Fest to feature ‘Ride Fly Ride’
By Kevin Sjoberg
PRESQUE ISLE – Cycling enthusiasts will be able to combine their pedaling skills with an adventurous trip in a hot air balloon when the first Crown of Maine Balloon Fest “Ride Fly Ride” takes place this weekend.
Qualifying will be held Friday, Aug. 27 with a 20-mile bicycle race being held at 6 p.m., beginning at the Northern Maine Fairgrounds onto Industrial Street, through Mapleton to the Hughes Road, up Skyway Street to Edgemont Drive and to the finish line at the rear entrance of the fairgrounds.
The top two finishers in each of the six racing divisions (female ages 16-29, male ages 16-29, female ages 30-49, male ages 30-49, female ages 50 and over and male ages 50 and over) will then be matched with balloon pilots to devise a strategy for the main event taking place early on Sunday, Aug. 29, which will consist of a hot air balloon ride with their bikes to an undisclosed location. The top two from each racing division will ride together in their respective balloons and then race each other to the fairgrounds, finding their own way back from the landing site.
Registration for Friday’s qualifying race will be held beginning at 4:30 p.m. and the fee is $20, which includes a Crown of Maine Balloon Fest “Ride Fly Ride” T-shirt for the first 30 entrants. A post-race breakfast for finalists is also planned on Sunday.
If less than three competitors register within a particular age division, a judgment will be made at race time regarding the appropriate age division in which to register the unchallenged cyclists.
The fun is not limited to just the cyclists. The balloon pilots will also participate in a “Hound and Hare” challenge, tossing a bean bag from their balloon onto a target on the ground below. The pilot closest to the bulls-eye wins a cash prize.
The prize for the cyclists is the hot air balloon ride itself, a $180 value.
Because weather in northern Maine is unpredictable, if the hot air balloons are unable to launch Sunday morning, rain checks for rides will be issued to qualifiers for redemption at another time during the festival or at next year’s festival.
The unique event is being sponsored by The Aroostook Medical Center, with net proceeds benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
