The award-winning bicycle event series Farm to Fork Fondo will include a stop in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley in 2018.
500 cyclists from throughout the country are expected to attend Shenandoah Valley’s Farm to Fork Fondo on May 19-20, 2018 at Belle Grove Plantation in Middletown, VA.
The annual event is organized by Wrenegade Sports of Burlington, VT. “With hundreds of farms, beautiful pastoral landscapes, rich agricultural history, supportive rural communities, and tremendous support for the farm-to-table movement, the Shenandoah Valley is an ideal location for a Farm to Fork Fondo event,” says Wrenegade Sports founder and former professional cyclist Tyler Wren.
The event will include gourmet aid stations at several farms in the Shenandoah Valley region, known as the ‘Breadbasket of the Confederacy,’ where cyclists will sample chef-prepared food made from each farm’s ingredients. Course options for all abilities will range from 10 to 100 miles.
Belle Grove Plantation in Middletown will serve as the start-finish venue on May 20, and host a pre-ride ‘Meet the Farmers Dinner’ on May 19. “Belle Grove Plantation has been a working farm since the mid-1700s and preserving its agricultural past and supporting our current farming community is an important part of our mission,” said Kristen Laise, Executive Director of Belle Grove Plantation. “We are delighted to partner with Wrenegade Sports to introduce their participants to our beautiful Shenandoah Valley with Farm to Fork Fondo.”
“The Shenandoah Valley, as a top destination for agritourism visitors, is a natural fit for the Farm to Fork Fondo series with its abundance of farms, scenic beauty and many rural roads ideal for cycling,” said Sports Virginia National Sales Manager Joni Johnson.
Visit FarmToForkFondo.com for more information and to register for the Farm to Fork Fondo mailing list to stay informed of all event news and updates.
ABOUT FARM TO FORK FONDO
Farm to Fork Fondo is a series of non-competitive cycling events in iconic farmland regions throughout the Northeastern United States. The mission of the Farm to Fork Fondo series is to highlight and support the symbiotic relationship between cyclists, farmers and beautiful landscapes. Ride options range from 10 to 100 miles, and include several on-farm aid stations where participants sample chef-prepared treats made from each farm’s ingredients. The series has been featured in Outside, Men’s Health, SELF Magazine, Men’s Journal and more. For more information, visit FarmForkFondo.com.
ABOUT BELLE GROVE PLANTATION
Belle Grove Plantation is a historic house museum located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Constructed in 1797 by Major Isaac Hite Belle Grove Plantation’s Manor House is a stunning example of Jeffersonian architecture. The Plantation is operated as a historic house museum by Belle Grove, Inc., a non-profit organization. Belle Grove is owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is one of their 27 historic sites. Belle Grove is also a partner in the Cedar Creek Belle Grove National Historic Park. Visitors will learn about the Hite family, 18th-19th century architecture, agriculture, slavery and the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley. For more information, visit BelleGrove.org.
ABOUT SHENANDOAH VALLEY TRAVEL ASSOCIATION (SVTA)
Founded in 1924, SVTA is one of the oldest regional tourism promotional organizations of its kind in the United States. The association promotes the tourism assets of the beautiful and historic Shenandoah Valley to the rest of the world. SVTA is a membership-based organization that receives no lodging or meal tax revenues. The Shenandoah Valley encompasses fourteen counties in Virginia and two counties in West Virginia, stretching from Harper’s Ferry in the north to Roanoke in the south. For more information, VisitShenandoah.org.
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