The University of Nebraska Medical Center will host the 2014 Bike for Sight on Saturday, April 26, at Miller’s Landing on the downtown Omaha riverfront. The charity bike tour aims to raise awareness and funds to support a vision restoring cataract camp in Nepal, a country located in south Asia bordered by India and China.
For every registered rider, UNMC’s Prevention of Global Blindness division will perform one free cataract surgery on a patient living needlessly blind in Nepal. It’s estimated that 25 percent of the population in Nepal is below the poverty line.
With a non-competitive format, both casual and serious riders of all ages and skill levels can enjoy the 2014 Bike for Sight. The event will begin at 9 a.m. and participants can choose between 5, 10, 20 and 40 mile routes. Pre-registration is available at www.bikeforsight.org or in person the day of the event.
In 2013, 595 riders participated in the Bike for Sight and more than $20,000 was raised for a cataract camp in Addis, Ethiopia last month.
Other event information
Start & finish lines:
Miller’s Landing on the downtown Omaha riverfront
Pre & post ride entertainment:
Post-ride event attendees are invited to enjoy live music and the Nebraska Brewing Company’s beer garden. Every registered rider over the age of 21 with a valid form of ID can enjoy a complimentary tasting of one of Nebraska Brewing Company’s microbrews. Those under 21 will receive a root beer.
Rest stops:
Event attendees can enjoy rest stop refreshments courtesy of Whole Foods, Costco and Ideal Pure Water.
On-course support:
Provided by The Bike Way.
Worldwide Blindness Facts At-A-Glance:
- Every 5 seconds someone in the world goes blind.
- An estimated 45 million people worldwide are blind.
- 4 out of 5 are curable.
- The leading cause of blindness worldwide is from cataracts.
- 90 percent of the world’s blind live in the developing world.
- Without action, world blindness is projected to double by the year 2020.
Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu and follow us on social media.
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