Stomachs filled with local food, lungs filled with fresh country air, eyes filled with the peaks of the Mission Mountain Range; Participants in the 2023 Mission Mountain Pedal to Plate will get to experience all this and more – some of the best Montana has to offer. If you love farms, food, bikes, or any combination of the three, this event is for you!
Open to locals, tourists, and cycle enthusiasts of any age, Mission Mountain Pedal to Plate is a scenic bike tour occurring at the base of the Mission Mountains, on the rolling pastoral roads of the Mission Valley. This year, September 23, participants will be riding a gorgeous route near Ronan, MT. Along the way, riders will stop and visit four to six local, sustainable farms with local food bites offered at each stop.
This unique event provides an opportunity to support the community near Ronan through agritourism. Agritourism is where agriculture and tourism intersect. Farmers, orchardists, vintners, brewers, and ranchers increasingly recognize that welcoming visitors onto their lands and into their operations benefits everyone.
For businesses, creative on-farm engagement with the public through tours, such as Pedal to Plate, enhance and diversify income streams for the farm or ranch, helping them thrive. For visitors, agritourism both creates memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experiences and allows for the opportunity to connect tangibly with the sources of our food–the land, water, plants, and animals. When you couple that with cycling, the result is a pleasant, educational, and connecting event for the whole community.
For the first time ever, riders may choose from two route options: a 50-mile route for those wishing to complete a half century, and a route that is slightly less than 40 miles for those interested in shortening the ride. Both routes are on fully paved rural roads, with the exception of short stretches of gravel (up to a quarter mile) which provide access to the rural farms.
The day starts and ends in the heart of the quaint, agricultural community of Ronan. Riders can fuel up on coffee before embarking at 9am, then tour farms along the route and light bites of local food will be served at each stop along the ride. Make sure to fill up on breakfast before arriving, as it is not included as part of the day’s events.
If you’re not up for the challenge of a 40 mile ride, don’t worry! You can still enjoy the finish of the event by joining the delicious, family friendly, farm-to-table dinner prepared with local ingredients. There will also be beer from Ronan Cooperative Brewery, local music from the Western Montana Musicians Cooperative, and an artisan’s farmers market at the end of the bike ride.