TIFTON — 8 a.m., 44 degrees may not sound ideal for a Saturday morning bicycle ride, but for all those gathered at the Tiftarea YMCA’s Hunt Park site, that was the perfect time.

The 15th annual Ilse Boyette Memorial Bike Ride — the Tour De Tifton — brought an enthusiastic group into the Friendly City. The Hunt Park campus was the starting point and the ending point for the six courses that make up the annual ride, and the parking lot was full of cycling enthusiasts catching up, comparing gear and getting their T-shirts and goodie bags.

Tiftarea YMCA CEO Jason Bishoff said the final count was 98 riders strong, ranging from ages 9-83. Seven different states were represented on the courses, which ranged from 11 miles to 100 miles.

Numbers continue to grow annually. “We had 81 last year,” said Bishoff. There are plenty of repeat customers each year. One participant told him this was her 10th year participating. “It’s good to see people back,” he said.

She was not the only one. Bishoff said it “is a family out here.”

The Tour De Tifton is no doubt one of Bishoff’s favorites of the annual Tiftarea YMCA events.

“It’s great,” he said. “It’s been a good experience for a lot of people.”

It’s a Tour De Tifton, but Tifton itself is not toured. The routes traverse mostly northern Tift County.

The shortest course looped around Carpenter Road and Zion Hope Road. Ty Ty and Chula were the towns on the 25-mile route. The 45-, 62- and 100-mile routes dipped into portions of Worth and Turner counties, in addition to Tift. The two longer ones had extensive mileage into Turner, both visiting Sycamore and the 100-mile course going as far as Rebecca.

“It’s a cool thing,” Bishoff said for people to visit Tifton, “and the surrounding areas, to be able to see all the beautiful scenery.”

Rest stops were available on the longer courses, which came in handy, and not just for hydration and breaks. As the temperature rose from its chilly 44-degree start, Bishoff noted that several cyclists left jackets at rest stops, which were picked up and returned to them at the finish line.

There were some changes to the three longest courses this year, said Paul Horst. “Several years ago, we stopped using the access road along the interstate, because it was really rough.” That access road has now been repaved and allows the course to not use another northern Tift County road that was not ideal. “We have the frontage road back in,” he said.

For the daredevils who might not like their roads as freshly paved, the Tour De Tifton introduced a 48.5-mile “mixed” route that includes dirt and gravel surfaces.