Bon Ton Roulet 2025 — A Week of Riding My Own Way - Jul 2025
The Bon Ton Roulet is a familiar name in the Finger Lakes biking world — a week-long supported tour that brings riders from all over the country to explore the rolling hills, vineyards, and lakes of our region. I’ve done enough of these tours now to know the rhythm: early mornings, long rides, cafeteria meals, chance conversations, and the steady unfolding of miles beneath your wheels.
This year’s Bon Ton Roulet 2025 felt less like a grand adventure and more like a quiet personal victory — a week of movement, autonomy, and choosing to ride in a way that honored where I am now.
⭐ Volunteering & Day One Energy
I began the tour by volunteering at the info desk, which gave the week a friendly, grounded start. It’s always fun being part of the behind-the-scenes energy — meeting people as they check in, answering questions, and taking in the excited buzz of riders arriving from all over.
The tour base at Hobart & William Smith College surprised me. The campus is elegant, beautifully kept, and made the early mornings feel peaceful as riders gathered for the day’s start.
⭐ The Riding: Familiar Roads, Real Effort
Because this tour is set in the Finger Lakes, many of the roads were familiar — the kind of routes I’ve biked countless times over the years. That made the experience comforting rather than epic. Still, there were moments that stood out:
long downhill stretches with lake views that opened like postcards
the elegance of the ride into Hammondsport, always a favorite
quiet rolling hills framed by July sunshine
I made a point this year to minimize my pedal assist, especially on hills. I wanted to feel my own body working — my strength, my breath, and the slow, determined power of doing hard things at my own pace. I used the assist sparingly, pushing myself without pushing to the edge. It felt like mature, confident athleticism.
The weather cooperated beautifully. A small and short shower down in Hammondsport, but just in time to tuck inside an ice cream shop and wait out the downpour.
⭐ Food, Fuel, & Reality
The cafeteria meals were… fine. Functional. Not exactly aligned with my love for beautiful food or intentional nourishment. But they served their purpose. This week wasn’t about cuisine — it was about motion, agency, and commitment.
⭐ People Along the Way
One of the nice surprises of Bon Ton Roulet is always the people you meet along the route.
I reconnected with Jan & Ken, familiar faces from previous years, and had a truly enjoyable riding companion in Bonnie, a nurse whose easy conversation and kind energy added warmth to a few miles. I also ran into Sydney from Connecticut, who I hadn’t expected to see again.
These were light, friendly interactions — pleasant but not deep. And honestly, that felt right for this trip. I wasn’t seeking community so much as clarity and distance from the demands of daily life.
This was a week to be with myself, not lonely but self-contained.
⭐ What This Tour Meant
Emotionally and spiritually, this wasn’t a transformative week… and that’s okay.
Instead, it was:
steady
peaceful
physical
familiar
quietly affirming
A reminder that I am strong, that I love movement, and that aging vibrantly means continuing to choose activities that challenge me without overwhelming me.
This tour didn’t capture my values of elegance or creative storytelling — but it aligned beautifully with my deeper values of health, autonomy, resilience, and doing things in my own way
I may not need Bon Ton Roulet every year, but this year it served its purpose. I showed up, I rode well, I honored my body, and I reclaimed the joy of steady physical effort.
And in the end, that is its own kind of beauty.
