Tour de Norfolk draws crowd
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Billy Armstrong is quite familiar with the roads of Norfolk County but on Sunday he got to experience them in a whole new way.
“I’m from Port Rowan and I grew up driving all of these roads,” Armstrong, 24, said. “But this is the first time I’ve done the Le Tour de Norfolk and I have to say it was pretty neat.
“It was a warm day that’s for sure but it was a great ride and I really enjoyed all the scenery.”
Now a resident of Waterloo, Armstrong, a graduate of Laurier University, was one of about 780 people who came to Delhi for the annual bike ride that featured 40, 75, 100 and 165-kilometre routes. All of the routes began and ended in Delhi.
While Sunday’s ride was a first for Armstrong, Elmira’s Curtis Detweiler, 59, is a Le Tour de Norfolk regular.
“I love this ride,” Detweiler said after finishing the 75-kilometre route. “It’s one of the best rides going.
“It’s really well organized, the rest stops are well-positioned and the scenery is unbelievable.”
Detweiler especially enjoys seeing the tobacco and ginseng fields as he rides the roads of Norfolk.
“But you know what the best thing about this ride is?” Detweiler asked. “The route is really, really flat.
“There aren’t a lot of hills.” Detweiler has been riding Le Tour de Norfolk for several years and only missed last year because a knee injury and surgery forced him to scale back his cycling.
But he was in fine form on Sunday and zipped up the hill on Western Avenue before entering the Delhi Community Centre parking lot without a hint of exhaustion.
Le Tour de Norfolk started 12 years ago and has grown substantially since its beginning, organizer Yvette Mahieu said.
“We kind of thought it would be something neat to do but back then we didn’t know if we’d do it just once or if it was something that we could do year after year,” Mahieu said. “We had 300 riders in the first year and we did that without a lot of marketing or advertising.
“It really has grown and I think, as a group, we’ve become better at organizing it as well.”
Many cyclists come back year after year and Mahieu keeps the ride fresh by changing the route every couple of years.
“We get people coming from all over Ontario, including the Greater Toronto Area, and this year we had some people from the United States as well,” Mahieu said. “This is a ride that appeals to a lot of people because the roads are quiet, flat and paved.
“People love the scenery and we make sure there are snacks and refreshments available to them as well.”
Volunteers patrol the route to help cyclists with mechanical issues and to collect items that they may have purchased while riding through Norfolk.
“I think a lot of them really like that they can stop and purchase fresh fruits and vegetables which we can then transport back to the start and finish line for them,” Mahieu said. “We change up the rest stops as well so that cyclists get a chance to experience the best of what Norfolk has to offer.
“This year the final stop was the Ramblin Road Brewery and in other years it has been some other local business.”
Following the ride, participants could enjoy a spaghetti lunch and ice cream at the Delhi Community Centre. The pool next door to the arena was also open.
“We’re really quite pleased with the way this event has grown and I think there are a lot of reasons for that,” Mahieu said. “But one of the biggest reasons for its success is the work of the volunteers.
“We wouldn’t be able to do it without them and with so many people helping out the tour runs like a well-oiled machine.”
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