Hop on your bike for a ride through the countryside on Sunday, June 30, and you can help orphaned and at-risk children. The third annual Biking for Brittany event will benefit Brittany's Hope, an organization that helps families adopt children with special needs.

Biking for Brittany will feature two ride options: a metric century ride of 62 miles and a metric half-century ride of 31 miles. Rolling starts will take place every 15 minutes between 7:30 and 9 a.m. at the Star Barn at Stone Gables Estate, 1 Hollinger Lane, Elizabethtown.

"Biking for Brittany begins and ends at the Star Barn," said Dana Myers, director of charitable giving for Brittany's Hope. "Cyclists will ride along the beautiful waterfronts and through the rolling hills and picturesque landscape of Elizabethtown, Hershey and surrounding counties. Biking for Brittany is not timed, so you can enjoy the ride the way you want to ride."

Because the ride is noncompetitive, organizers wanted to add a new feature this year - Strava segments, or stretches of the course where riders can compete against each other and compare times. "A metric century and metric half-century bike ride is challenging in and of itself, but Biking for Brittany is not a race," Myers shared. "Many of our riders are competitive, so the Strava segments add a bit of competition without making it an all-out race. There are three segments - all in the metric century ride - that will allow riders, if they choose, to compete with other riders and race against the clock."

The idea for Biking for Brittany came from a volunteer, Myers said. "There are, thankfully, many wonderful nonprofits in our area. The challenge with that is to get the word about Brittany's Hope out to other audiences," she explained. "One of our volunteers and gala committee co-chair, Molly Stager, is a member of the biking community and realized they are a great group to spread the word about Brittany's Hope to. Elizabethtown and surrounding areas are also beautiful and perfect for biking."

Thanks to sponsors, including presenting sponsor Orthopedic Associates of Lancaster, 100% of proceeds from the event will go to support orphaned and at-risk children. Brittany's Hope funds grants to adoptive families and also provides humanitarian support to children in the organization's partner children's homes.

Along the Biking for Brittany route, themed rest stops will be run by Keller Williams Elite Real Estate teams. The biking event offers a fun and challenging way to support the mission of Brittany's Hope, Myers said.

"From e-bikes to race bikes, all are welcome," she stated. "There is a fun post-ride event to include burgers and dogs on the grill, ice cream, music and a few cool cycling-related vendors."

For more information on Biking for Brittany, visit http://www.bikingforbrittany.org or call Brittany's Hope at 717-367-9614. Online registration will end on Thursday, June 27, but day-of registration will be available at the race start.