Ox Roast Bicycle Tour 2021

Registration & Info

September 6, 2021

(Pandemic precautions in place at registration & all stops)

(After 12 noon on 9/5, registration only available at the registration desk Tour morning, 9/6 – credit cards, cash, money orders…even checks!)

The What

HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

We are happy to announce that one of the most popular & well-organized bike tours in Ohio, the Ox Roast Bicycle Tour, is back again for 2021! FMCPT will sponsor the ride in cooperation with the West Jefferson Community Association, on Labor Day, Monday, September 6, 2021.

Registration – CLOSED FOR 2021

Fee includes detailed tour maps, identification number (which must be displayed at all times), support services, food stops, and an FMCPT membership through 2021! Food items provided at rest stops include granola bars, fresh fruit, water, and sports drinks such as Powerade or Gatorade. Plus, each rider gets a coupon for a FREE Ox Roast sandwich!  (An $8 value & SOOOOO yummy)


PLEASE NOTE: None of the 3 routes pass through towns with facilities and food or drink (for purchase), so plan your time at our rest stops accordingly.

We plan much of our Tour support & rest stop supplies based upon the number of early registrations received, so please help us out by signing up early. We are sorry, but refunds cannot be made if you are unable to ride after you have registered.

All registrations received after 8:00 PM, Monday, August 30, including on the day of the Tour: just $60.00.

WOW… SAVE A COOL 5 BUCKS EACH! 👕 

After you register, you’ll be sent to our “private store” where you can order official Tour tee shirts & save!

😃

The Where

Ox Roast Festival, West Jefferson, OH

The 2021 Ox Roast Bicycle Tour consists of three different routes: 33-mile, 66-mile, and 100-mile options. All rides will kick off between 6:30 and 9:00 AM near Garrette Park on Frey Avenue/Cemetery Road, West Jefferson, OH. They start by the tour check-in tables at the south end of the festival near the community building in Garrette Park (coordinates 39.94004’ N 83.26794’ W). Each route is then marked with their designated route colors. (Maps & GPX files will be available.) All routes end back by the check-in area where riders can leave their bikes at the free bike corral while they enjoy the festival and use their voucher for a free Ox Roast sandwich, which is included with the Tour registration! (Bikes will be guarded until 4 p.m.)

  • 33-mile Route: runs along country roads through east-central Madison County and along Roberts Pass; includes one rest stop at Madison L:ake State Park
  • 66-mile Route: travels mostly along scenic country roads throughout mainly eastern and northern Madison County into just a little of western Champaign County; includes rest stops at Madison Lake State Park and in Rosedale by Rosedale Bible College
  • 100-mile Route: follows with the 66-mile route with additional mileage along country roads in western Madison County, along the Prairie Grass Bike Trail, and through the city of London; also includes rest stops at Madison Lake State Park and in Rosedale by Rosedale Bible College

FIT, GPX & PDF downloads will be available on the "Payment received. You are registered!" page.

ONLINE REGISTRATION CLOSED

Recommend Chrome, Firefox, or Edge browsers. Does not work on Internet Explorer.

Register, sign your required pre-ride release form, pre-pay, and if you want official 2021 Ox Roast Bicycle Tour tee shirts at a discount, you can even do that… all at once!

ONLINE REGISTRATION CLOSED

Prefer to print and bring with you? Or maybe mail it in? Here’s a printable PDF you can use!

(NOTE: If it gets too late to mail it, please bring it with you on Tour morning so you can save time at the registration tables.)

REMEMBER: If you wait to pay at the registration desk on Tour day, we accept credit cards, cash, checks, or money orders.

Join us!

Memberships help keep our all-volunteer efforts going. Join, or renew, today to help keep us going strong. (We’re a non-profit 501c3, so it may be tax deductible!) Every membership supporter helps… and thank you!

Top

Around 2009, an idea first developed during a conversation between Wayne Roberts with FMCPT and Van Viney, CEO of MATCO Services. It took a while, but in 2019 work began in earnest to begin construction of a "welcome" area on the east side of London. This was envisioned to compliment our beautiful "welcome" on the west side of town, the Prairie Grass Trailhead with its camping area, shelter house, and many other amenities. The original vision to create a multi-panel mural using the bricked-in windows of the old tile factory building that MATCO now owned was expanded upon to include a mini-park, a respite with benches, pleasant landscaping, and more.

Many local people have contributed many, many hours of brain power and sweat equity to bring this project from an old factory wall and overgrown grounds to the trail highlight it has become. We have kept costs extremely low though all of the in-kind donations and almost innumerable hours of donated labor. But also, we received great support support for the funding we required, all from Madison County-area companies and people. It was, and is, a true "community" project.

An added benefit was realized a couple of years ago when we found that we could easily create access to Roberts Pass for MATCO clients and employees. They previously had found  handicapped-friendly trail access difficult if not downright impossible. For the first time, they are able to safely access their next-door neighbor, the Roberts Pass section of the Ohio to Erie Trail!

Further value was gained when Michele Bouquet and Sue Cline joined our efforts bringing the wisdom of the Madison County Master Gardeners with them. They, and many of their cohorts, contributed tons of time developing and implementing a gorgeous native plants garden in our mini-park, along with several pollinator plant zones. We hope to build on the value of this by adding educational kiosks throughout the mini-park. We also plan to work with area groups, including the OSU Extension Center, on educational opportunities for local schools, seniors, etc.