By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE Tour of the Bahamas is in its 9th year. However, the event will embark on new territory - the finale of the two-day event on Sunday (January 29) will feature the first ever Family Fun Ride. Bank of the Bahamas is the principal sponsor of the event and the 4pm ride features a 10-mile road course open to all ages. BOB marketing manager Michael Basden said the venture was one of many initiatives by the company to foster the development of a healthier lifestyle for Bahamians. "The family fun ride gives an opportunity to people who may be riders around town who go out on these long rides everyday to do a 10- mile lap with some of these competitors. It gives you a sense of what it feels like to almost be competitive in order to drive more aware to bike safety. "We are pretty happy to host this family fun ride just to give people a taste of what it feels like to be a part of something of this calibre. We are really committed to making sure that Bahamians get out there and try to be healthy. It makes the bank really feel like it's doing its part in the community to partner with someone like JAR who brings an event to town like this. People are eagerly looking forward to the Family Fun Ride," he said. "It's open to everybody. If you are 13 years or older and you have a bicycle please feel free to come out. So if you are a cyclist and you want to get that bicycle out and want to be a part of something cool and fun that will promote bike safety, we encourage you to come on out. It is also a good gear up to the other cycling events in the Bahamas over the next several months, so we are really happy to be a part of this." The route starts at Caves Village, travels east to the round-a-bout near Superclubs Breezes resort, down they newly opened re-routed West Bay Street near the Baha Mar project twice and ends at the start point at Caves Village. "Bank of the Bahamas is pleased to support the 9th annual Tour of the Bahamas. One of the things the bank is really committed to is ensuring that it does its part to get more community involvement and promote healthy habits amongst our young people and the community at large. Cycling is one of those things BOB takes very seriously. We were out in full force at last year's Tour of the Bahamas," Basden said. "We decided to have a dedicated team for the Ride for Hope and it is one of those sports we want to encourage everyone to get involved and get out there. We are really happy to be a part of this and just want to thank the organisers for allowing us to be a sponsor and become involved once again. It makes the bank feel as if it's doing its part in the community to partner with someone like JAR who brings an event to a town like this. We have already been fielding calls at the bank already about people eager to get involved."