Amish Bike Tour expected to draw record number of cyclists in Kent County

Organizers expect a record-setting 2,000 bicyclists to ride in Saturday's 32nd annual Amish Country Bike Tour.

Registration is up 18 percent over last year's record 1,500 riders taking to the back roads of Kent County, and tourism officials they expect another 250 cyclists to register the day of the event. 

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"Delaware is a cycling destination that people seek out," said Wendie Vestfall, president of the Kent County Tourism Corp. "Cyclists favor quieter roads and smaller towns away from the interstate and that is exactly what they get here in Kent County."

After 31 years of starting and ending the ride at Legislative Mall in downtown Dover,  this year's ride will launch and finish at the Delaware Agricultural Museum & Village on North Dupont Highway in Dover.

The location change allows more parking and a shorter walk to the start of the tour, organizers said.  

The tour also has new routes for cyclists in each of the five courses — 15-, 25-, 50-, 64- and 100-mile options. The routes go deeper into the Amish community and use less-busy, safer roads. For the first time, all the routes stay in Delaware.

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Vestfall said using the Delaware Agricultural Museum & Village site allows organizers to add amenities that cyclists have asked for such as dedicated parking, beer and wine options with lunch and new routes that are more bicycle friendly.

“One of the major goals has been to include more of Kent County with the various route options,” Vestfall said. "We’re really excited to include the village of Smyrna with the 64- and 100-mile option."

Rest stops include the famous Amish Schoolhouse in Dover, where members of the Amish community and local volunteers serve locally-baked pie and cookies.

Vestfall said that while there is a positive economic impact on the area because of the number of people who come from out of town, there hasn’t been any specific research done on cycling and tourism for the state or county.

"The initial research that we had done while developing Delaware’s Quaint Village brand identified cycling and other outdoor activities as key drivers for people seeking out our area for a trip," Vestfall said. 

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Cyclists from California, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Chicago, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin have registered for the bike tour, she said.

Preregistration has ended, but day-of registration ($60 adult, $20 child) will be accepted from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday.

Reach Jerry Smith at jsmith17@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JerrySmithTNJ.

A new look for a Kent County favorite

Starting and ending location: The 32nd annual Amish Country Bike Tour will begin and end at Delaware Agricultural Museum & Village on 866 N DuPont Hwy. in Dover. Registrants can enter the lot on College Road. 

New routes: There will be new routes for cyclists to experience on the tour, winding throughout the Amish and rural countryside. Riders will continue to have 15-, 25-, 50-, 64-, and 100-mile riding options. All routes will pass through the Amish Schoolhouse "pie stop" where cyclists can feast on the traditional pie.

• The 16 and 25 routes have the Amish Schoolhouse pie stop in the middle of the tour instead of being toward the end as previous rides did. Both routes go through more of the historical downtown area of Dover.

• The 50-mile route now goes through Felton and a bit farther west than previous rides. Cyclists will now go north of Dover.

• The 64-mile route runs south to the Killens Pond State Park area before heading north to Smyrna, with a new rest stop location at the Painted Stave Distillery.

• The 100-mile route follows the same path as the 64-mile route, but continues farther north, slightly past Smyrna.

Beer and wine options: Beer and wine will be offered for the first time this year, at the conclusion of the tour.

For more information, contact info@visitdelawarevillages.com or go to  www.AmishCountryBikeTour.com