Although UF will clash with Florida State University on the football field Nov. 24, police officers from both universities are working on a new campaign to discourage drunken driving and alcohol abuse during the game.
Two police officers from the FSU Police Department will make a nearly 150-mile, 12-hour bicycle ride from Tallahassee to Gainesville on Monday.
Maj. Jim Russell, assistant chief of the FSU Police Department, will ride his bicycle with Sgt. Karin Clausen as part of the "Road to Responsibility Challenge."
Russell, an avid cyclist, said he and Clausen volunteered to deliver a message from FSU Police Chief David Perry to Linda Stump, chief of UF's Police Department.
"The message will acknowledge the important alliance that we have with the UPD," Russell said. "We expect each other to take care of each other's people."
Russell said he hopes the ride will encourage both FSU and UF fans to drink responsibly and treat each other with courtesy while discouraging alcohol abuse and drunken driving.
FSU President T.K. Wetherell said he thinks the bicycle ride is a great idea.
"Hopefully, it will help people be more responsible, not only in alcohol, but in how people treat each other during the weekend," Wetherell said.
"I think anything we can do to promote accountability and improve behavior and cooperation among the student bodies and fans is a great idea," he said.
Monday will be the first time the event will take place, but Russell said the idea "harkens back to the old days."
"Messengers from one Army camp would deliver messages to the other camp on horseback, from one commander to another," he said. "Now we don't have horses, but this really embraces that symbolism."
Russell said this procedure inspired the event. An FSU Police Department patrol car will follow the cyclists throughout their ride down U.S. Route 27 and U.S. Route 441, providing them with food, water and bike repairs.
Both Russell and Clausen have previously bicycled about 200 straight miles in similar awareness rides.
"We know that is going to be extremely difficult," he said. "But there's a certain amount of human drama that you can demonstrate through human suffering on the road."
If the bicycle ride is successful this year, Russell said he hopes the tradition will continue in future years, with each department sending police riders during alternating years.
Russell said he has no qualms about cooperating with the UPD despite the universities' rivalry.
"In law enforcement, it doesn't matter what college or municipality you come from," he said. "As far as the football field goes, I am hoping FSU pulls it out."
