Tour De Frederick 2013

Day 1

Register at the Hilton Garden Inn. A  bicycle mechanic will be available for any last minute technical issues.

Enjoy a short and flat warm up ride (25 miles) or the leisurely History Ride – or if you have time, relax in the pool. The Friday Social at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center and Ghost Tour follows this ride starting at 6pm. Woven through historical accounts and true documented stories of the paranormal, experience the strange and the bizarre, discover the unknown and let your imagination run wild, all this and so much more on walking Candlelight Ghost Tour of Frederick’s Historic District! Every participant will also receive a custom imprinted performance shirt to commemorate this fourth annual Tour de Frederick.

On the History Ride, we will traverse a vibrant Maryland Main Street Community, seeing and hearing about the structures, character sketches and stories representative of Frederick in the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. We will ride along the town creek, which today is heralded as a miraculous flood control project that has grown into an economic boon and artistic masterpiece. We will explore the city’s 50-block historic district and stop in the cemetery that is the final resting place of the man who wrote our country’s national anthem. Allow at least two hours for the ride – or better yet, spend the entire day visiting the historic sites and museums located throughout Frederick’s historic district – the “City of the Clustered Spires”.

Day 2

Following breakfast at your hotel, the three ride options will depart, and we'll climb on our bikes and wind our way north to the famed covered bridges of northern Frederick County. The popular Covered Bridge Tour begins with a brief visit to the grave of Francis Scott Key (author of our nation's Star Spangled Banner) and tour of downtown Frederick's Baker Park.

New this year is the Century Ride, which goes all the way to Gettysburg National Park, and the Metric Century Ride.

The Century Ride will head southwest of Frederick and then cut over Braddock Mountain and head north along the western slope of the Catoctin Mountains while enjoying the beauty of Middletown Valley. The ride will take you into Pennsylvannia and the Gettysburg National Battlefield.

The Metric Century Ride route is flat to rolling (no mountains) and goes through some of Frederick's most pastoral landscapes. For those on the Metric Century Ride and Covered Bridges Ride, we'll enjoy a catered lunch at Loy's Station Park, adjacent one of the three covered bridges that we ride through. For those on the Century Ride, the lunch stop will be at lovely location along the route. (Bring your cameras!)

Meandering south, we'll return to our hotels, shower up and get ready for an evening in historic downtown Frederick. Dinner will be served in a private dining hall at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center located along the exciting along the banks of Carroll Creek.

Enjoy a variety of cuisine and drinks – including a margarita bar! At the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center you can visit the exhibits, stroll the adjacent Carroll Creek Promenade and see world-renowned public art. Top it off with an ice cream social while meeting new friends.

Saturday's Century, Metric-century and Covered Bridge Rides Details

These rides offer an escorted tour, including full sag support, rest stops and a catered lunch. Every participant will also receive a custom imprinted performance shirt to commemorate this fourth annual Tour de Frederick.

Century Ride to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg

• 100 miles that crosses the Mason Dixon Line into Gettysburg National Park Maximum grade is 7.9%
• Rolling hills and farmlands along the western slopes of the Catoctin Mountains (maximum elevation of 1,700 feet)
• Lunch stop in the National Park

Metric-Century Ride

• 62 miles of rolling hills and farmlands along the eastern front of the Catoctin Mountains, plus the three historic covered bridges of Frederick County. Also includes tours through downtown Frederick, including the gravesite of Francis Scott Key.
• Maximum grade of 6.4%
• Maximum elevation is 585 feet
• Lunch stop at Loy’s Station

Day 3

Family Ride – designed for families with small children, this easy 8-mile ride departs from the Frederick County Visitor’s Center in Downtown Frederick. Enjoy the sights of the Historic District and consider attending one of the many houses of worship seen along the tour. Ride departs at 8:30. (Note that neither lunch nor shirts are included).

After breakfast, the Sugarloaf Mountain ride will depart, and we’ll pedal south of Frederick City, cycling among the farms and rural landscape. For those interested in a short but scenic challenge, we'll offer an optional climb of the famed 1,500-foot Sugarloaf Mountain, which lords over the local farmlands. A delicious boxed lunch will follow at Shockley Honda, which is near-by to both host hotels.