CYCLING in the Susquehanna Valley

To cycle, all you really need is a bike, a helmet, and a route—but some people prefer to cycle in the company of others. That’s where cycling clubs come

“You can always ride by yourself. Why would you want to go on a group ride and end up by yourself?” asks Joe Montminy, president of Hanover Cyclers. Montminy explains that all of the group rides put on by Hanover Cyclers are “no-drop rides,” which means that if you fall back from the group for any reason, “somebody will stop, and you won’t be by yourself.”

Hanover Cyclers organize weekly rides every day of the week except Sunday from March to November. Different rides have varying speed, length, hills, and terrain, and anyone can find ones suited to their ability.

Hanover Cyclers is a non-profit organization that raises money for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Cycling League. Members also volunteer to clean up roadways and cycling trails. The Labor Day Century, a 100-mile ride that starts at the Irishtown Fire Company, is the group’s biggest event of the year. For rides of all kinds, Montminy says the Susquehanna Valley is idyllic for cycling. Having lived in Southern Maryland before moving to Hanover, he says, “I thought that was a good place to cycle until I got here.”