You can participate in the first-ever Second Summer Cycle Cape Cod Charity Ride whether you ride a bicycle or not.
Organizers are looking for another 50 riders and an additional 100 non-riding volunteers for the Sept. 17 event.
“I wanted 400 riders at least and wanted to raise at least $150,000,” said race director W. Patrick "Pat" Lentell, who also started the Tour de Barnstable six years ago.
The Second Summer ride ― it’s not a race! ― had 343 riders as of Monday afternoon. The event was already close to its financial goal, Lentell said, and was expected to raise $180,000 total for 18 Cape nonprofits to share by Oct. 1 when fundraising officially ends.
The ride has been two years in the planning, designed as a way to raise money for local nonprofits while encouraging people to visit Cape Cod in the shoulder season.
“The chamber has for years promoted the fall as a second summer. With this Sunday morning race, we hopefully will be drawing people down for the weekend,” said David Troutman, former executive director of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce and co-owner of The Scargo Cafe in Dennis.
Here is what you need to know to join Cape Cod’s Second Summer:
How do I get involved with Second Summer?
Drop-dead date for registration is Sept. 14. Everyone rides to Provincetown, where riders and families and friends will gather at Motta Field for a post-ride party with food trucks and a special brew from Barnstable Brewing.
Entry fee is based on length of ride: $70 for 33-mile ride starting in Orleans, $100 for 68-mile ride starting in Sandwich, $130 for full 93-mile ride from Mashpee to Provincetown.
In addition to the entry fee, riders are each asked to raise at least $250 through letter writing, email or social media for the charity they choose to support. See race details online at the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce website.
How can I volunteer for Second Summer?
Second Summer still needs nurses and EMTs for each of the aid stations scattered throughout the routes. Ride organizers also need people to pass out food and water at the stations and to direct riders at various points along the routes. There is a separate internet page for volunteers at bikereg.com/.
Can I eat at Second Summer?
“It’s sort of like a progressive dinner,” Troutman said, with a laugh.
In addition to the oranges and bananas being supplied by Ring Bros. in Dennis, many stops will feature a small special dish, including early-morning coffee and pastries from Cape Cod Coffee in Mashpee, ice cream from Buttercup Cafe in Barnstable Village and grapenut custard from The Scargo Cafe in Dennis.
Why start a new fundraising event on Cape Cod?
“When ‘The Last Gasp’ disappeared during COVID, it left a funding gap for a lot of nonprofits and we were asked if we could find someone to do it,” said Troutman, who was then working at the region-wide chamber.
The Last Gasp was a Sandwich-to-Provincetown ride that supported three to four Cape charities.
How is ‘Second Summer’ different?
The new race supports 18 charities and has a sweat-equity element that requires each charity to raise its own team of riders for fundraising. Troutman said WE CAN, with four dozen riders, is one of the largest teams. WE CAN supports women in transition.
Cotuit Center for the Arts has a matching "Second Summer” grant that will contribute $25,000 if volunteer riders raise $25,000.
Also new with Second Summer, Troutman said, are an increased police presence and "safer routes.”
What are the charities Second Summer helps?
Calmer Choice, Cape Abilities, Cape and Islands United Way, Cape Cod Children’s Place, Cape Wellness Collaborative, Cape Symphony, CCYP (Cape Cod Young Professionals), CHAMP Homes, Community Connections, Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cultural Center of Cape Cod, Duffy Health Center, Latham Centers, Love Live Local, Sharing Kindness, WE CAN, YMCA Cape Cod, and Youth Athletic Fund.
Is the event attracting off-Cape visitors to increase business?
Lentell said about a quarter of registered riders are from off-Cape. Some are even from different states, including Ed Weil of Tucson, Arizona. Weil started riding at age 32 after heart bypass surgery and will celebrate his 73rd birthday on Sept. 16, the day before the ride, with his first trip to Cape Cod.
The Panama native said he was attracted to “Second Summer” because “I like to see rides that don’t have mountains. The elevation was acceptable.”
Plus, Weil said in a telephone interview from his Tucson home, his wife and support team, Susan Weil, has relatives on Cape Cod.
Second Summer organizers may be out of T-shirts when Weil arrives with his Italian-designed Tommaso Forcella road bike (the first 300 registered riders get a free shirt) but he’s OK with that.
“I usually wear my Sloth Cycling Team shirt. Our motto is 'We’ll get there when we get there.’”
