What
A no-drop* training ride for the MS 150 Magical Mystery Tour of the Eastern NC Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

*No-drop means no rider will be left behind

Distance
30-mile, 45-mile, and 60-mile routes

Where
The Deep River region of Chatham, Lee, and Moore counties (between Pittsboro and Sanford).
Start/Finish is in Goldston, at Goldston United Methodist Church.

Registration
$25 (in advance by July 13) / $30 (in advance by July 20) /
$35 day-of
All advance registration online at Active.com

Maps
30-mile route
45-mile route
60-mile route

Sponsors
If your business is interested in sponsoring Ride for the Land, please contact us.

Volunteers
Not a cyclist? You can still participate in the fun of Ride for the Land by volunteering! Volunteers are needed to help prepare for the Ride, as well as to help make the event run smoothly. Check out the Volunteer Roles available. If you'd like to lend a hand, please contact us.

Cue Sheets
30-mile route Cue Sheet pdf
45-mile route Cue Sheet pdf
60-mile route Cue Sheet pdf

Road Markings
Look at this pdf document if you'd like to familiarize yourself with the Ride for the Land road markings. 69k pdf

Driving Directions to Start Point
Start/Finish is at Goldston United Methodist Church, 185 Hillcrest Ave, Goldston. MapQuest map

From Raleigh, Cary, Sanford:
Take US 1 to US 421 north. Follow US 421 north to Goldston. Exit for Pittsboro-Goldston Rd. Turn left off the exit ramp, and follow Pittsboro-Goldston Rd 0.7 miles to the stop sign at Main St. Turn left on Main St and follow 0.1 miles to Hillcrest Ave. Turn left on Hillcrest Ave and follow 0.2 miles - Goldston United Methodist Church is on the left.

From Durham, Chapel Hill, Pittsboro:
Take US 15-501 to Pittsboro. At the courthouse traffic circle, take US 64 Business west, follow 0.5 miles to traffic signal. Turn left on NC 87, follow 0.8 miles. Turn right on NC 902/Pittsboro-Goldston Rd, follow 11.1 miles to Goldston, come to a stop sign at Main St. Turn left on Main St and follow 0.1 miles to Hillcrest Ave. Turn left on Hillcrest Ave and follow 0.2 miles - Goldston United Methodist Church is on the left.

From Siler City, Greensboro:
Take US 421 south through Siler City. About 11.4 miles past Siler City exit for Pittsboro-Goldston Rd. Turn right off the exit ramp, and follow Pittsboro-Goldston Rd 0.7 miles to the stop sign at Main St. Turn left on Main St and follow 0.1 miles to Hillcrest Ave. Turn left on Hillcrest Ave and follow 0.2 miles - Goldston United Methodist Church is on the left.

Bike Inspection
For your safety, we suggest having your bike inspected prior to July 21. You can print out our Bicycle Inspection Form and take it your local bike shop - many will do an inspection free of charge.

About Ride for the Land

On July 21, 2007, TLC will host its 2nd annual bike tour, Ride for the Land. The tour will bring attention to TLC's Deep River Priority Area and raise awareness of our efforts to preserve this critical piece of our natural heritage.

Ride for the Land will be a training ride for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s annual MS 150 Tour. TLC plans to make Ride for the Land an annual event, highlighting a different conservation priority each year.

Cyclists often ride in areas where there is abundant open space. TLC believes that having a bike tour through one of our project areas will help raise awareness and garner support for our work to protect the Deep River and other important open spaces across our region. Conservation of our natural resources will make our region a better place to live and work.

Proceeds from Ride for the Land will support TLC’s conservation work in the Deep River area.

About the Deep River

The Deep River region is full of stories, both human and natural. The river forms the border between Lee and Chatham counties. South of Jordan Lake Dam, the Deep and Haw rivers braid together to form the Cape Fear.

Throughout the river corridor you can see extensive floodplain forests that house a diversity of wildlife. White pine trees, remnants from the last Ice Age, adorn riverside slopes at TLC's White Pines Preserve. Herons, egrets, hawks, ospreys and colorful migratory birds are common sights in this region at various times of year. Mammals such as gray fox and river otter and many species of reptiles and amphibians reside here.

In places like Lockwood you can see the remnants of locks and dams from a failed canal system once envisioned to connect commerce from the Piedmont interior to the coast. The region historically housed coal, iron and brownstone mines, as well as a mill economy. The river provides drinking water for Gulf, Goldston, Sanford and Lee County.

But the Triangle's burgeoning population is affecting the river. Nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen are degrading the water quality, and mud and sediment are entering the river. Now is the time to protect the river so that its natural and human history will not be lost to us or to future generations. For these reasons, TLC has identified the Deep as a priority area for conservation.

In 2000, TLC made a concerted push to conserve land on the Deep through our Deep River Campaign. We raised $1.4 million in private donations and state grants to purchase the 308-acre La Grange Riparian Reserve near Carbonton and the 5-acre McIver Landing—developed as a Deep River canoe launch—in Gulf. (The 425-acre Endor Iron Furnace property in Lee County was also purchased through the campaign.)

TLC continues to work with landowners to protect more land along the Deep. In 2003, TLC acquired the 760-acre Justice Lands near Moncure (since transferred to state ownership) and in 2006 helped the state acquire the 109-acre Hanson Aggregates in-holding. To date, TLC has helped protect 2,447 acres in this area.

TLC’s work brought the area to the attention of state park planners, who envisioned a state park here built on paddling access points and disconnected park nodes. The NC Division of Parks and Recreation is seeking legislative authorization for the Deep River State Park. We will continue our work to help piece together this state park.

TLC’s conservation partnership with the Division of Parks and Recreation, Clean Water Management Trust Fund and Ecosystem Enhancement Program is beginning to make an impact in this area. Ride for the Land 2007 is an important component of the partners’ outreach activities for this project.

About Triangle Land Conservancy

TLC’s mission is to protect important open space—stream corridors, forests, wildlife habitat, farmland, and natural areas—to help keep our region a healthy and vibrant place to work. TLC is a private, nonprofit organization serving Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Lee, Orange and Wake counties. Since 1983, TLC has protected more than 9,600 acres.

 

Copyright © 2006-2008, Triangle Land Conservancy Last updated on 06/29/2007.