Bike tours that'll have you pedaling past North Fork vineyards, breweries and fruit farms 

Pedal tours passing by farms and vineyards have resumed on Long Island, offering a chance to take in the scenes of the North Fork’s wine country and expanding craft brewery landscape. 

“Every weekend, I drive from Albertson to Mattituck,” explains Nicole DeLaurentis, who co-owns East End Bike Tours in Mattituck. “Every time we reach Route 24 and see the marshland, and then see the nature, it just makes my heart happy.”

DeLaurentis' pedal-powered business, among others, give Long Islanders the chance to escape, without traveling far.

"Riverhead is really becoming more of a destination, and we're creating more of an experience for people to enjoy the neighborhood," says East Northport resident Victoria Clacherty, whose family founded Brew Crew Cycles. "People really like to take photos while we're out there and many drivers honk when they see us. They seem happy to see us."

Here are three socially distanced boozy bike tours to try. 

BREW CREW CYCLES

A great match for even the least-experienced cyclist, this bike tour is a team effort as all who come to pedal will do so while operating a 14-person bike. “Even if you haven’t been on a bike in a while, you would be fine … and that's why we have a minimum requirement of people, so you don’t really have to pedal that much,” explains Clacherty. 

Brew Crew Cycles is currently only open to private groups to reserve a tour. Before the pandemic, smaller groups were able to sign up to share a ride with others. “People could meet on the tours and get to know each other,” Clacherty says. But now, to keep things safer, a single group of 8-14 is required to book a tour. Interested parties can choose a “classic” tour that runs between two and two-and-a-half hours — and stops at various breweries and pubs — or try a later, shorter “sunset” tour (1.5-2 hours) that also stops at similar spots.

The change in how tours are being organized has not slowed down business, Clacherty says. "It’s a really great opportunity because it's outdoors, you're not that close to people, you're in the open air and you're able to have a good time.”

INFO 205b Marcy Ave., Riverhead; 631-722-1516, brewcrewcycles.com; weekday rates: $300-$375; Sat.-Sun.: $350-$450.

EAST END BIKE TOURS

Offering both private-guided and self-guided bike tours, you'll ride right through some of the North Fork’s rural landscapes on an East End Bike Tour. “You get to spend the day from the seat of a bicycle — which by the way is completely different from being in a car — really just enjoying the real beauty found along the back roads,” notes DeLaurentis. "You can become one with nature.”

Stops on the tour vary. “We always do our best to make it tasteful and really share the best that the North Fork has to offer,” DeLaurentis says. "We always make a stop at a beach and we’ll do an infused olive oil and fine vinegar tasting at some point, at a table with linen that features a fresh bouquet of flowers. We stop at local farmstands for fresh fruits and veggies.” 

Themed rides include a “Classic Wine Country Tour,” an approximately 13.5-mile tour that includes stops at a pair of vineyards, while the longer “Brewery and Vineyard Tour” (around 18 miles) also includes a stop by a brewery.

INFO 13200 Main Rd., Mattituck; 631-871-1666, eastendbiketours.com. Prices start at $99 for tours; bicycles can also be rented daily (for up to 8 hours), both single ($55) and dual-rider ($110).

POUR & PEDAL

Offering open public tours on weekends and private weekday tours for groups of eight or more, the rides are led by a guide and include tastings at two wineries, a winery tour, a catered picnic lunch and water plus a bike ride through a vineyard. Participants should be able to ride a bike at a relaxed rate for up to 5 to 8 miles at a time; tours are 13 miles in length.

INFO 10200 Main Rd., Mattituck; 516-987-8751, pourandpedal.com; Price is $130.