Cyclists rode the streets of Carlsbad Sunday to raise funds for the UCSD EyeMobile for Children.
The 124-mile ride—labeled the Belgian Waffle Ride and hosted by Carlsbad-based SPY Optic's—attracted 150 professional cyclists who raised more than $5,000 for the cause.
"We wanted to bring something unique to North America and specifically to North [San Diego] County," said SPY CEO Michael Marckx who has Belgian roots and has participated in rides for 35 years. "Belgium is home to some of the hardest races in the world so we thought it would be fun to bring that here but we also wanted to make sure we did it for the right reason."
The ride—which included top cyclists Ryan Trebon and Nicole Duke—preceeded with Belgian waffles and ended with Belgian ales.
Marckx—a Leucadia resident who also participated in the ride—said he plans to make the event annual in an effort to raise awareness about UCSD EyeMobile for Children which has served more than 80,000 children in the county since 2000.
