Veni Vidi Velo - Amish Country Bike Ride - Dover DE

Information about the bike ride:

  • Event Website: http://www.amishcountrybiketour.com/
  • Dates: Usually the 1st Saturday of September
  • Distances: Century (100 miles), 65 miles, 50 miles, 25 miles and 15 miles
  • Ride Start: 411 Legislative Avenue, Dover, DE 19901
  • Registration cost: $35 for early birds to $60 day of the event (price in 2014)
  • Course Description: all flat course, low shade and high winds – great course for beginners or those doing their first century

About the Ride:

After cycling in Lancaster we decided to go southeast to Dover, DE. Dover is the capital of Delaware and also another Amish Settlement. Much smaller than Lancaster (this community has about 1,500 Amish compared to the 3,100 that live in Lancaster), there are not as many buggies to pass but it is flat and a fast course with Amish Pie Stops! Doesn’t get much better than this … 🙂

Delaware makes claim to being the first state (having signed the Constitution first) and on a map it is so small compared to the neighboring states. With only 3 counties in Delaware, it has the fewest, compared to the national average of 63 counties per state. Kent County is where an Amish settlement calls home, just beyond Dover, the state capital’s limits.

Amish Population 2014 Infographic

We happened to pick the hottest day of the year and this course offers very little shade. The ride officially starts at 8 am with an Amish buggy that leads the way out of Dover. However, with the hot weather and long 100 mile ride, we decided to start early at 7:30 am to avoid the mass crowd start.

The ride is very well organized and has multiple distances to follow. We set our goal to do 100 miles. When we started the ride it was already 86 degrees. The wind was not too bad as we made our way around the farm fields. We did not have to watch out for ‘road apples’ or horse poop on the road, but we did find some wild turkeys that other cyclists were slowing down to pass and take photos.

We were averaging 21 mph by the first pie stop which was about 50 miles into the ride. It was held at an Amish school house and Amish women were helping serve the pies. It was a stopping point for several of the shorter rides as well.

Amish Pie Stop - Dover, DE

What are the top Amish pie recipes?

At the rest stop we met an inspiring family on their first 100 mile bike ride. A ten year old girl, that’s right a ten year old girl nicknamed ‘CC’ rode with her parents 100 miles. This was not her first ride in Amish Country – CC also has done the Lancaster Covered Bridge Ride several times before, but this was her first 100 mile bike ride. (See her Blog Post)

Amish Country Bike Ride 2014 - Dover, Delaware - YouTube - Google Chrome_2014-10-01_15-04-36After stopping for some pie and refilling our water bottles, we were on our way. The wind started to pick up and the sun was harsh.  Did I already mention there was little to no shade? At every water stop along the way it was becoming imperative to dump vast amounts of water over my head to cool down. One point, I made a wrong turn, but I found a Royal Farms gas station with air conditioning and I bought some cool lemonade before heading back out to the 110 degree heat index weather.

The last 15 miles into the finish was brutal. The wind was strong, but the morale was high as we came into Dover. At least the course was flat!

Amish Country Bike Ride - Dover DEAt the end there was a BBQ waiting for all the riders with pulled pork and chicken. After riding 100 miles and making it through the heat and wind, I did not have enough energy to eat a big meal.

The course stays open until 6 pm before they start shutting down, but they have a sag wagon telephone number if anyone needs help. It was a great flat fast course. The weather could have been a little cooler, but overall I give this course two thumbs up.

Stay tuned for our next adventure!

Great places to recover and visit beyond Dover:

Farmers’ & Amish Markets in Dover area:

  • Dover – Delaware State University Farmers’ Market, DSU Administration Parking Lot, Saturdays 10:00AM – 2:00PM May – October (for a website – click here)
  • Spence’s Bazaar & Auction, 550 S. New Street, Downtown Dover, 302-734-3441, Indoor/outdoor flea market, Auction, Bakery, Deli, Wide variety of indoor shopping, Amish foods, Open Tuesday and Fridays, 8am-5:30pm (for a website – click here)
  • Other Amish Shopping Places (click here for a website)

Delaware Beaches - After Bike Ride Recovery

Beaches of Delaware (official website click here)

Beaches are a great way to relax after a long bike ride. Delaware has some of the best sandy beaches and boardwalks. Break out the beach towels for some sun bathing and soak the legs in the ocean to recover. Here is a highlight of Delaware’s beaches:

Rehoboth Beach - Delaware, USA

  • Dewey and Rehoboth Beach is the largest with the most commerce from restaurants to outlet malls and traffic jams. While they have great live music on the boardwalk and a lively boardwalk, it is expensive to park! If you are visiting for the day please note that there is no bathhouse with changing rooms, only restrooms with long lines on hot summer days. There is a bike trail between Dewey and Rehoboth beach (great for a jog or short bike ride).
  • A must eat & drink is the Dogfish Head Brewpub. They feature, of course, drinks from the Dogfish Head Brewery with an interesting mix of beer choices. The one that we tried was part of the ‘Ancient Ales’ collection called Kavsir (click here for more info about the Dogfish Head Brewpub). They even got molecular archaeologist Dr. Pat McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania to help with chemical testing and analysis of residue found on pottery and drinking containers from archaeological sites around the world. Kvasir is a recipe from a 3,500‐year‐old Danish drinking vessel. The brew ingredients that were found from chemical testing included: wheat, lingonberries, cranberries, honey and birch syrup.
  • Bethany Beach is a more quiet beach and known as the ‘family beach’ and voted as one of the “Best Secret Beaches” by Travel + Leisure Magazine. A little less commerce and a curfew in place for teens makes it a quieter beach.
  • Fenwick Island is close to the Maryland border and has Fenwick Island State Park, a three-mile barrier island along the Atlantic coastline and Little Assawoman Bay. On the Atlantic side there is surfing and drive-on beaches and a modern bathhouse with showers and changing rooms. There is also a historic lighthouse too.

Other great resources:

Our GPS files and maps from the event for 2014:

Other Dover Bike Rides with cues:

Recommended Books (affiliate links):

Recommended Videos (affiliate links):

Warm Weather Riding Gear (affiliate links):

Sports Drink Mixes (affiliate links):

Books for long distance rides (affiliate links):

Other accessories for the bike (affiliate links):

Where to Eat:

  • Dogfish Head Brewpub. They feature drinks from the Dogfish Head Brewery with an interesting mix of beer choices. Website: http://www.dogfish.com

Other great resources for travel to Dover and Delaware:

We hope you enjoyed our ride description. Join our mailing list to receive updates on upcoming rides and interviews with other cyclists.

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