Events: Tour de Pines

(2020) The year of 2020 has been difficult for any cycling fan of organized events to enjoy. Some events have coped by requiring face masks for races. Others have gone from mass-starts to staggered starts. Those remaining have closed down, hanging a sign to try again next year. Another approach is the self-guided tour. 

In this pandemic it is difficult for cyclists to find a sense of community when we are advised to stay away from each other. Events were the devilish motivators to get one to log miles when motivation was lacking. Within the event, the post-ride gatherings encouraged participants to ignore desires to call the broom wagon. The health of the community is important. Riders are staying home, even when they want to gather. And if we have to ride the trainer one more time...

These are the points that have us interested in this year’s Tour de Pines, a cycling event held from September 15 - November 30 this year. Hosted by the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, the Tour de Pines offers four separate single-day bike tours in the unique geography of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. With alterations due to Covid-19 pandemic, the Tour de Pines has brought Kermesse Sport aboard to put the devil in the details. This isn’t another one of those self-guided attempts. The Pine Barrens are to be taken seriously, even if they don’t have hills.

Pine Barrens view from Apple Pie Hill. (Photo courtesy Ernest Cozens)

Stretching across more than seven counties, the Pine Barrens (aka Pinelands or simply the Pines) is the largest remaining example of sandy, acidic soil where only suitable plants can grow. This is notable considering how populated the surrounding areas are. To the west is Philadelphia; to the north is New York City. This relatively undisturbed area measures 1.1 million acres (or 22% of New Jersey’s land area) and produces some of the purest water in the United States. An area that wooded, that remote must be approached with respect. A guided tour is exactly the way to experience the Pine Barrens.

This year’s Tour de Pines model sees riders register through BikeReg among the four separate start/finish locations. There is an eleven week window to complete the route (or routes). Riders can register for other routes at a discount. Participants can expect cue sheets, GPS files, free access to ridewithgps.com/ app, ride tip sheets featuring convenience store locations, and event instructions like parking, pre- and post-ride food, and other information. Each participant will receive a ‘Riding Out the Pandemic’ t-shirt by mail. With next-to-no events this year, we are relying heavily on previous events t-shirts to hold us over.

Due to the vastness of the Pine Barrens, each ride isolates uniqueness. The four start/ finish locations are separated by considerable distance even by car. For example, the Blueberry Fields Forever routes start at the Whitehorse Winery and explore the area known as the ‘Blueberry Capital of the World.’ The two routes consist of 29 miles and 48 miles. The route tours historical areas, wildlife management areas, food areas of interest, and the unofficial cycling destination of Mullica River. (This was where we raced for the tin of anchovies prime.) The start/ finish location of the ride is Whitehorse Winery and care should be taken to avoid occupying the business during peak hours on weekends.

Start of the 2019 Tour de Pines at Laurita Winery.

A thirty minute car ride down the road from the Whitehorse Winery, the Pinelands Adventure Ride features a 25, 40, and 49-mile option. The longest version offers an extended out-and-back to explore the Carranza Memorial, the location where Emilio Carranza’s plane crashed in 1928 during a flight from Mexico City to New York and back. All three routes focus riders to other historic sites. Like the first option, riders must take care to avoid selecting certain weekend times to avoid potential weddings in the barn at the ride’s start/ finish location.

Of all the years riding, there has not been a ride that has featured a lighthouse. The Tuckerton Seaport Journey is a 49-mile study in maritime sites. Starting at Tuckerton Seaport in Barnegat Bay, the route circles the Great Bay Wildlife Management Area. From here Long Beach Island is visible. The route also passes through Mullica River. (This is where the second prime in the race was a warm bottle of Gatorade.)

Down the road twenty minutes by car, and for those looking to circle roughly 10% of the Pine Barrens in one go, the Forked River Mountain Area Loop is out there. Though it sounds demonic in altitude, the total climb tops out at 800 feet over a 51-mile route. The highest point on the map is a plumb 178 feet. This route passes through numerous management areas.

Riders hammering the flat roads of New Jersey.

Each route comes in at a fair $25; each additional route adds $15. This is a great way to support numerous causes: The Pinelands Preservation Alliance, Kermesse Sport, the local Pine Barrens businesses, local bike shops, and the local cycling scene. Many of our local riders have often passed through the Pine Barrens on their bike rides to the Jersey Shore. Here is a great way to support multiple scenes while having assurance of a coordinated event to help with route navigation. 

The Pine Barrens is home to the Jersey Devil and New Jersey’s own sasquatch, The Red Eye. To pass through these eerie acres is to add one more element to the cycling experience: a seasonal mood in preparation for Halloween. Just remember Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother, Joseph, reportedly came face-to-face with the Devil himself. 

And to those like-minded cyclists looking to add new miles to their Strava via Heatmap or Wandrer, what better way to add loops in south Jersey than by hammering out some flat mileage in rural land? There’s hardly a place on the eastern seaboard where rides like this can be so accessible yet so remote. You might just find us there each weekend, pounding out another ride. Just don’t confuse us with the sasquatch, because it’s been a long pandemic.