Wednesday, October 14, 2026
By Submitted Story on September 24, 2026
Cycle North Carolina will begin an all-new route for the 2026“Mountains to Coast” tour of scenic North Carolina. This is the twenty-seventh anniversary of the first Mountains to Coast Ride held back in 1999, running from Murphy to Manteo.
This year’s event is scheduled for a Mount Airy to Hatteras Island trek from October 4 to October 10, with October 3 serving as the check-in day. With beautiful tourist stops along scenic back roads, the “Mountains to Coast” ride is the highlight of the year for many cyclists from across the nation.
Cycle North Carolina will begin its full-service, cross-state ride on October 4th from Veterans Memorial Park in Mount Airy and will arrive at the Salvo Day Use Area on Hatteras Island on October 10th, with roughly 800 cyclists in tow. The youngest cyclist to ride for the entire week is 12 years old, while the oldest participant is 89 years old.
Over the course of the week, riders will bike an average of 67 miles per day. Additional overnight stays are planned in Eden, Hillsborough, Henderson, Weldon, Edenton and Manteo. The route will also pass through many other towns and communities along the way, including Westfield, Lawsonville, Sandy Ridge, Stoneville, Ruffin, Elon, Cedar Grove, Rougemont, Oxford, Stovall, Warrenton, Littleton, Halifax, Jackson, Scotland Neck, Woodland, Aulander, Merry Hill, Creswell, Columbia, Manns Harbor, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head as they make their way to the finish.
The Cycle North Carolina “Mountains to Coast” Tour is the state’s only fully-supported ride. Luggage is transported in vehicles from one overnight host community to the next; rider support vehicles are available to aid cyclists who experience physical or mechanical trouble; outdoor camping areas with amenities are set-up in overnight host communities; and rest stops will be available every 15-20 miles along the route, with beverages and snacks for all participants. Riders can register for the entire distance, Western & Eastern options, or first-day & last-day only options. Online registration is still open at www.ncsports.org!
Hosted by North Carolina Amateur Sports (NCAS), Cycle North Carolina was developed to promote North Carolina’s scenic beauty, heritage tourism, visitor attractions, historic sites, state parks, fitness, healthy lifestyles and the benefits of bicycling to individuals and our state. During the past 26 years, Cycle North Carolina has stopped overnight in more than 100 North Carolina towns and visited over 800 North Carolina communities.
Cycle North Carolina is presented by Retire NC. Partner organizations of Cycle North Carolina include: BODYARMOR, Truist, Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, NC Craft Brewers Guild, Bota Box Breeze and the N.C. Department of Transportation.
For more information on Cycle North Carolina, contact NCAS at (919) 361-1133, or visit the Cycle North Carolina website at, www.cyclenorthcarolina.org.
