Georgia children are encouraged to follow the lead of their favorite Ford Tour de Georgia professional cyclists and pedal down the road to better health. And an educational booklet designed just for elementary school children can help them on the way.

As part of the 2006 Ford Tour de Georgia Live Healthy Georgia Expo, children can receive a free copy of the event's educational booklet, which uses the sport of cycling to illustrate lessons related to geography, science, and even healthy living. The school booklet was produced by Emory Healthcare and designed by Cookie Jar Publishing, publisher of "Mike and the Bike", a combination picture book and audio CD with original music.

Children can read all about the adventures of Mike and his bike while playing games and incorporating creative learning into their day. In the educational booklet, they also can fill out the Healthy Hunt form on the back page, and then submit the completed form at their nearest Live Healthy Georgia Expo during the Ford Tour de Georgia race week to enter a grand prize drawing for a brand new children's bicycle.

The booklets will be available at all of the Expos. In addition, teachers, parents and children can download a PDF copy of the educational school booklet by visiting www.livehealthy georgia.org or www.fordtourde georgia.com.

Don't live near an Expo city? You can still enter the drawing by downloading the Healthy Hunt form and mailing the completed entry by April 23 to: Live Healthy Georgia, Georgia Department of Human Resources, Public Health, Suite 16-304, Atlanta, GA 30303-3142.

The Live Healthy Georgia Expo, sponsored by the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR) in partnership with the Georgia Cancer Coalition (GCC), rolls into the following cities: Saturday, April 15 - Augusta Tuesday, April 18 Macon

Wednesday, April 19 Rome

Thursday, April 20 Chattanooga, Tenn.

Friday, April 21 Dahlonega

Saturday, April 22 Brasstown Bald Mountain/Towns County

Sunday, April 23 Alpharetta

The Georgia Department of Human Resources and the Georgia Cancer Coalition have teamed up to bring the Live Healthy Georgia Expo to Ford Tour de Georgia finish line host cities. The Expo will highlight the importance of making healthy life-style choices such as eating fruits and vegetables, getting physically active, quitting smoking and undergoing regular check-ups to reduce your risk of developing cancer and other chronic diseases.

The Live Healthy Georgia Expo will feature fun and interactive activities not only for children, but for every member of the family. Mom and Dad can join the Expo experience by completing their own health questionnaires and spinning the Live Healthy Georgia prize wheel for a variety of prizes. Grandma and Grandpa can get their questions about cancer answered by health educators and cancer survivors. And all can sign banners in memory of loved ones who've lost their battle to cancer.

The Live Healthy Georgia Expo is a part of DHR's effort to raise awareness about cancer and ways to prevent it in hopes of reducing the state's cancer death toll. More than 36,000 Georgians will be diagnosed with some form of cancer this year, and about 16,000 will die from cancer.

DHR joined forces with Gov. Sonny Perdue to create the Live Healthy Georgia campaign. The statewide initiative encourages Georgians to follow five guidelines to lower cancer and chronic disease risk: Eat Healthy, Be Active, Be Smoke Free, Get Checked and Be Positive.

For more information about the 2006 Ford Tour de Georgia Live Healthy Georgia Expo, visit www.livehealthygeorgia.org or www.fordtourdegeorgia.com. To learn more about cancer resources and prevention, call toll-free 1-8004-CANCER or visit www.georgia cancer.org.