MONTAGUE — Local ice cream may be the most prominent of the Connecticut River area’s features that cyclists will experience on Saturday’s Ice Cream Ride, but organizer Gary Brier hopes bikers will also learn about how farms contribute to the region.
“What we’re trying to do is help people understand how these working landscapes really keep the land an open space and create the scenic beauty that we have in Franklin County,” Brier said.
The company organizing the ride is River’s Edge Cycling, a bike touring company in Sunderland. This is the fourth year the company has run the Ice Cream Ride.
Previously, the company ran longer bike rides, like a ride from the New York border in the Berkshires to downtown Boston. Now it focuses on smaller tours that have a philanthropic angle like the Ice Cream Ride, Brier said.
The ride is a fundraiser for Community Involved in Sustainable Agriculture, a nonprofit in Deerfield; Massbike, a Boston nonprofit that promotes cycling throughout the state; and RiverCulture, Montague’s town-sponsored organization for promoting art and community activities in town.
Routes of 50, 25 and 7 miles will be available for different levels of bikers. All begin and end at Unity Park in Turners Falls.
The longer two routes include stops at local farms, where riders will be served locally made Bart’s Ice Cream. Riders can also buy goods from those farms, and event organizers will drive the products back to Unity Park for pick-up at the end of the ride, Brier said.
The deadline for registration is Thursday. The registration cost includes ice cream and lunch in Unity Park at the end of the bike ride.
■The 7-mile “Kiddie Scoop Loop” takes the Turners Falls canalside bike trail from Unity Park south to the end, then continues across the Connecticut River to Deerfield, and comes back the same way to Unity Park. Admission is $30 for cyclists ages 18 and older, $15 for ages 10 to 15, and free for children under 10. The ride starts at 11 a.m.
■The 25-mile “Single Scoop Loop” follows the 7-mile ride, then continues through Deerfield, crosses into Sunderland for an ice cream stop at Mount Toby Farm, then goes north through Sunderland and Montague back to Unity Park. Admission is $60 for cyclists ages 18 and older, $30 for those under 18. The ride starts at 10 a.m.
■The 50-mile “Double Scoop Loop” goes east from Unity Park to Millers Falls and Erving, then north to Northfield for a break at the Northfield Creamie, followed by an ice cream stop in Gill at Upinngil Farm, on to Unity Park, then continues to cover the same ground as the 25-mile ride for a total of three ice cream stops — “just the right amount,” Brier said. Admission is $75 for cyclists ages 18 and older, $35 for those under 18. The ride starts at 9 a.m.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 261.