It was a dark and stormy morning. Many riders who had intended to participate in the first annual Tour de Grace on Saturday, September 17th decided to roll over in bed and go back to sleep. (Which is what I would have done...happily...if I hadn’t been one of the organizers of the event!) Special kudos go to Mary Gyori and Jim Crozier, who got up even earlier to post 32 directional signs along the 19-mile route from Stratton Mountain to Grace Cottage.

Forty-one bicyclists from six states, ranging in age from 12 to 83, started the ride, and everyone finished. Some rode alone, but most formed into ad-hoc groups. Barb Barber and David Booth provided sustenance at a pit stop in West Townshend, while Reed Ervan and Laura Smith gave an emotional uplift at the top of the Townshend Dam, as Reed picked out tunes on his banjo (next year, an entire band is promised!). Four very-in-shape Stratton Mountain School students helped carry bikes up the steps at the Dam (“I’ve never had a bike valet before,” commented one rider), and a huge Welcoming Committee gave each rider an enthusiastic cheer at the end of the ride.

“I rate this among the very best organized rides I’ve ever ridden in,” said Erik Blegvad, of Wardsboro. John Garibaldi of Tarrytown, NY, added, “It’s such a scenic ride - along Pikes Falls Road, I didn’t see one car, and all you hear is flowing water from the river and birds singing. It’s a great ride for families because of the gradual descent.” But perhaps Jack Cunningham of Wardsboro said it best: “I cannot believe that you can ride 19 miles in Vermont and have so much of it be downhill!”

Save Saturday, September 16th for next year’s Tour de Grace. For those who prefer a more challenging route, an uphill option will be provided! Thanks to sponsors (Equipe Sport, Jamaica Country Market, BB Landscaping, Solstice at Stratton, Howard Printing and Stratton Corp.) and this years’ riders, over $1,500 was raised for Grace Cottage and awareness was increased about the great little hospital located in Stratton’s backyard.

(l. to r.) Dr. Maurice Geurts, Dr. Elizabeth Linder, Dr. Moss Linder, and Dr. Judy Tietz’s daughter, Michaela, and husband, Kurt, as they get ready to ride in the Tour de Grace bike rally from Stratton to Grace Cottage on Sept. 17th.