By Adam Prudhomme
Staff Reporter
Cyclists will have the opportunity to explore Lennox and Addington by bike on Sept. 23 when the county hosts its second annual Discover L&A Ride.
Registration is now open for the tour, which will consist of a leisurely 58-kilometre looping route with six rest stops: Pickerel Park, Old Hay Bay Church, Bergeron Estate Winery and Cider Company, Thirty Three Vines Winery, Wynn Farms Apples Orchard and the Fairfield-Gutzeit House. The course starts at ends at Bath’s MacKinnon Brother’s Farm and riders will have a tall frosty MacKinnon Brother’s beer waiting for them at the completion of the tour. The ride departs at 10 a.m. where guests will greeted by a performance by local musician Erick Turnbull as they sign in.
The cost is $25, which gives riders access to all the historic sites and wine tastings at the two wineries.
“Last year’s event went very well,” said Rob Plumley, community development officer with L&A County. “We had 270 registered cyclists for 2016 and we’re on pace for the same or more riders again this year. We received a lot of great feedback from participants. It was a great way to showcase our road cycling opportunities as well as some of our businesses and local attractions. Including local musicians was popular with riders in 2016 and we incorporated three great acts into this year’s event.”
This year’s entertainment will also include Soloman Woodland at Bergeron’s, which will mark the unofficial halfway mark of the route. Bicycle repair will also be available at this site, courtesy of Pathfinder Bicycle Repair.
Celtic-folk band Seventh Town will be at MacKinnon Brothers to close out the event, playing from 2 to 5 p.m. The Soup Chef Food Truck will be also be on site at the farm brewery selling food as well as registered massage therapist Tara Batchilder, providing her services for anyone needing a relaxing massage after their bike ride.
“We tried to model this event after researching some popular cycling events that happen in Europe,” said Plumley. “Starting and ending at a microbrewery is attractive to many participants and the winery and historic site rest stops are a common theme with the European events as well. Our event is a great way to highlight some of the unique attributes that Lennox and Addington offers.”
Online registration can be done by visiting www.DiscoverRide.ca or by calling 613-354-4883 ext. 3271.
Along with showcasing local businesses, the ride is part of a broader effort as the county continues to market itself as a premier destination for cycle tourism. While exact user numbers are hard to track, the county is constantly promoting its well-marked, wide-lane cycling trails to cyclists across the province.
“There seems to be an increase cyclists, both individual riders and larger groups, out on our roadways every year,” said Plumley. “Events like the Discover L&A Ride are a great way to promote our three season cycling opportunities and specifically our L&A County Trails road cycling network.”