Events: Guy Fawkes Ride 2026
Somewhere between the Top of the Mall convenience store and the final climbs of the Kermesse Sport’s autumnal event, Tom Hess of the cycling team Instigators made a glorious comment. “I couldn’t tell you where I am,” he said, as we finished zipping down Clay Ridge Road, having passed a stopped Tesla going up the hill and a sidelined postal van going down. I had just commented that Clay Ridge along Beaver Creek and over an old bridge was one of my favorites when Tom made that remark. It was precisely the effect I hoped the route had on near-locals registered for the event.
In its sixth year, Guy Fawkes Ride makes a great bookend to the road cycling season. Held on the first Saturday after the clocks are rolled back, Guy Fawkes Ride starts near our office at Bucks County Brewery and winds around the northern Bucks County roads via two distances: short (28 miles) and long (50 miles). The goal of both courses is to capture the essence and beauty of the area and to promote cycling along our roadways.
Our start to the final third of the route along Beaver Run Road with half the climbing remaining.
Things had fallen into place to ride Guy Fawkes this year. Tom had reached out via Instagram inviting me to join the Instigators group on the day at a “probably social pace” which sounded absolutely perfect. Another piece falling into place was opening the back door of the office event morning and seeing actual sun shine. Kermesse events have experienced disastrous weather of late, and here I was pulling a layer back in anticipation for a warmer-than-expected outing. Feeling great at roll out, I surfed the downhill approach to the starting point to check in and meet up with the Instigators cycling team.
The route is deceptive. Prior to the brutal climb in Perkasie, the gradient feels almost completely downhill. In years past, ride mates mistakenly concluded that the outing would be quick and easy. Without warning Schwenkmill Road produces a sudden climb exceeding 15% to send riders over the ridge on the long route. It’s the only safe way to get riders north of Lake Nockamixon and into phenomenal cycling country.
Amidst a deliciously autumnal-themed area, the route envelopes itself into hardwood forests producing late fall blowing leaves. Roads names like Applebachsville hint of the bygone era’s purpose. Intersections with roads like Cider Press Lane and Apple Road add to the country lane feel. With rolling terrain, it was easy to find rhythm with our group of eight. We had reached the halfway mark of the route in almost no time at all. The Instigators Perkasie division regularly sends their Tuesday night group rides along these roads as familiarity propelled us forward. For two miles our group enjoyed a casual plunge further into the woods as we approached the final third of the Guy Fawkes Ride long route.
Clay Ridge Road is a tucked-away ribbon of asphalt along the lowest point of the course.
The group pulled over at the unique mini mart called Top of the Mall. It’s a cash-only joint next to the closed movie rental store which is next to a vacant store front featuring a lost cat flyer and a found cat behind the window. The break is where we shared stories and laughs over sodas atop the dumpster lid and chocolate covered pretzels with negotiable prices. Someone mentioned something about the final fifteen miles hosting the remaining 1,500 feet of climbing. I cautioned the group about the technical descent over the new bridge into the immediate ascent with no sight lines but could be absolutely fast to risk takers. It was at this juncture we met up with Clay Ridge Road where Tom mentioned he had a vague clue where he was but couldn't tell me precisely. To have local riders rolling over new roads was the greatest compliment possible. This is why the route exists. The comment was also made at the exact lowest point of the route, meaning it was all climbing for the remainder of the last fifteen miles.
It is likely the final miles of the route have finished people off. With roughly ten miles remaining, the short course joined the long course in its return. It was uphill or downhill for these final miles. The wind wound up cooperating and pushed us back to the brewery. It’s the final miles on Log Cabin Road, a sustained 2% gradient, that tends to crush riders. After all that climbing, it’s this ever so menacing uphill that revels in the struggle. I had lost contact with the group and watched them carry on toward the finish.
The dumpster picnic table behind Top of the Mall mini-mart in Revere where we took a break.
Returning was rewarding. Having signed out of the course, we were traded a ticket for a complimentary beer inside the brewery. Smokey Bandit BBQ food truck was warming up the kitchen. The firepit’s smoke changed direction with the wind. Minus cider, this felt like the perfect fall day. The group gathered around a picnic table and compared ride notes. With a return leg still ahead, my ride file was still active. A slow trickle of finishers continued. Guys in our group kept saying they had never stopped into Bucks County Brewery. The discoveries kept coming.
Eventually I broke away from the debriefing. Contacts had been exchanged. Proposals for next year were discussed. It felt like the 2026 road season was left back at the picnic table outside the Bucks County Brewery at the conclusion of Kermesse Sport’s Guy Fawkes Ride. The best part about being so close is that I could ride back to the picnic table at any time remaining in the year and pick up the spirit of 2026 just to add a few more miles. With a social group amidst perfect weather coming together for a great Kermesse event, it’s no wonder it quickly became one of the best rides of the season. Consider the Guy Fawkes Ride for 2027. You may discover some new roads, new brews, and an outing with some great road riders.
