If you ask Rich McIntosh about the Owl Ride, Omaha’s premiere nighttime bike ride, he mostly talks about friendship.
“I just enjoy riding bikes with my friends,” McIntosh said.
Come ride with us!
The Owl Ride will be held July 13 from 8-11:30 p.m., beginning and ending at Lewis & Clark Landing, 345 Riverfront Drive, Omaha. The Owl Ride gives riders a choice of a 7.5-mile short course and a 17-mile extended route. With its non-competitive format and choice of courses, both casual and serious riders, along with families, can enjoy the unique experience cruising Omaha’s streets at night on the Owl Ride. Come join us at Lewis & Clark Landing on Omaha’s riverfront for the largest nighttime ride between Chicago and Denver! Find more information or register here.
But for this young adult who engages in recreational therapy services through the Munroe-Meyer Institute, the event offers more than a chance to socialize. McIntosh, who uses a wheelchair and a speaking device, participates in MMI’s Wheel Club and the adult swimming program.
“These programs let me get out and make friends,” he said.
Those programs and others are funded by the Meyer Foundation for Disabilities — and funded in part through the proceeds of the Owl Ride, which this year takes place on July 13.
“We are so lucky to have the support of the Meyer Foundation to be able to provide all of the life enrichment activities we do for our families and their loved ones,” said Nicole Giron, assistant director of the MMI Department of Recreational Therapy.
MMI adaptive specialist Joe Revers has ridden the Owl Ride with McIntosh in the past. The ride, he said, is full of joking around and people-watching.
“It is a unique and different experience, riding around downtown and midtown at night,” Revers said. “And of course, you get to support some awesome people and programs.”
Revers isn’t the only recreational therapy staffer to take to the road during the event. The department comes out in force, especially so that they can assist their clients who wish to ride in the event, doubling up on special adaptive bikes designed to allow persons with disabilities to ride with the help of friends.
“The Owl Ride is one of my favorite events, and we have had a big group out riding our adaptive bikes since its inception,” Giron said. “I have had the chance to ride a side-by-side recumbent bike every year with one of our participants, and we always celebrate getting to the top of the ‘Farnam Street hill.’ Then, of course, there are plenty of stories to tell at the end of the ride.”
The event also promotes inclusion and provides a platform for self-advocacy for participants with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
And, as McIntosh said, it’s a chance to have fun with your friends.
“All of the MMI staff are my friends,” McIntosh said. “They do a lot for me that is not ‘on the clock.’ Every year, they take me to the College World Series, but I provide the tickets. I have been invited to some of their weddings — and thanks to MMI, I’ve got Facebook friends across the world.”
Revers said people who haven’t tried the Owl Ride are missing out.
“You get to experience Omaha in a different way,” he said. “You can challenge yourself on the hills of downtown and midtown. And, of course, you get to enjoy a fun and unique experience with friends, as well as meet new people.”
There is one thing McIntosh regrets, although it doesn’t have to do with the ride.
“It’s too bad those (adaptive) bikes didn’t come out about 20 years earlier,” he said. “Because my mom said she and dad would have gotten me one.”