About 140 cyclists will pedal past Great Falls in Potomac in mid-July, stopping for lunch before finishing a 184.5-mile charity ride along the C&O Canal towpath.

The Great Bicycle Tour, now in its 39th year, benefits San Mar Family and Community Services, a Boonsboro-based nonprofit that has served children and families since 1883. The four-day ride starts on July 11 in Cumberland, Maryland, and ends at Mile Marker 0 in Georgetown on July 14.

The final day's 35-mile leg begins at Whites Ferry and brings riders through the heart of Potomac's stretch of the canal before they reach Georgetown. Potomac residents near Great Falls will see the group arrive for a midday break.

$115,000 raised and counting

As of late June, riders had already raised $115,734 toward this year's goal, according to the Herald-Mail. Last year's tour brought in more than $170,000. Each rider commits to raising at least $550 in charitable donations, and fundraising continues for one month after the ride ends.

The money supports San Mar programs including Treatment Foster Care, Bester Community of Hope and the Jack E. Barr Center for Well-Being. San Mar is also preparing to break ground in August or September on a transitional housing project: a refurbished 100-year-old building near its Boonsboro campus that will create apartments for young women aging out of foster care.

138 riders, 810 donors

Rider registration closed on Sunday. As of late June, 138 of the 150 available spots were filled and 810 donors had contributed. One rider had already raised more than $20,000.

Elisa Mabina, San Mar's director of development and event manager, leads a core support team of 20 that caravans with the riders, plus about 60 additional volunteers. Volunteer spots for the 2026 ride are mostly filled, but anyone interested in helping this year or signing up for 2027 can reach Mabina at [email protected].

"It's an amazing community that develops over those four days," Mabina told the Herald-Mail. "It's unlike any other fundraising event I've ever been a part of."

Coming up

  • Saturday, July 11: The 39th Great Bicycle Tour departs Cumberland (45 miles to Little Orleans)
  • Sunday, July 12: Little Orleans to McMahon's Mill (52 miles)
  • Monday, July 13: McMahon's Mill to Whites Ferry (52 miles)
  • Tuesday, July 14: Whites Ferry to Georgetown via Great Falls lunch stop (35 miles)
  • Saturday, Nov. 1: Registration opens for the 40th-anniversary ride (July 10–13, 2027)