Chickens and Bike Riding?

Like to watch, learn about and play with chickens? Like to ride your bike? Do it all on this year’s Tour D’Coop Bike Ride on Saturday, May 17th. The Tour D’Coop event seeks to educate visitors about keeping hens and has delighted thousands of visitors with garden ideas and inspiration. The Tour benefits Urban Ministries of Wake County, a non-profit that provides essential services to more than 24,000 Wake County residents each year.

For the past 9 years, Tour D’Coop has showcased dozens of chicken coops ndt homes in neighborhoods throughout Raleigh and Cary. While the tour has expanded in the past few years, one of this year’s new events is a Bike Route highlighting 6 coops in a more urban setting around downtown Raleigh.

With less than 20 miles traveled, this route will originate and end at Oak City Cycling at 212 E Franklin St., from 11 am to 2 p.m.  At the end of the route, there will be a complimentary cold beer for all participants as well as a drawing for gift certificates.

Before or after the route, participants are invited to check out the Coop Carnival at Urban Ministries at 1390 Capital Boulevard. While biking there is impractical due to the highway, the event will have food trucks, craft beer, music, games, activities and informational booths, as well as guided tours of Urban Ministries’ campus and food garden, and —of course— chickens.

Tickets for the Bike Route can be purchased online through May  14 at tourdcoop.com/biketour or can be purchased on the day of the event at Oak City Cycling. To find out more about the coops on this year’s tour visit tourdcoop.com/coops. That page indicates which coops are part of the Bike Route.  All proceeds from the Bike Route go directly to Urban Ministries of Wake County