Bergen County Bicycle Tour

The Bergen County Bicycle Tour, which will be held June 2nd at Bergen Community College, is co-sponsored by The Bicycle Touring Club of North Jersey (BTCNJ), Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan, Bergen Community College and the New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition. The mission of the tour is to promote bicycling fun and fitness.  The tour is a great event for families and bicycle enthusiasts alike. There are routes for just about every level of cycling. There is a 5-mile route is well suited for families with young children, a 12-mile ride for novices, and in addition for more experienced cyclists there is a 25-mile route and a challenging 45-mile route.  Starting times are scheduled on the half hour with the 45-mile route leaving at 8 am, the 25-mile route at 8:30, the 12-mile ride at 9:00 am and the 5-mile route leaving a bit later at 10:30 a.m. All children 12 years of age and younger must be accompanied by a parent and/or a guardian. Helmets are required to ride.
      Participants can ride any route by themselves, following the on-road navigational arrows, along with a supplied cue sheet with detailed route directions. and ride marshals whose primary charge is riding along groups of riders to make sure a safe, single file formation is maintained. Riders for the 5-mile and 12-mile routes will have the option to join a led group ride, which features a seasoned tour leader, and some rides will include a “sweep” (an experienced rider who helps along struggling cyclists). Ride leaders, sweeps and marshals are all experienced volunteers who are members of The Bicycle Touring Club of North Jersey.
     To pre-register, visit www.btcnj.com and click on the BCBT button. The pre-registration fee is $15 for those riders signing up online or by mail before May 29th. After May 29^th the registration fee will be $20 on the day of the event. The tour takes place rain or shine and there are no refunds due to inclement weather. Registration includes all snacks, lunch of sandwiches and hot dogs, ice cream and juice, plus a chance to win bike-related raffle giveaways.
     While all registration fees are allocated to offset the cost for running the Bergen Country Tour, all net proceeds will be donated to a scholarship fund for needy students at Bergen Community College, as well as the Adopt-a-Soldier Platoon. The mission of this organization is to improve the morale of US troops by sending care cartons, visiting wounded warriors and engaging in special projects to support the US military and their families.