Rotary C&O Canal Bike Ride

The Shepherdstown Rotary Club will hold its First Annual C&O Canal Bike Ride on Saturday, June 7. Everyone is welcome to sign up and join in.

The ride route will be on the C&O Canal towpath between Shepherdstown and the Monocacy Aqueduct, near Dickerson, MD. Participants will be free to end their ride at any point along the route if they wish. The entire route from Shepherdstown to the Monocacy Aqueduct and back is 100 km. The ride will be held rain or shine.

The registration fee for adults is $70; with a $10 discount for those who register before May 17. The fee for children under 18 will be $25, regardless of when they sign up.
To register, go to the Rotary Club’s website at shepherdstownrotary.org.

The ride is intended to benefit the Rotary Club’s international activities, with most of this year’s proceeds going to help fund a Shepherd University student MEDLIFE chapter service-learning trip to Ecuador this summer.

The staging area and end point for the ride will be at the Jefferson Security Bank Pavilion next to Shepherd University’s Ram Stadium, with riders accessing the towpath from there via the James Rumsey bridge over the Potomac River. Riders can start anytime between 8 and 10:30 a.m., but those who plan to cover the full 100 km ride distance should start at 8 a.m. On-site registration will begin at 7:30 a.m. and run through 10:30 a.m. Parking will be available in university parking lots nearby. A van will be available for participants having difficulty finishing the ride.

The canal path is flat with a packed stone dust surface in overall very good condition. The ideal bike for this ride would be a gravel bike with wider tires. The canal is very scenic with views of the Potomac throughout the ride. There will be two rest stops, with snacks and drinks, along the route: one at Dargan’s Bend and another at Brunswick. Lunch will be provided at the Jefferson Bank Pavilion following the ride.

For more information, contact fsdasd@gmail.com.