By DREW BLAIR
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Former Indiana Pacers great Reggie Miller on Wednesday made his way back to Indiana to share a different athletic passion.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer spends a lot of his free time on two wheels as an avid cyclist in mountain biking and on the road and, come Saturday, as a distance gravel cyclist in the Dust Bowl 100 race in Morgan County.
Ahead of the weekend’s 100-mile endeavor, also known in the sport as a century ride, Miller opened an invite for the central Indiana community to join him on a shorter ride to complete his training.
Miller contacted the owner of Motion Cycling and Fitness in Fishers five weeks prior with the hopes of organizing the free event.
Chris Carr got busy reaching out to area cycling clubs and social media to ultimately fill a field of 250 riders who ranged from beginner to experienced. Many donned Miller’s “Boom Baby”-branded cycling gear, including Sarah Callahan and her partner Mark Lantz of Indianapolis.
Lantz said, “Healthy living is extremely important, so to have Reggie be there and support that and people showing up to support that, is great for our Indianapolis and surrounding communities.”
Callahan had heard about the ride through a new women’s cycling and mentorship program called Divas. “It makes me feel like I know (Miller) better. He’s part of the community, being involved in things that we do every day.”
Minutes before 9 a.m. Wednesday, the crowd inched their bikes near the parking lot exit from where their ride leader stood atop a pickup truck to offer words of thanks and encouragement before Reggie’s Ride.
“I love the diversity that I’m seeing; women, kids, men, Black, white, brown. We’re all one. As cyclists, we all pedal on two wheels and we all enjoy this so that’s what cycling is all about – togetherness,” Miller told the riders. “This lets me know there is a beautiful bike community back in my adopted hometown of Indiana. You guys are a huge part of that.”
Miller led the hourlong ride across 18 miles of Fishers streets with the assistance of a police escort. He adjusted his pace to interact with riders from front to back before the ride finished back at Motion Cycling where he spent time posing for pictures and signing autographs.