by Dennis Dalman
news@thenewsleaders.com
What could be more “autumnal” than a leisurely bicycle ride through landscapes blazing with fall colors, along with relaxing reststops along the way for carameled-apple treats?
That is the concept underlying the second annual “Caramel Apple Ride,” which will take place Saturday, Oct. 5 on the Wobegon Trail system. The ride is not to be confused with the long-time annual Caramel Roll Ride, which is held each spring on the same trail.
The Caramel Apple Ride this year will have three options for participants. The event will start at 10 a.m. from Sinclair Lewis Park in Sauk Centre and will end at various options, depending on the routes chosen by bikers. Some will just bike the nine miles east to Melrose. Others will want to turn south at Melrose to go to special events at the Whispering Oaks Winery six miles south of Melrose. Still others will choose to take in the Freeport Oktoberfest that day six miles east of Melrose.
Early registration for the event is possible up until Sept. 22. To register, go to www.LakeWobegonTrails.com and click on the “Carmel Apple Ride” logo. That website will also have information about fees and amenities associated with the ride. There will be carameled apples and other treats and refreshments for bikers at all of the reststops along the routes.
Cliff Borgerding of Avon is the ride director and volunteer president for the event. He and his wife, Linda, hope to take part in the event, if they get back from a motor trip first. Currently, to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary, they are taking a spontaneous traveling trip through Michigan and maybe as far as Niagara Falls and then Vermont.
“We’re just taking our time as we go,” Borgerding told the Newsleader during a long-distance interview earlier this week. “We decided to get in the car and just drive.”
Both Cliff and Linda are avid bikers and members of the Central Minnesota Bike Club.
“We love to bike in groups and try to bike once a week,” he said.
Even if the Borgerdings don’t make it back in time for the ride, they are certain their fellow bikers will have a ball. Last year, 35 bikers took part in the event. This year, Borgerding said, he expects anywhere from 75-100 bikers to join the fun.
