The weekend of July 25 will see a group of bicyclists participate in a gruelling new race for the Sault and area.
Locally-based Red Pine Tours has organized the inaugural Saltra, a 200 km bicycle journey that will start in the early evening hours of Friday, July 25 at the Downtown Plaza, head north to Stokely Creek Trail near Searchmont and end at Kinsmen Park in the Hiawatha Highlands.
“The Saltra is a passion project between myself and other bicyclists that are really into endurance racing. We thought it would be great if we developed an event for bicyclists that want to ride all day and all night,” event co-organizer Joel Wenham told SooToday.
Red Pine Tours restricted the number of participants in the Saltra to 12 people.
Seven bicyclists - five from the Sault, one from Searchmont and one from Marquette, Michigan - had registered and been approved by Red Pine Tours as of the June 13 registration deadline.
“It’s definitely not for the faint of heart,” Joel said.
He estimated that the Saltra would take approximately 20 hours for cyclists to complete if weather and trail conditions are favourable.
Though certainly not as common as bicycling in the day, night bicycling is doable.
“The technology in bicycle lights these days is great. You can get really bright lights to allow you to ride through the night,” he said.
Participants will have to possess a considerable degree of self-sufficiency.
“If they do need to sleep in the middle of the night they can set up a tent or a hammock and take a little bit of a rest because it's tough riding at night.
"There’s a list of recommended gear, like your own food and water. You need to be safe out there. There are going to be some checkpoints with a little bit of aid but it will be very minimal,” Joel said.
Each bicyclist will be equipped with a tracking device by race organizers to make sure they are on the correct course and able to be located if a search and rescue operation becomes necessary.
While Saltra bicyclists pedal their way to the finish line, the not as extreme - but still intense - third annual Salty Marie Trails Fest for bicyclists and runners will take place beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, July 26, starting and ending at Kinsmen Park.
The Salty Marie Trails Festival includes 10, 25 and 50 km mountain bike races, a half-marathon trail running race, a 10 km trail running race as well as a two km race for children.
The Saltra and the Salty Marie Trails Fest will end at Hiawatha Highlands on Saturday with a celebration including music, food vendors and a beer tent.
A social gathering and group rides will take place at Hiawatha on Sunday, July 27.
While the deadline to apply for the Saltra has passed, bicyclists and runners can still register and pay their fees for the Salty Marie Trails Fest online.
Fees cover the cost of setting up the event and also raise funds to support Sault Search and Rescue.
“Bicycling is great for all ages and all types of people, from little ones to older people. When you design these events you bring this community together,” Wenham said.
Such events are good for local tourism, said Katie Wenham, Salty Marie Trails Fest race director, who is married to Joel.
“We had about 350 racers for Salty Marie last year and about 40 per cent were from out of town. They spend money in local hotels and restaurants. Locals were very, very stoked to have this event in their own backyard and we've had people travel from various parts of Canada and people from the U.S., as far away as Kentucky, come here and check out the race,” Katie said.
Organizing such events is important to the Wenhams and other Salty Marie Trails Festival bicyclists.
“It’s our love letter back to the community that's given us so much. The trails here are amazing. The city and the local clubs have put so much time and effort into building them for us. We wanted to do something to give back and show everyone the trails we have to offer,” Katie said.