The Bicycle Coalition of Maine celebrated the route reveal for BikeMaine 2020 Saturday night during their eighth annual Kickoff Party at the University of Maine’s Wells Conference Center in Orono.
The event was free, open to the public, and featured presentations by Matthew Polstein, the owner and operator of the New England Outdoor Center in Millinocket, and Kala Rush, the education coordinator for Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters. More than 70 attendees gathered at 7 p.m. for the announcement of the host communities for BikeMaine 2020: Katahdin Frontier.
The host communities are as follows:
Night 1: Old Town
Night 2: Lincoln
Night 3: Patten
Night 4 & 5: Millinocket, including a rest day
Night 6 & 7: Dover-Foxcroft, including a loop ride through Monson
The fully supported week-long bike tour will begin Saturday, September 12 and end Saturday, September 19 in Old Town.
“We are both lucky and grateful to be working with these wonderful communities in the Katahdin Region,” says Ride Director Will Elting. “It is the last large region of the state that the ride has yet to cover, and I can’t wait for riders to experience its wild and iconic landscapes, quiet back roads, and welcoming people.”
Since BikeMaine began in 2013, it has brought riders through seven different and diverse regions of Maine. During that time, BikeMaine’s annual economic impact has grown from $235,000 to $906,000, and has had a positive impact on communities from Caribou to Kennebunk.