Dozens of quads raced down Clarendon Street in Quyon on Saturday morning for the Quyon Lions Club’s annual poker run. Despite early concerns about weather and turnout, the event saw 76 participants enter the race to win the grand prize of $300.
“It brings people together, [and puts] smiles on their faces,” said Hollie Leach, Lions member and one of the organizers for the event. “This is like kids on bikes, but they’re adults.”
The day began with coffee and sausage breakfast sandwiches served by the Quyon Legion before riders set off to collect what they hoped would be a winning poker hand.
Racer’s prepared their vehicles for a start time of 10 a.m. and set off on the trail, taking them north to Wolf Lake, west to Ladysmith Hotel, and then south to Norway Bay’s Astra Estates with a final stretch back to the Legion for 5 p.m..
Leach said the race takes on average four hours to complete, but that some racers finish the entire route in as little as three hours, while others prefer to take the entire seven hours to cruise around the region and stop along the way.
She also said the poker run attracts participants from all over, and is an opportunity to bring more business to the Pontiac.
“People from outside love this, people from the city who have a bike or something and maybe they drive it at their cottage, will come up and enjoy the day.”
After completing the route, participants returned to the legion, handed over their five cards to Leach and the rest of the organizing team who then determined first, second and third place winners, and enjoyed a pulled pork feast cooked up by Bill Young.
The atmosphere was lively as racers enjoyed their hard earned meal and waited for the winners to be announced.
The winners of this year’s run were Roger Malette in first place with a grand prize of $300, Luc Belair in second for $200, and Hope Levesque in third place for $100.
