by Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
PRESQUE ISLE — Ride Aroostook, a two-day bicycle tour with loops riding through Caribou, Easton, Fort Fairfield, Mars Hill, Mapleton and Presque Isle, makes its return this weekend.
The event, being held for the third year, is the brainchild of Bill Flagg, Cary Medical Center’s director of community relations and development. He developed the idea for the bicycling tour in 2011 after volunteering at the Trek Across Maine, a major fundraiser for the American Lung Association which takes riders from Bethel to Belfast.
“This is a great ride and it really brings people together,” Flagg said.
Proceeds benefit Camp Adventure, a week-long residential camp for children ages 12-17 with type I diabetes which is directed by Cary Medical Center.
Flagg said he is thankful for the many corporate sponsors of the ride, as well as “a dedicated team of volunteers who spend months planning this event.”
Loring Job Corps is providing more than 40 volunteers for this year’s ride, according to Flagg.
Participants doing the entire ride will travel approximately 150 miles Saturday and Sunday. Riders can also choose to do only shorter portions of the tour and some “family friendly” options have also been made available.
Seventy five registered for the inaugural ride in 2011, according to Flagg, with 90 participating in last year’s event.
Registration for Ride Aroostook will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 9 in the Campus Center at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. There is a $50 registration fee and each rider must also provide $200 in pledges and donations. This covers two nights of camping/dormitory accommodations, five all-you-can-eat buffets (including an All-American barbecue to close out the ride Sunday afternoon).
A reception for event participants and sponsors is slated from 6-9 p.m., also at the Campus Center.
For more information, call Cary Community Relations at 498-1112 or visit RideAroostook.org.
