By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Tour de Kapellen will take riders this Saturday on a tour with stops at Ellis County's beautiful Volga German churches.
At each stop bicyclists will be greeted with sounds from the Hays Symphony. The ride will conclude at the Hays Downtown Pavilion with a German meal.
The Tour die Kapellen is sponsored by the Hays Area Bicyclists. Routes include 30- through 100-mile rides. The club is also sponsoring a 13-mile fun ride and a 3-mile family ride.
This is the second year for the bike event. 2019 was the inaugural year for the event, but the event was not conducted in 2020 due to the pandemic.
New this year is a 71-mile gravel route for more experienced cyclists.
"It has been something up and coming among bicyclists for the last five to 10 years," Kay Werth, organizer, said. "Everybody wants to do gravel because they like the solitude of the ride, the amount of travel and maybe the crunch of the gravel on the tires."
Gravel riders do not have to complete the whole 71-mile route. There are many opportunities to turn off and cut the ride short.
The main churches on the routes include St. Catharine Church in Catharine, Basilica on the Plains in Victoria, Holy Cross Shrine in Pfeifer and St. Francis Church in Munjor.
Ken and Diane Pfeifer will be available for historical questions and tours at Basilica on the Plains in Victoria.
At each of theses churches, the Hays Symphony will present music.
"We felt like the churches lend themselves to such a beautiful acoustic setting," Werth said.
The schedule of musicians is below.
8 - 9:30 a.m.
Jane Hyde, harp
St. Catharine Church, Catharine
8:45 - 10:30 a.m.
Hays Symphony brass quartet
Basilica on the Plains, Victoria
10 a.m. - noon
Baroque duet, Ben and Hilary
Holy Cross Shrine, Pfeifer
10 a.m. - noon
Kevin Amidon, violinist
St. Francis Church, Munjor
noon - 2 p.m.
Hays Symphony double reed trio
St. Francis Church, Munjor
12:15 - 2:15 p.m.
DoC acoustic live band
Downtown Hays Pavilion, 10th and Main streets
"There is not another bike ride around that has that aspect to it," Werth said of the music. "We've added the culture, the rural terrain, the music and the ethnic food to this event."
There will be support and gear (SAG) stops at several locations along the way. Optional rides of 75 to 100 miles to Schoenchen and Antonino are self-supported.
Registration for the main rides starts at 6:30 a.m. with the 30- to 100-mile rides beginning at 7:30 a.m.
Registration for the family and fun rides will begin at 9 a.m. with the rides starting at 9:30 a.m. The family ride will run 3 miles along the trail at Frontier Park. Fun ride participants will ride 13 miles to Munjor.
The Hays Police Department will present a short lesson on bicycle rules and safety at 9 a.m.
"It's all about wellness and supporting the sport of biking to stay healthy," Werth said.
Three children's bicycles will be given away at the family ride. Registration for children younger than 12 is free. Free T-shirts will be available for the first 40 children who register.
Family ride sponsors include Hays Rotary Club, Hays Kiwanis Club, Auto World, Carrico Implement and Golden Belt Bicycle Shop in Great Bend.
The rides conclude at the Downtown Hays Pavilion for a German meal sponsored by Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau and prepared by the Catharine community. Music will provided at the pavilion by the DoC acoustic band.
Funds raised from this year's event will benefit St. Catharine Church. Each year the tour will benefit another church on the route. In the fifth year, organizers hope funds will help support the Hays Symphony, which provides the music at the churches.
You can register online through noon on Thursday. Registration will also be taken the morning of the event.
Cost for the 30- to 100-mile rides and gravel ride is $55. Cost for the 13-mile fun ride to Munjor is $25. There is no cost for the 3-mile family ride, but no meal ticket is provided.
Meal tickets are included in the 13, gravel and 30- to 100-mile rides. Meal tickets can be purchased separately for $10 for adults and $5 for children. You do not have to participate in any of the rides to purchase meal tickets. This can be done online or at the Downtown Hays Development Corp.