Ride the River to return for third year
The Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area and Sly Fox Brewery are teaming up once again for the 3rd Annual Ride for the River.
The ride takes place along the Schuylkill River Trail and offers an opportunity to relax afterward with food, beer and eight hours of free, live music.
On Saturday, Sept. 29, Schuylkill River Greenways will host the bike ride which gets cyclists pedaling on the trail. An estimated 300 cyclists will travel along the Pottstown to Reading section of the trail. The ride begins and ends at Sly Fox Brewery’s 2018 Can Jam Music Festival, at Circle of Progress Drive in Pottstown.
Each registered rider gets a free food and beer/ beverage voucher to be use at the festival.
“Ride for the River both highlights and benefits the Schuylkill River Trail. Enormous efforts have been made to link what were once unconnected sections, thereby serving to connect communities in the region as well as connect trail users to those communities. While on the trail, people have the opportunity to visit towns in the area and explore the many tremendous amenities the region has to offer,” said Schuylkill River Greenways NHA Executive Director Elaine Paul Schaefer.
The ride includes rest stops with water and snacks, ride support and well-marked routes. The public is invited to participate and checkout new improvements of the trail. Cyclists will pedal 40-or 16mile routes that take them either to the education center at Berks Nature in Reading or the Union Township Recreation Area and back to Sly Fox Brewery.
New this year, participants can reserve a bike to use and it will be ready for them at the start of the ride. Also new, there will be two raffle prizes this year. People can purchase tickets when they register for the ride for a chance to win a Trek Verve 1 hybrid bike or a custom official Sly Fox cycling race outfit.
The ride serves as a fundraiser for Schuylkill River Greenways, which works with partners to build, improve and promote the Schuylkill River Trail. One of the largest finished trail sections is the Pottstown to Reading stretch, maintained by Schuylkill River Greenways, which totals about 20 miles.
Money raised will support ongoing maintenance of the trail. There are currently 75 miles of the Schuylkill River Trail completed and when finished it will run 120 miles from Frackville to Philadelphia.
Sly Fox Brewery has partnered with Schuylkill River Greenways for the past three years by producing SRT Ale, a seasonal “ale for the trail” that benefits the Schuylkill River Trail. During the Can Jam Festival, Sly Fox representatives will present Schuylkill River Greenways officials with a check from the sales of this year’s SRT Ale.
To learn more visit www. ridefortheriver2018.com or register directly at www. bikereg.com/ridefortheriver.