Vikings Host Ride For Life

Several former and current Vikings players will participate Saturday in the 13th annual Ride For Life, benefitting the Vikings Children's Fund.

The Vikings will once again be front and center Saturday as the team takes part in the 13th Annual Minnesota Vikings Ride For Life to benefit the Viking Children’s Fund.

Typically, the ride starts at the Metrodome and goes caravan-style up Hwy. 35 to Grand Casino-Hinckley between the Twin Cities and Duluth. But, due to extensive construction on the I-35/Hwy. 694 corridor, there will be no group ride. Instead, everyone is being told to report directly to the Hinckley Outdoor Amphitheater three miles east of the Hinckley exit to I-35. Cost for participation is a $15 donation to the Vikings Children’s Fund.

Vikings personnel and cheerleaders will be on hand to welcome riders and they will be eligible for $20,000 in prize giveaways, including $10,000 in cash prizes.

Several current and former Vikings are expected to participate, including Pat Williams, Ben Leber, Mewelde Moore and Khreem Smith among the current players and John Randle, Paul Krause, Bob Lursema and Stu Voigt among the Vikings alumni. Anyone who has seen Lurtz drive a motorcycle may be happy to see that the group ride (and potential group highway pileup) will be avoided this year.

The Viking Children’s Fund is in its 30th year of existence and, since 1978, has awarded more than $7.65 million with more than $4.3 million of that total allocated to research at the University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics.

For more information, those interested are asked to call 952-828-6577.

FRIDAY NOTES
* Former Vikings wide receiver Chris Jones signed with the Seahawks Thursday. Jones was last seen in NFL circles with the Vikings back in 2005 and didn’t hook on with a team in 2006.
* From the Dodge a Bullet Department comes this: there was a lot of speculation heading into the 2005 draft that the Vikings were interested in drafting linebacker David Pollack. Instead, he went to the Bengals, where he held out of training camp as a rookie and suffered a severe neck injury in Week 2 of the 2006 season. It was announced yesterday that he will miss the 2007 season and that his career might be in jeopardy.
* Whispers out of Green Bay have it that the Packers might be interested in swinging a deal for disgruntled Chiefs RB Larry Johnson.