri.