Cyclists pick perfect weather for Pedal to Plate

Sep. 28—The Ronan area was awash with bicyclists Saturday morning for the Mission Mountain Area Pedal to Plate. The event was sold out with 150 cyclists participating.

They gathered at the Ronan Cooperative Brewery on 4th Ave. SW, and pedaled west on Round Butte Road at 9 a.m.

The MMAPP offered two different routes, one for the 38-mile cyclists and one for the 50-mile riders — both brought participants back to the brewery for dinner and a lively street festival.

Riders started their day beneath a feather boa of clouds along the hills west of Ronan, and rode past a mix of green and amber fields, cows and horses. The 38-milers turned right onto Back Road, and the 50-milers continued west to Valley View Road when they too turned right.

Cyclists had maps on their phones (GPS on Trailforks) or paper copies, meticulously prepared by Kaylee Thornley, co-op development director, and her crew at Mission West Community Development Partners.

The ride had stops for the cyclists to snack on local produce, eggs and meat. If anyone was confused, signage installed by Mission West's crew marked each turn.

The 50-milers' first tasting was at the Round Butte Women's Club for apples from Sophie's Farm and cheese curds from Flathead Lake Cheese. On Back Road, the 38-milers pulled into Mission Mountain Organic Eggs for hard-boiled eggs and curds from Flathead Lake Cheese.

With a cool and hazy day, the weather was great for the cyclists.

"Not too hot," one biker said. "Just perfect weather for riding."

The groups continued, taking a break for snacks or educational displays. All the stops provided bathroom facilities and first-aid kits.

—Valley View Charolais Ranch's white-fenced pasture and big white cattle welcomed cyclists with hard-boiled Mission Mountain Organic Eggs and a sweeping view.

—Sierra Sheep Farm, on Peace Road in Valley View, supplied information on weed control using East Frisian/Lacaune dairy sheep, starring several of Sara Muldanado's sheep.

—Both groups traveled to Glenwood Farm on Paulson Road for a light lunch of lamb stew, homemade bread from Mrs. Wonderful's, and honey from Bee Kind Honey.

—Back on their bikes, they headed for Salish Kootenai College Extension for fresh cut vegetables and herbal tea grown at the Garden for Life.

—The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Forestry's Garden for Life was the next stop, with samples of organic produce grown there.

—Next the riders headed for Timberlane Road via Old Highway 93, Spring Creek Lane, Foothills Road, Terrace Lake Road, and on to Lost Creek Lane to taste roasted poblano peppers at Lost Creek Farm, before heading back to Ronan to park their bikes.

Scenery and snacks

"We hike, bike, kayak, ski, and quilt together," said Katherine Madigan of Polson.

She was describing friends Linda Anderson, Dayton, Linda Goldeski, Polson, and Phyllis Pederson, Rollins.

This was the group's first year at MMAPP, and they loved it.

"It was a really fun event, and the snacks were great," Madigan said. She was especially interested in the Garden for Life information about sustainability.

Miska and her owner like to do things together, too. Miska is Teagan Halloran's dog, and rode behind her owner in a cart.

"We just like to take our dogs with us," Halloran said.

First-year pedalers Kate Mostad and Daniel Gallatin from Polson enjoyed the varied scenery.

"I loved the reservoir area," Mostad said.

Gallatin had never really been in the area east of Ronan towards the Missions. "It's beautiful," he said.

Thornley said her favorite part of MMAPP is "when everything comes together." She likes to hear stories from the ride, shared around the dinner table — what went wrong, what went right.

This marks the sixth year for Pedal to Plate, although during COVID, it was a self-guided ride without farm visits. With a different route each year, the crew has to figure out the logistics and rides the route in the spring.

"It's a very organized and well-structured event," she said.

She credited her committee Janet Sucha, Andrea Ruhman, Larry Hall, Carey Swanber and Darci Jones, who had all sorts of farm and ranch contacts, with being an outstanding group and working hard the entire year. Then there's the luck factor.

"Every single ride, we've had good weather," she added.

Thornley said the group selects a different chef for each Pedal to Plate. The 2023 pick was Chef Pedro Vera. Using fresh ingredients from producers around the Mission Valley, including beef from Cathey Cattle Company, Vera and his helpers produced a feast — fresh corn salsa and tortilla chips, beet and arugula salad, roasted autumn vegetables, and meat loaf — served at the end of the ride.

Feedback was mostly "Yum" and "May I have more of that?"

As cyclists finished the ride, they also enjoyed a homemade Flare Pop popsicle from Fresh Roots Farm, a cold beer for the over-21 crowd from the Ronan Brewery, and a farmer's market, with live music by JIMnI. Non-riders were also invited to the street fair, and could buy tickets to the post-ride feast.

The delicious meal was also served to people who provided food or helped prepare the food, and opened their ranches, farms and properties to the cyclists.