HANCOCK COUNTY — Grant Buchanan really likes cycling, a hobby he picked up about four years ago. The New Zealand native whose business is based in Austin, Texas, travels around the country with his wife, Laura, in their recreational vehicle taking part in community rides.
Buchanan comes to Greenfield every couple of months for business, he said, and recently saw information about the fourth annual Hancock Flat 50 bicycle ride, which is Saturday, Aug. 24. So he signed up.
“Whenever I get in a new town, I look up bicycle clubs and join up,” Buchanan said. “We’re in about nine different clubs all over the county.”
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That includes a club in Greenfield, a group of riders he and his wife have been training with the past several weeks as they prepare to take part in the upcoming ride.
The picturesque fields, trees and streams make Hancock County an ideal place to hold a bicycle ride, organizers said.
The start/finish line for the event will be at the corner of Pennsylvania and North streets in Downtown Greenfield. Riders will take off at 9 a.m., said Amanda Everidge, the event’s coordinator. The ride includes 25- and 50-mile routes throughout the county, and the ride is aimed at cyclists of every skill level.
“It’s just a great chance for riders to get out and meet other riders and get out and see Hancock County,” Everidge said.
Eventually, event organizers are hoping to raise enough money to support walking, running and bicycle connectivity in the community, but for now, it’s all about raising awareness and getting riders on the road. They’ve teamed up with law enforcement in the county, who’ll be out in force helping support rider safety on the roads.
“We’ll have officers on the route to try and drive home a presence,” said Maj. Bobby Campbell, chief deputy of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.
Law enforcement is asking for drivers to remember to give riders space and to share the road.
Laura Baker, co-coordinator of the event, has been working with Everidge and a committee of 10 people including safety and law enforcement officials to make the event a safe one. She likes the Hancock Flat 50 because it helps put the county on display.
“It brings people in from all over,” she said. “It’s just a really fun event.”
About 75 percent of the people who come in and take part in the event come in from outside of the county and state.
Brandon Jones lives just east of Greenfield. He’s in his first year of riding road bikes after being a mountain bike enthusiast for three years. While he was concerned about switching from riding in the woods to sharing roads with cars, he said talking to organizers about the event eased his worries.
“Most the riders and the people doing the event know how to deal with the traffic,” Jones said. “You also learn how to look out for yourself when you’re riding.”
The inaugural Flat 50 ride in 2016 had 150 participants. Numbers have doubled since, with over 300 cyclists taking part last year, organizers said. The fastest riders can complete the course in a little over two hours. The last rider across the finish line last year took almost five hours.
Online registration closes at 4 p.m. Wednesday, August 21. Same-day registration will be available on the day of the event starting at 7:30 a.m. Registration prices increase to $60 for both routes on ride day.
For more information on the ride or volunteering to help email, [email protected].
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Hancock County Flat 50
Saturday, August 24
7:30 a.m. Same-day registration Opens
8:45 a.m. Riders line up
9 a.m. Both 25- and 50-mile rides start (route maps are available at www.hancockflat50.com.)
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Recovery Zone Open
Noon: Live music with Stella Luna and the Satellites
After the bike ride, riders and watchers can relax and enjoy live music and food in the Living Alley in downtown Greenfield.
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The start/finish line is located at the corner of Pennsylvania and North Street in downtown Greenfield.
Online-registration closes at 4 p.m. Aug. 21.
Same-day registration will be available at 7:30 a.m. on the day of the ride. Registration for the 25-mile course is $40. Signing up for the 50-mile course is $50. Registration prices increase to $60 for both routes on race day.
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