Five-route bike event puts Clark County on display

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For the 36th year in a row, the Vancouver Bicycle Club will be hosting Ride Around Clark County on Saturday, July 27. This year, the event is raising money for Bike Clark County, an organization with a mission to promote access and education of bicycles and bicycle riding in the area. “ Ride Around Clark County is also raising money for the Clark County Food Bank and other charities in the area. 

Ride Around Clark County is host to five different cycle routes ranging from a 20-mile route for beginners to a 100-mile “century” route for more experienced cyclists. All routes start and end at Fort Vancouver.

“There’s not a lot of hills and it isn’t very intimidating,” President of the Vancouver Bicycle Club Devin Bowen said about the 20-mile route. “That’s something that just about anybody who has a bike and is willing to try and ride on the road can do. It’s a good way to get started.” 

For the longer routes, such as the 100-mile and 68-mile loops, the club recommends arriving around 6 to 7 a.m. to ensure the ability to hit rest stops and be able to partake in the finish line celebration. Smaller rides like the 54, 34 and 20-mile routes have a recommended start time of 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. respectively. 



All routes will have “rest stops” along the way that give riders a chance to take a quick rest, drink some water and eat a few energizing snacks. 

“We have rest stops every 20 miles or so,” Crystal Small, a volunteer for Ride Around Clark County, said. “The benefit of an organized ride for a number of people is that they can stop and it’s not just at a store. We have a smorgasbord of food, places to refill water bottles and use the restroom.”

Ride Around Clark County is hosting a finish line celebration for the second year in a row. With food options available from Family Mann Barbeque and drink selections such as beer, kombucha and root beer from Heathen Brewing, the finish line celebration is for all riders on all routes.

“It’ll be a fun finish-line celebration,” Bowen said. “We’re trying to make it more of a finish line celebration sort of deal, as opposed to showing back up to the start/finish and going home.”