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Tour de Pines – Sept. 15 to nov. 30, 2020

The Tour de Pines, sponsored by Pinelands Preservation Alliance, celebrates Pinelands Month in October. This year we offer four single-day bicycle tours of the New Jersey Pinelands. Proceeds benefit the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, a nonprofit organization working to protect the resources on New Jersey Pinelands since 1989. There is no other bike ride like this in New Jersey!

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Tour is being organized differently this year, as conditions do not allow us to organize the event as we have in previous years. We still have some of our much-loved routes on offer, but in order to promote social distancing, each ride will be self-guided, and you will pick the day(s) & time(s) you chose to ride the routes we are offering. We are also offering a “Virtual” option, for those of you who wish to ride on a route of your design.

Rides need to be completed between September 15 and November 30, 2020.

All routes start & finish in the same location; participants provide their own transportation, food, and lodging as these are unsupported rides. Although the rides are self-guided, we will provide each participant with:

Cue Sheets

GPS Files

Free Access to the Ride with GPS App

Ride Tips

Instructions that contain details about parking, recommendations for pre & post-ride food, and other pertinent information.

Each participant will receive a souvenir Riding out the Pandemic t-shirt in the mail following the last day of the event period. We are striving to mail items by December 31st. You are welcome to register for multiple rides (and will receive a $10 entry fee discount for each additional rides entered at the same time as your first entry), but you will receive only one t-shirt per registrant.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 situation does not allow us to organize the traditional last day Chili and Beer picnic this year.

Partnering with kermesse sport:

The Pinelands Preservation Alliance is pleased to work with Kermesse Sport to organize the Tour de Pines, which allows us to continue to offer high-quality events for you to enjoy. They have been involved in event organization for more than 30 years and are best known for their World Class Hell of Hunterdon event, which is one of the oldest gravel cycling events in the US.

2020 Tour de pines routes

Scene from the 2019 Tour de Pines Blueberry Fields Forever Ride.

BLUEBERRY FIELDS FOREVER

Start/Finish location: Whitehorse Winery 106 Hall Street, Hammonton NJ 08037

Rides of 29 and 48 miles are offered. Both routes start at Whitehorse Winery. Discover why Hammonton and surrounding Atlantic County is known as the “Blueberry Capital of the World”. Start in rural, southern Camden County and ride into Atlantic County and Burlington County. In addition to blueberry farms, points of interest include historic Batsto Village, the Mullica River and Makepeace Lake Wildlife Management Area, old churches, and homemade pies! Visit the winery after your ride and try their latest offerings.

Sunday – Thursday are the best days to ride these routes, as the winery is very busy on Fridays and Saturdays. Reservations are recommended for the winery (but required for Friday, Saturday and Sunday), which has outside seating. They can sell wine by the glass or bottle but there is no tasting at this time.

See pictures on Flickr from our 2019 Blueberry Fields Forever Ride.

The barn at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance.

PINELANDS ADVENTURES RIDE

Start/Finish location: Pinelands Preservation Alliance 17 Pemberton Rd, Southampton NJ 08088

Rides of 25, 40 & 49 miles are offered. All rides start and finish at the offices of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance and travel past the farm fields of Southampton and Tabernacle townships, and visit historic sites that are described in a number of books written about the Pinelands, including the Old Sawmill and Old Indian Tavern sites.

The 25-mile route splits from the longer route, and rejoins them in Tabernacle, where there are 2 locations to purchase food.

The 40 & 49-mile routes journey through open Pinelands. The 49-mile route is identical to the 40-mile route, but includes an 8.8-mile “out and back” trip to visit the Carranza Memorial. Emilio Carranza, the Lindberg of Mexico, is forever memorialized at this stone monument located in Wharton State Forest. The site is where his airplane crashed during a thunderstorm while making his attempt to complete a goodwill journey from Mexico City to New York and back again.

Although riders can ride at any time, Sunday – Thursday are the best days to ride these routes, as weddings may be scheduled and taking place in the barn on the property on Fridays through Sundays from September through November. Due to this, riders must complete their rides by 3:00 PM, if they chose to ride on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays.

Along the bay during the Tuckerton Seaport Journey in 2015.

TUCKERTON SEAPORT JOURNEY

Start/Finish location: Tuckerton Seaport & Baymen’s Museum 120 West Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087

This 49-mile ride starts at the Tuckerton Seaport, a 40-acre maritime village that celebrates

the unique history of the people of Barnegat Bay and features the Tucker’s Island Lighthouse.

The route starts with an out and back loop on Great Bay Boulevard (Seven Bridges Road) and through the Great Bay Wildlife Management Area to the Rutgers School of Marine Sciences (a former Coast Guard station). From this spot, enjoy a panoramic view of Little Egg Harbor and Holgate (Long Beach Island) to the east as well as Brigantine and the Atlantic City skyline to the south.



Along the main part of the route, see important natural areas like Bass River State Forest (NJ’s first state forest) and Wharton State Forest. Follow the Mullica River into the town of New Gretna as you head back to the Seaport.



Double Trouble Village in Double Trouble State Forest.

FORKED RIVER MOUNTAIN AREA LOOP

Start/Finish location: Wells County Park 905 Wells Mills Rd, Waretown, NJ 08758

In 1978 the National Parks and Recreation Act statute created the one million-acre Pinelands National Reserve, the first in our nation. The Forked River Mountain Area Loop circumnavigates about 100,000 of those preserved Pine Barrens. Despite the name, the 51-mile route is fairly flat (the Forked River Mountains have a maximum elevation of 178 ft above sea level) with a total of 800 feet of climbing.

Your ride begins at Wells Mills County Park, the largest park in the Ocean County Park System. This 901-acre park was preserved thanks to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. Your ride will take you past the globally rare Pygmy Forest (part of Bass River State Forest). You will pass Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area, the Crossley Preserve and historic Double Trouble State Park. Along the way, we recommend that you visit Jakes Branch County Park, the Gateway to the Pines (which has an observation tower, and nature center).

Registration Information

New for this year, you will register for each route individually, so you can pick and choose which routes you want to ride; participants will receive a discount on entries for additional routes. The first route is $25 and additional routes are $15. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Pinelands Preservation Alliance.

Each participant will receive a souvenir Riding out the Pandemic t-shirt in the mail following the last day of the event period. We are striving to mail items by December 31st. You are welcome to register for multiple rides (and will receive a $10 entry fee discount for each additional rides entered at the same time as your first entry), but you will receive only one t-shirt per registrant.

You can register for the routes via BikeReg.

The Pinelands Preservation Alliance is a local, grassroots organization and your participation truly makes a difference in our effort to protect New Jersey’s Pinelands. The Tour de Pines helps to support our work to protect New Jersey’s Pinelands so there are always beautiful green places to ride your bike in south Jersey.

Information

Questions? Contact Brian at Kermesse Sport at 267-744-4538.

Tour de Pines 2020 Advisory Committee Members: Harry Chaikin, Mickey Coen, Anita Garner, John Greenberg, Michael Hardy, John Keenan, Kevin Kristian, Chris Monchinski, Dan Rappoport, Daniel Sferas, Susan Soesbe, Jay Stephens, Ed and Patricia Troike, and Jim Wheatcroft. PPA is very grateful for their hard work in planning this year’s event!