Cyclists eating up Foodie Road Ride trend

Cycling is synonymous with love of food. That's what Shannon Burtsays was the inspiration four years ago to start the annual Foodie Road Ride.

"It's been a trend as well, to combine cycling and great little spots to eat to make a longer bike ride it kind of ups the fun," said Burt, a board member with Cycling PEI.

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The ride is 80 kilometres through gorgeous scenery around the Island. And along the way, riders stop at local food emporiums for a taste of P.E.I. That, Burtsaid, has gotten more riders to come out over the years.

"I think it's definitely a tease, it's definitely a lure," he said.

"The fact that you're doing frequent stops doesn't make it such a committing distance for an intermediate rider."

The group stopped this year at coffee shops, cheese and goat farms and a local brewery. Showing people the gems of the Island food culture is part of the fun, Burtsaid.

"A lot of the riders that I bring along haven't been to these places before so they're like 'wow'. Glasgow Glen farm was like an eye-opener to a lot of the people, so it's nice to bring these opportunities to more people from away or locals like us," he said.

Cycling PEI has more events planned through the fall, for all levels.

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