January 20, 2018, saw the 5th running of the Tour of the Quilt Country starting and ending in Trenton, Florida.
Gilchrist and Levy counties in Florida each have quilt shops and quilt museums. Trenton, the county seat of Gilchrist County, is home to a quilt festival, which logically makes this area, “quilt country.” Additionally, the area is home to a huge network of low traffic limerock and gravel roads. You will see only one traffic signal over the 106-mile route!
The ride consists of two separate stages. The North loop is 62 miles (46 miles of limerock, gravel and stuff) and the South loop is 44 miles (27 miles of limerock, gravel and stuff). Riders roll out of Trenton to ride the longer North loop first, return to the parking area for an extended food stop, then ride the South loop. Those looking for a shorter day can skip Stage 2. For 2018, most of the participants skipped Stage 2… slackers.
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