In the year 2000, a group of friends started a bike ride in the quiet town of Georgetown, Texas. Named for the beautiful flowers that lined the course, The Red Poppy Ride brought together every corner of the area’s budding bike scene. Two members of that group, Mike and Pat Cook, also happened to be members of the Georgetown Sertoma Club, so the ride quickly became not just a way for the community to come together, but also further the club’s mission to support the 50,000,000 people with hearing health issues.
Fast forward two decades and a lot had changed. Georgetown’s population was swelling as it absorbed much of the overflow growth from nearby Austin and the ride was seeing around 500 riders each year after dropping from a peak of 1,000 in prior years. The Sertoma Club had also brought on a new beneficiary, the Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center, which would receive the $20,000 the event raised each year in support of child abuse victims.
With that growth, however, came challenges. The same folks who started the ride were still involved but, as the saying goes, weren’t getting any younger.
And so it was when Monica Parks, Red Poppy Ride organizer and tireless advocate for cycling in Georgetown, approached a Red Poppy Rider and past volunteer, Kaydean Bott, to help ensure a sustainable future for the event.
Kaydean Gets to Work
Kaydean had a few skills that fit the bill. She understood business from a career in both IT and accounting, she’d started to ride bikes a few years prior and knew what it meant to join this community, and she was also recently retired. But there was something else. Something more personal.
“To be clear, I would have said yes regardless – Monica is amazing and I’d do anything for her – but my family has experienced abuse and received incredible support from the Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center.”
Knowing the funds from the ride went to the same organization that had been so helpful to her family during a difficult time gave Kaydean’s involvement deeper meaning. With that extra layer of motivation behind the scenes, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
Choosing a New Reg Platform
At the top of her to-do list was a registration platform that needed to be replaced. Texas is lucky to have a strong bike scene, so Kaydean reached out to leaders from other events and organizations for advice.
“Everyone I talked to all said the same thing: Go with BikeReg. They were right, BikeReg has been fantastic. This year we ran 675 people through the system with a tiny team. I love that it was built specifically for bike events. All the features we wished we had in our old platform were right there in BikeReg and super easy to use.”
You may have noticed the number Kaydean dropped just then – 675 riders – and compared it to the number mentioned earlier – 500 riders. It’s true, between moving to BikeReg and other changes the team implemented – including new marketing resources she received by being a BikeReg user – registration for the event grew by over 30% in 2026.
They already had a solid event on their hands. The team just needed a little extra support to unlock that potential.
Amazing Support
Speaking of support, that was another thing Kaydean was extremely appreciative of once she signed up and began to use the platform.
“Patrick from the BikeReg support team was especially helpful but I loved how everyone I talked to knew so much about bike rides like ours. It was amazing to have people behind the scenes that were knowledgeable about the exact type of event I was producing.“
One thing I was especially intrigued by is how Kaydean wasn’t even in Texas as she was doing much of this work. BikeReg is in the cloud and she could easily take registrations online or over the phone from her RV a couple states over. So while Kaydean eventually made the drive back to Georgetown as the event approached, until that point she’d been able to handle everything remotely.
A Bright, Welcoming Future
From an inclusive, accessible vibe to those bright, cheerful flowers I always enjoy seeing on my own pedal-powered adventures, there’s a lot to love about the Red Poppy Ride. As we wrapped up our conversation Kaydean pointed out yet another reminder of the power of outdoor events like these.
“One of the things I love most about the ride is that the Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center gets to take a break from the powerful, but heavy work they do and just enjoy a beautiful day in the sunshine. We raise the money and they get to relax, be outside, and spend a day with the community they love.”
Mike Cook and a core group of the original volunteers have a lot of plans for the ride including leaning into partnership to help the local hispanic community get more involved. After chatting with Kaydean on the phone, though, I can say that whatever direction the event goes it’s in good hands. It’s a great event, in an incredible place, supported by a strong community, with some great momentum.
Learn about the Red Poppy Ride:
Learn about BikeReg / athleteReg:
