July 1, 2010
It is not a bike race. It is a bike ride. It is not a foot race. It is a walk.
Cyclists take a break during the 2007 Discover Hartford Bicycle Tour that attracted more than 1,200 participants
Actually, organizers say it is: “an anti-sprawl, pro-fun, pro-sustainable-city, anti-pollution, anti-couch potato, pro-bicycle, pro-pedestrian event.”
The 2010 Discover Hartford Bicycle & Walking Tour, the third in recent years, will be held Saturday, September 11, starting and ending in Bushnell Park. The first one attracted more than 1,200 riders.
Sponsored by Bike Walk Connecticut, formerly the Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance, the tour is just that – a rolling tour of Hartford neighborhoods, historic sites, parks and riverfront. There is a 10-mile bicycle tour, a 25-mile bicycle tour and, new this year, a tour that includes a spur to the city’s Batterson Park, which will total about 40 miles.
Walkers will have a choice of two walks of about 1 mile or 1.5 mile each offered at two different times.
Check-in begins at 7 a.m., and the tour starts at 9:15 a.m. The registration fee varies: Under 18 years old, $15. Early bird registration, on or before August 9, is $25 for Bike Walk Connecticut members and $35 for non-members. From Aug. 10 to Sept. 9, registration is $30 for members, $40 for non-members. Anyone registering the day of the event pays $45.
Walking tour registration is $20 on or before Aug. 9, $25 after. On-line registration is available at www.hartfordbiketour.org. Printable mail-in forms also are available at the site. Brochures and forms will be available by mid-month at many Connecticut bicycle shops.
A tour t-shirt and route map are included with registration. Free snack bars and water will be available at stops along the routes. Crews also will be available at sites along the tour to assist cyclists with mechanical problems, though organizers suggest bringing your own materials for tire repair.
Visit www.hartfordbiketour.org for more information.