It is coming...June 20th ..Ride The Lobster

June 15, 2008 - PRLog -- Imagine riding 5 days and 800 kms. No it is not the Tour du France. It is Ride the Lobster – the world’s longest unicycle race, one wheel, and it is coming to Nova Scotia from June 16-20.  From Yarmouth to Baddeck . This international race is in 5 stages, 5 days, involves 35 teams, and 13 different countries from around the world. Some of these  including Australia, UK,  New Zealand, Korea, Singapore, and Denmark.  The  world record holder for one day of unicycling (450 kms), Sam Wakeling, from Wales, will be coming along with 4 Canadian teams including one from Nova Scotia.
The five municipalities on Cape Breton Island and the Village of Baddeck are hosts of Stage 5 on Friday, June 20. The race begins in Port Hawkesbury at Civic Centre at 9:00 am. and finishes in Baddeck in front of the municipal court house building around 7:30 pm., a distance of 187 kms.

The route begins in Port Hawkesbury, then on route #4, then pass by Cleveland, Marble Mountain, Malagawatch, Orangedale, then in  Victoria County, the riders will travel  on Route #223 pass Ottawa Brook, MacKinnons Harbour and Iona. The route  continues on route #223 passing by Grand Narrows, Christmas Island, Boisdale , Leitches Creek, cross the over pass on to North Sydney via Seaview Road , Queens street, Commercial street and end at Archibald Wharf,  The riders will then by taken by shuttle to the other side of  Seal Island bridge where they begin again at Stewart Road.  The riders will go up Kelly’s Mountain and down and continue on to Baddeck  passing thru South Haven, Glen Tosh,Port Bevis, and then take exit 9 to the finish on Chebucto street in front of the Municipal Courthouse Building.

It is expected the riders will finish between 7:30 pm. -9:30 pm  in Baddeck on June 20th.  Spectators are encourage to  cheer the riders on as it will be a tough day for riders.  After the race, the riders will have supper at Greenwood United Church, Baddeck  and then  travelled to Gaelic College,  St. Ann’s where they will  be entertained  by celtic performers and  reside for the evening. The awards ceremony will take place the following day at the Gaelic College.

For more information, please visit the Ride the Lobster web site – http://www.ridethelobster.com and their blog - http://ridethelobster.wordpress.com/  for up-to-date news.

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The Victoria County Recreation & Tourism Dept. is a municipal department of the Municipality of the County of Victoria, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The department provides services and programs in recreation, tourism and broadband for the residents, community organizations and businesses in Victoria County. Winner of the Tourism Atlantic Technology Award for Nova Scotia in November 2007. In August 2008, Victoria County will be the most connected rural county in North America with broadband.