Come! Bike with us! And learn about the local ecology while you’re at it. It’s a free and fun chance to connect with C-U in a way you probably never have before.

The Tour de France isn’t the only bike tour going on this summer. The Tour de Fruit is one part community bike ride and one part fruit-seeking adventure. Neutral Cycle, partnered with C-U Wild Fruit, takes you on a free guided tour around Champaign-Urbana, helping you to connect you with your surroundings by focusing on local flora.

Our last event was a huge success and we’re hoping this second event is too! This time we’ll be heading out on a 13-mile ride, and venturing outside of Champaign-Urbana proper. We’ll be exploring edible, dye, and medicinal plants, both invasive and not. And to top things off, the ride will finish with a dessert made from locally-foraged ingredients at the Red Herring.

Saturday’s event will begin at 3:00 p.m. at Neutral Cycle. It’s a longer ride, so be ready for a 3-hour round trip. If you’re interested in joining in, please RSVP on Facebook, so we can get an idea of the number of people who’ll be participating.

Oh, and be sure to bring the following:

1. Sunscreen.
2. Water.

Seriously, bring both of these. You’ll need them. Mom would agree.

To see where we’ll be going, click on the picture below to access a Google Map with information about the different stops.

And last, but not least. If you’re interested in this event, but not able to make it, don’t be dismayed! We plan on having more ’rounds’ this fall, so keep an eye out for them on the Neutral Cycle and C-U Wild Fruit Facebook pages.