Tour de Lyme Rolls Out New Base, New Routes for 13th Year

LYME, CT – The 13th annual Tour de Lyme will roll out May 31 from a new base at Grassy Hill Preserve, sending hundreds of riders across five new road routes and two mountain bike courses in support of the Lyme Land Trust.

It’s the first year since the owners of Ashlawn Farm, which served as the event’s launching and landing pad for 12 years, announced they could no longer host the event because they were turning their barn into a roastery for the popular Ashlawn Farm Coffee shop in Old Saybrook.

Lyme Land Trust Executive Director Kristina White said the all-new road cycling routes range from a 66-mile “Challenge” to a 6.5-mile family ride, as well as two mountain bike rides that wind their way through several preserves and a portion of the Goodwin Trail never before used for the event.

Mountain bike options include the 26.5-mile “Rider’s Test” and an intermediate 16-mile route.

The event is not a race, but a carefully planned series of rides designed to suit every level of skill and endurance.

As a hallmark of the Tour de Lyme, a post-ride picnic will once again offer live music, food, cold beer and a big tent. Guests will be able to enjoy fare from food trucks dishing up vegan entrees, tacos, burgers, chicken sandwiches and pizza.

The picnic is free for registered riders with wristbands. Family and friends who do not participate in the ride can purchase tickets at the event for $40 per adult and $20 per child under 12. The non-rider picnic begins at 11 a.m.

Organizers promise lightly traveled roads, varied terrain, and an extensive open space network, much of which has been protected through decades of work by the Lyme Land Trust. Since 1966, the organization has conserved more than 3,000 acres of woodlands, farmland and wetlands with community support.

Free parking is available across the street from the tent.

For complete information and online registration, visit www.tourdelyme.org.