Biking for the kids

PRINCETON — It could be the motto of Dennis Toth and Tom Wagner.

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor railroad tracks nor barking dogs nor road rash will stay these men from the swift completion of their self-appointed task.”

For one more time, Toth and Wagner will take to their bicycles Friday and take part in the sixth annual Ace Hardware’s “Tour de Kids” charity bicycle ride, which raises funds for the Children's Miracle Network. The CMN is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping kids by raising funds for 170 children's hospitals across North America.

Toth and Wagner, employees of the Ace Hardware Regional Support Center in Princeton, are no strangers to the Tour, with Toth riding in his fourth Tour and Wagner in his second.

Last year, the two men rode the 340 miles from the Chicago suburbs to St. Louis. In previous years, Toth also rode the 1,126 miles from Chicago to Denver and the 1,064 miles from Minnesota to Niagara Falls.

This year, the men plan on riding both legs of the 755-mile trip from Chicago to Georgia, with stops in children's hospitals in Indianapolis, Louisville, Chattanooga and Atlanta. The tour is scheduled to hit Atlanta Oct. 19.

Due to safety concerns, this will be the last Tour de Kids event.

“We’ll go out with a bang,” Wagner said.

The Ace Tour de Kids ride has contributed more than $2.5 million to Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, and has set a goal this year of $1 million more. In order to ride both legs, both men need to raise a minimum of $6,000.

Both Toth and Wagner look forward to the challenge of this year’s ride. Wagner said the Chicago to Louisville leg will be easy, and the challenge will be the Louisville to Georgia leg, which travels through the Smoky Mountains.

“There’s a stretch near Chattanooga called The Wall,” Wagner said. “I figure it must be straight up.”

Toth and Wagner both said the smiles on the children’s’ faces at the hospital stops makes all the effort worth it. Wagner told how at one hospital last year, a family shook hands with all of the riders.