PORTSMOUTH — For bicycle enthusiasts, Middle Road was the place to be on a gloriously sunny Saturday.
Nearly the entire stretch of the road was shut down to motor vehicle traffic from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the second annual Portsmouth Farm-to-Farm Bike Ride.
The four-mile ride passed six family farms along the way: Escobar’s Highland Farm, DeArruda Farm, Quonset View Farm, Portsmouth Nursery, BAW Farm, and DeCastro View Farms.
Cyclists also enjoyed refreshments from Red’s Rhode Island, Flat Waves Food Shack, My Rolling Café and Rhody Fresh.
Louis and Jane Escobar, owners of Escobar’s Highland Farm, served as grand marshals of the event. Registration and the start were located behind their Escobar’s Farmhouse Inn, which donated a two-night stay for the event raffle.
Bike Newport staff and volunteers assisted with bike checks and helmet fittings, and offered assistance along the route. Velofix, the mobile bike shop, helped with any bike repairs.
Volunteers from Clean Ocean Access (COA) conducted a roadside cleanup for the duration of the event, and members of the Portsmouth Historical Society were on hand with information about the town’s agricultural history.
Bike Newport said the event was made possible thanks to the Portsmouth Town Council and “gold sponsor” Teri Degnan Real Estate, as well as Bristol Marine, Newport Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, EcoRI News, Newport County YMCA, Rhody Fresh, Clean Ocean Access, Aquidneck Land Trust, Aquidneck Island Planning Commission, Town of Portsmouth Public Works, Portsmouth Historical Society, Premier Landscaping, and Countryside Children’s Center.