PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Ride Aroostook, a two-day bicycle tour with loops riding through Caribou, Easton, Fort Fairfield, Mapleton and Presque Isle, is back for its fourth year.
The event will be held Saturday and Sunday and the University of Maine at Presque Isle serves as Ride Aroostook headquarters.
Participants doing the entire ride will travel approximately 150 miles over the two days. New this year is an additional loop option for Saturday, taking bicyclists through New Sweden and Stockholm. Riders can also choose to do only shorter portions of the tour and some “family friendly” options have also been made available.
Seventy five registered for the inaugural ride in 2011, with 90 participating in the 2012 event. Numbers dwindled to 43 registrants last year, but organizers are hoping for a bounce back this weekend.
Set to participate for the second consecutive year is Col. Barbara Springer, U.S. Army retired. She is the national director of Project Hero, which provides training and supports cycling programs at military hospitals, Army Warrior Transition Units, Marine Wounded Warrior Units and VA locations to help healing veterans overcome obstacles they face. Springer is the daughter of Darlene Higgins of Presque Isle and is a graduate of Fort Fairfield High School. She will be joined by one of those veterans for the ride.
Registration for Ride Aroostook will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday in the Campus Center at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. A wine and cheese reception for event participants and sponsors is slated from 6-9 p.m. that evening, also at the Campus Center.
Sign-ups will also be offered Saturday from 6-8 a.m. The official ride start is at 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
There is a $50 registration fee and each rider must also provide $200 in pledges and donations. This covers two nights of camping/dormitory accommodations, five all-you-can-eat buffets, including an All-American barbecue to close out the ride Sunday afternoon. Discounts are offered to families as well as commuters.
Proceeds benefit Camp Adventure, a week-long residential camp for children ages 12-17 with type I diabetes which is directed by Cary Medical Center.
For more information, call Cary Community Relations at 498-1112 or visit RideAroostook.org.
