ALDEN — For nearly as long as the Freeborn County Bike-A-Thon has been in existence, there have been lunches eaten in Alden.

Sloppy Joes, those loose-meat seasoned sandwiches, are what fuels the bikers and volunteers before they head back to Albert Lea.

Donna Schmidt said her records indicate that in 2010 there were 45 bikers and 48 volunteers who ate lunch, which is served at the Alden City Hall.

“It’s a good time. We socialize and visit,” she said. “Everyone knows it’s for a good cause.”

The Bike-A-Thon raises funds for the American Cancer Society. It starts with considerably more than 45 riders. Last year, there were about 150 at the start. Many ride to Glenville, then hop on trucks for a ride back to Albert Lea.

Several volunteers help out from start to finish, guiding riders around corners, serving munchies at each town and getting things rolling. They are hungry by lunchtime.

The people serving the sandwiches, cookies, bars and beverages in Alden are with the Carlston Good Neighbors Club and the Alden Homemakers Club. Proceeds from the lunch go toward Alden area community efforts.

Schmidt said ridership varies. In 2003 there were 125 riders and volunteers who ate a lunch in Alden, while in 2008, the whole meal was canceled because it was too cold and windy.

The 39th annual Freeborn County Bike-A-Thon gets rolling at 6 a.m. Saturday at the warming house for Sibley Elementary School, across from the Korner Mart on Front Street. In addition to the meal in Alden, rest stops are in Glenville, Gordonsville, Myrtle, Hayward, Geneva, Hartland, Freeborn, Conger and Albert Lea.