Pedal for Peace participants weren't sure what to expect Saturday when the weather was cold and rainy before the event.
It was still chilly at 4 p.m. when the event began, but the Major Taylor Velodrome was dry and people were ready to ride.
Pedal for Peace took place from 4 to 10 p.m. in Indianapolis, with one rider from each team on the track for all six hours.
There were 37 riders on the Ball State and Muncie Rotary Club combined team. Each rider was scheduled to ride 10 minutes in the relay-style event. Most were Ball State students interested in social justice and global issues, who learned about the event through the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies.
Junior Megan Whitacre said Pedal for Peace was everything she had hoped for and more and hopes it will continue to grow each year because it is a good cause.
"Awaken and the Central Asia Institute focus on the education of women, which is important because women are more likely to bring that back to the community," Whitacre said.
Pedal for Peace had a nearly 50 percent growth in its second year and raised more than $50,000 for Awaken and the Central Asia Institute. The team from Ball State and the Muncie Rotary Club raised more than $1,800.
Event participants had the chance to meet the founder of one cause they were supporting Saturday. Bibi Bahrami, Muncie resident and founder of Awaken, attended Pedal for Peace and set up a tent selling bread and tea next to the Ball State team's tent.
Pedal for Peace founder Maryjane Behforouz wanted to have someone from a local nonprofit organization attend the event, she said. Behforouz began Pedal for Peace because she has spent time in the Middle East and is on the board of the Nazareth Academic Institution, which was the recipient of the $37,500 raised last year.
The mission of Pedal for Peace is to promote peace through education, so Behforouz said she chose Awaken and CAI as this year's recipients because they both build schools to educate women and children in the Middle East.
Behforouz said she feels that Western women have a responsibility to help women around the world gain the same opportunities as they have.
The effect of educating a woman goes beyond that single person, Bahrami said.
"When you educate a woman, you educate a family," he said.
The Pedal for Peace steering committee organized fun activities for people to participate in while not riding, including Zumba sessions and Latin-infused aerobic dancing.
There was also pop music playing and a cornhole tournament. The atmosphere was energetic and fun, even though the cold became overwhelming as the night went on.
There were at least 500 people at the Velodrome this year, which is a growth from about 350 last year, Behforouz said.
The team's tents were set up in the grass in the center of the Velodrome and many teams had their own fundraisers going on. The Awaken team was doing henna tattoos to raise money for the nonprofit.
Pedal for Peace was mostly community driven. The Center for Peace and Conflict Studies advertised through flyers around campus and e-mails last month.
"I wanted to do something locally to bring the community together," Behforouz said.
Behforouz said the 31 team captains deserve a lot of credit for the event.
Most of the teams had separate fundraisers in their communities to raise the $1,000 minimum to participate, and she said it was a good way to spread the word.
Pedal for Peace is a good way to bring different faiths and cultures together to make a difference, Bahrami said.
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