One of my personal favorite events of the year is just a couple of weeks away. The 2014 Great Pumpkin Ride takes place on Saturday, October 25 at 9am (for the 68 mile route). Already the Great Pumpkin Ride has seen over 1,100 entrants and the ride is capped at 1,250, so if you plan on doing this ride please be sure to register soon since they do not take “day of” registrations.
Come out and enjoy one of the prettiest days of the fall foliage season in Virginia! The ride is sponsored by the Fauquier Trails Coalition, a non-profit organization, and is a fundraiser to extend and connect existing trails in scenic Fauquier County.
The Great Pumpkin Ride has an option for everyone — 26, 47 or 68 miles. (Yes, we know this is different mileage than what’s on BikeReg. The mileages changed ever-so-slightly once we adjusted the entrance and exit to our Poplar Springs rest stop). Our rest stops are fully stocked and include popular Great Pumpkin Ride treats such as pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin cake — as well as traditional rest stop items. Roving mechanical support and sag wagons will be provided.
Our routes this year were planned and designed by the good folks at The Bike Stop in Warrenton. The 26-mile route is basically unchanged from last year. The 47 and 68 mile routes are partially new this year, as both of those rides will be going to our newest rest stop, Old Busthead Brewery in Vint Hill.
There will be 4 rest stops for this year’s Great Pumpkin Ride:
Poplar Springs — 26, 47 and 68 mile routes
Mt. Horeb Church — 47 and 68 mile routes
Old Busthead Brewery — 47 and 68 mile routes
Remington Baptist Church — 68 mile route only
The 2014 Great Pumpkin Ride T-shirts will be long-sleeved, and they will be designed by Leading Edge!
PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT CHANGE:
This year’s Great Pumpkin Ride will be limited to 1,250 TOTAL riders. Registration will be online ONLY, and there will be NO ride day registration.
Why are we limiting the field? A couple of reasons. First, we had just over 1,000 riders last year, and while we are thrilled with that number, we want this to be a great ride for you. The Fauquier Trails Coalition is a very small group of volunteers (there are only about 15 of us) who work tirelessly to host this event. Limiting the field to 1,250 riders (still an increase over last year) will allow us to plan accurately — so we don’t run out of important things like t-shirts, pumpkin goodies, and portable toilets!
Second, we want this to be a safe ride for you. If you’ve ridden with us before, you know we have limited space at the start. Restricting the field to 1,250 riders will allow for safe, rolling starts, and safer rider conditions on the roads.
To register online for the 2014 Great Pumpkin Ride click here.
Stick around after the Great Pumpkin Ride and Celebrate Trails! at the 2nd annual Celebrate Trails Festival. The festival has a new location this year, right after the turntable on the Greenway. Hidden Julles Cafe will be there once again, serving their delicious sandwiches.
After you have a bite to eat, please stay and enjoy all of the fun activities and trail-related information available including:
- Live music from Deer Park Avenue
- The Wheelmen (historic bicycles)
- Unistars Unicycle Troupe
- Bicycle Rodeo (a bicycle skills course for kids)
- American Chestnut Foundation
- Fauquier Equestrian Forum
- Camp Verdun Adventure Bound
- Piedmont Railroaders
- Fauquier Trails Coalition
- Sky Meadows State Park
- Piedmont Environmental Council
- Fauquier County Parks and Recreation
The festival is made possible by a generous grant from the Dominion Foundation. After celebrating your successful Great Pumpkin Ride, please invite your friends and family to enjoy the fun!
The ride’s website and Facebook pages will also be updated with the same information.
This year’s Great Pumpkin Ride will be limited sto 1,250 TOTAL riders. Registration will be online ONLY, and there will be NO ride day registration.
We hope to see you at the 2014 Great Pumpkin Ride!
[button color=”green” size=”medium” align=”center” link=”http://www.bikereg.com/2014-great-pumpkin-ride”]Register Online[/button]
