Land Trust to benefit from ‘Country Roads' bicycle tour this Sunday

Sanctuary for Animals, Warwick High School Scholarships also share proceeds Warwick —The 13th annual Country Roads Bicycle Tour, that festival on wheels, returns to Warwick on Sunday, Sept. 9. The Orange County Bicycle Club organizes this charity event, giving cyclists from across the Northeast a chance to take a self-guided tour of Orange County’s quiet roads. The club has mapped out four graded, non-competitive bicycle rides designed to show off the best of the county’s cycling gifts. The shorter routes (10 and 20 miles) are for occasional cyclists, and longer rides are for the experts. Along the way, riders will get plenty of refreshments, support and entertainment. It ends with an outdoor banquet catered by Loughran’s of Salisbury Mills, valuable raffles (bikes, books, and local wine are on the raffle table), and live music. Proceeds will benefit the Orange County Land Trust, in appreciation for its efforts to preserve the uncluttered landscape that makes cycling in Orange County so attractive. The Sanctuary for Animals, an animal rescue operation based in Westtown, will also benefit from the proceeds, as will the Warwick High School Scholarship Fund. The list of local sponsors for this year’s event is headed by Loughran’s Irish Pub, McNeilly Wood Products, J.J. Cassone Bakery, Peak Performance Chiropractic, Bodle’s Opera House, ASA Analysis, and Signature Cycles of Central Valley. The festival, which may draw as many as 1,200 participants, is based at Warwick Valley Senior High School, 94 Sanfordville Road. Most riders should arrive before 10 a.m. (earlier for the longer routes). The registration fee of $35 ($15 for children under 12) is inclusive. Helmets are required. For more information, see the club’s Web site, www.ocbicyleclub.org or e-mail countryroads@ocbicycleclub.org.