Starting point: GYUMRI
Ending point: SEVAN
Bike—105km./66mi.; Bike or Drive—41km./26mi.; Total—146km./91mi.

In a cool morning breeze, the bicyclists left Gyumri and headed northeast towards Vanadzor. Our first stop was in Jajur, birthplace of the great Armenian painter Minas Avetisyan. A guide walked us through a new museum dedicated to Minasyan, showing us his paintings, murals, and photos of the painter with other famous Armenians, including painter Martiros Saryan and poet Baruyr Sevak. From there, we journeyed through lush, forested mountains, the riders finally reaching Shirakamut, epicenter of the 1988 earthquake that devastated most of northern Armenia, and where ATG agronomists worked diligently to help grain farmers get back on their feet after the quake. Stopping near the town’s train station, we enjoyed the hospitality of the townspeople, who offered us coffee, fruit, and tahn, while a village girl sang Armenian folk songs. Refreshed, the cyclists rode towards Spitak and Vanadzor. Before reaching Vanadzor, we were greeted by a large group of enthusiastic bicyclists from a special school in Vanadzor. Together, we rode into Vanadzor to their school, where the school’s director welcomed us, thanking ATG for the donation of raisins received earlier this year. We enjoyed apricots, coffee, and ice cream as we watched a film of the school’s French-Armenian sponsors and the children on a camping trip, after which riders, students, and teachers alike joined in dancing the traditional Ververi and Kochari. Before leaving, we were treated to the student’s exquisite weaving and carpet-making. Several of the students then joined us on their bicycles, leading us to the edge of the city before saying farewell and inviting us to return to Vanadzor. Our dedicated riders continued on to Dilijan and Sevan, where we stayed the night in the shadow of the famous Sevan Monastery.

To see a map of the route, click here

Itinerary:

• ATG-related Sites:
  • Shirakamut village, the most destroyed center of the 1988 earthquake in Armenia
  • Number One Special School in Vanadzor, included in ATG’s Raisin Program supplied with California-grown raisins
• Historic Sites:
  • Local Artist Minas Avetisyan’s Cultural Museum in Jajur
• Meeting(s):
  • Albert Papoyan, former ATGF farmer, currently the village council of Shirakamut village
  • Jrashen, sister city of Watertown, Massachusetts (possible—adds 35 miles)
  • Bike Club of Number One Special School in Vanadzor, for several km. bike riding toward Dilijan
• Hotel:
  • Tsovazard hotel in Sevan

If you wish to participate in any part of the upcoming Bike-a-Thon IV, please e-mail us at info@atgusa.org.

For more information about how you can help rural Armenia, contact the ATG office at (559) 224-1000 or by e-mail (info@atgusa.org). Tax-deductible donations can be sent to ATG; 1300 E. Shaw, Suite 149; P.O.Box 5969; Fresno, CA 93755-5969.
You may also donate to ATG online.