It’s back! What may or may not be the 25th edition of the Pancake Ride is June 30th.
The Traverse City institution is back for another year. Join us at Cherry Bend Park on Saturday, June 30th at 8am for the annual circumvention of Leelanau County. Go fast, go slow, just be there because there are pancakes.
Kim White has organized two of the greatest pancake flippers known to man for the second summer. Somehow, we’ve retained the services of Ray and Angela Lyon, plus some fresh, local toppings, both real and fake syrups, and some ‘nanas. Of course, it just wouldn’t be a Pancake Ride without coffee, and Breakaway Cafe is back with delicious caffeine and some VICTORY COOKIES, which look very similar to CONSOLATION COOKIES.
This year’s route options are throwbacks to what have become the hallowed, traditional roads that make the ride so fun and, of course, so tough. The climbs include Inspiration, Trumbull, Hlavka, and Tower, with the long and tired ascent of Philosophy welcoming both the Tall and Medium Stack riders home…almost.
The ride is, as always, at a conversational pace until we cross Bugai; from there, the ride is as fast as you want it to be, and as fast as we make it. We do have a 10-minute pause at the park in Glen Arbor, which allows for bottle refills, natural breaks, and for more riders to hop back onto the group. After there, there are no stops and, if history is any indication, no mercy from riders like Mike Powers, Ross Williams, and Austin Johnson.
All riders must obey the rules of the road, ride safe, and look out for each other. As you may have guessed, this isn’t supported in any way so you will need to bring spare tubes, air, pumps, and snacks. It’s a celebration of summer, of our incredible cycling community, and the County. If you’ve joined for this ride before, you know it’s one you never want to miss.
The ride, and the ‘cakes, are totally free, but we are accepting cash donations to support the miniSOL and Junior SOL rides this summer. The youth mountain bike rides invite dozens of kids each week to take on a 4 or 11 mile course, complete with results, prizes, and pizza, thanks to the support of groups like Norte, Hagerty Cycling, M22, Keen Technical Solutions, NMMBA, and plenty of individuals and family who devote their time to the ride.
Stay in the loop with the event on Strava.
The Tall Stack route is right here.
The Medium Stack route is here.