Witnessing the beauty of Columbia County along the Roe Jan Ramble Bike Tour

COPAKE — More than 580 cyclists seized the chance to cycle around Columbia County at the seventh annual Roe Jan Ramble Bike Tour on Saturday, Sept. 21.

Sponsored by the towns of Ancram, Copake and Hillsdale, the Roe Jan Ramble Bike Tour is a community event run entirely by volunteers and designed to raise awareness and donations to support the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. Open to the public free of charge, this year’s event welcomed over 40 local business sponsors as well as 45 volunteers.

Roe Jan Ramble Bike Tour Event Chair Tom Goldsworthy remarked that about two-thirds of the cyclists were returning participants. When asked what might inspire a cyclist to come back for another ride on the Roe Jan Ramble, he accredited the excellent organization and the spectacular scenery, not to mention the friendly volunteers who make the event possible.

“Most of the success has come through word of mouth,” he said. “People who have ridden in the past tend to recommend it to a friend.”

Organizing six different routes ranging from 10 miles to 62 miles this year, Goldsworthy said the Roe Jan Ramble showcases the most picturesque parts of Columbia County. Considering which route he found the most beautiful, he remarked that the tour’s 50-mile route covers the highlights of all three towns in addition to sections of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.

While registration for the tour is mostly online, this year’s ride received a couple of walk-in registrants who checked into Copake Memorial Park at 8:30 a.m. This year’s tour welcomed a total of ---94 cyclists on the 10-mile route, 79 cyclists on the 18-mile route, 108 cyclists on the 25-mile cyclists, 105 cyclists for the 35-mile route, 63 cyclists on the 50-mile route and 135 cyclists on the 62-mile route. All of the routes were timed so that everyone could return to the park by lunchtime, which was made available to cyclists thanks to the charity Community Christmas Baskets Ltd.