Cycle to Farm is a group ride that encourages and promotes local farmers and local food through bicycling in the South. They ride to beautiful local farms to enjoy the stunning scenery and eat locally-grown food.
Each event offers a challenging metric century distance (100 kilometers, or about 62 miles). And because this is Western North Carolina, you also get plenty of challenging ascents to climb, rushing descents, and beautiful country roads.
This year there will be two Cycle to Farm events: in Black Mountain, NC on July 16 and again on October 1 in Asheville, NC.
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Black Mountain event, and this will be the first time the ride starts in the center of downtown Black Mountain, known as the “front porch” of Western North Carolina.
When we return, we’ll enjoy New Belgium beer and by popular demand, home-made pizza prepared by Fresh in a wood-fired oven on-site will again provide our Farm to Table meal. We’ll also have the option of a concert that same evening.
Proceeds from the Black Mountain event will again benefit the Black Mountain Greenways.
For the first-ever Asheville event on October 1, long-time sponsor New Belgium Brewing’s will host the event at their new campus along the French Broad River.
Naturally, New Belgium beer will be offered to riders as they return, along with the now-traditional Farm to Table meal for the hungry cyclists.
The Asheville event will travel to the beautiful Sandy Mush and back, an extraordinary area known for farmland preserved from commercial development. Returning riders will recognize that much of the route is the same as the 2013 and 2014 Sandy Mush Cycle to Farm route.
Proceeds from the Asheville event riding into Sandy Mush will benefit Friends of Connect Buncombe, which promotes greenways throughout Buncombe County.