Home News Local News ‘Tour the Elkhorns’ bicycle ride starts Sunday

‘Tour the Elkhorns’ bicycle ride starts Sunday

Written by Lisa Britton July 30, 2010 05:18 am

The six-day event features day rides, meals, entertainment

Bicycle riders will be touring Baker County’s best scenery next week for the first-ever “Tour the Elkhorns.”

The six-day event will feature day rides (a total of 400 miles) with support, breakfast and dinner each day and live entertainment in the evenings.

So far 32 have signed up for the entire week. There’s still time to register — $650 per rider — or you can join the group for $50 a day ($65 with meals).

Cost for the full week includes all the meals and entertainment, plus a jersey designed by artist Terri Axness of Haines. The jersey back portrays all six day rides with a small drawing from each destination, and the front shows a bicyclist on a winding road through evergreen trees.

This tour came about when Kim and Janie Mahaffey of Baker City met Mary Barrons during the Washington Bike Ride last July. Barrons had worked on organized bike rides in the past, and the Mahaffeys convinced her that Baker had a lot to offer bicycle riders — a little bit of everything.

“We’ll have desert rides, flat rides, rolling rides,” Kim Mahaffey said.

The riders will camp out on the Mahaffeys’ 40 acres on Old Wingville Road. They can bring tents, campers or RVs, and will have access to showers and portable toilets.

Every morning begins with breakfast at 6 a.m. at the Wingville Grange, and ends with dinner at the Grange around 6 p.m. Both meals will be prepared by Sheryl Payton.

Each morning Don McClure, owner of Don’s Jewelry, will mark the routes on his motorcycle. The week’s rides are:

• Sunday: a 50-mile loop through Baker Valley

• Monday: Catherine Creek Loop, 76 miles

• Tuesday: To Keating School and back, 44

• Wednesday: Anthony Lakes Loop. Riders will first head to Sumpter on Highway 7, then around the Elkhorn Byway to Anthony Lakes and back to the valley.

“That’s a big day – 110 miles with a lot of climbing,” Mahaffey said.

• Thursday: To Durkee and back on Old Highway 30

• Friday: Double Dooley

“You get to climb both sides of Dooley Mountain,” Mahaffey said.

The rides will have a sag wagon and at least one water and food stop along the route. In the evenings, Earth and Vine will provide wine and beer and local musicians will entertain the crowd.

The ride is limited to 100 people, and so far 32 have registered. Anyone interested in joining the day rides can show up at breakfast, or call Mahaffey at 541-519-7252.

There’s also a Web site: http://sites.google.com/site/rideontours/home.