Cyclists across Grainger County, Tennessee still have a chance to sign up for Saturday's Tour de 'Mater, a benefit bicycle ride winding through the county's rolling tomato-growing hills to raise money for children's charities and the Shop with a Cop program. Riders can register the morning of the event, and online sign-ups remain open until 8 a.m. Saturday.
According to East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers, day-of registration costs $54 and must be paid in cash or check at the Justice Center, located at 270 Justice Center Drive in Rutledge. The ride comes with police assistance stationed throughout Grainger County along the route and plenty of rest stops for riders to refuel. Four course options are offered, ranging from a 17-mile recreational spin to a grueling 62-mile trek, all departing from the Grainger County Justice Center, per Race Day Events.
The routes wind through Washburn, Thorn Hill, Bean Station, Rutledge and Blaine, with scenery that includes Norris Lake, according to a transcript shared by the sheriff's office through Crime Stoppers. For the most ambitious riders, the 50-mile and 62-mile courses include a steep climb up Joppa Mountain, part of the southern subrange of Clinch Mountain, where Race Day Events notes that 62-mile riders can compete in a Climb for Cash challenge — $100 goes to the fastest male and female riders based on Strava segment times.
A Sheriff's Barbecue Waits at the Finish Line
Every finisher, regardless of distance, gets lunch at the Justice Center starting at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Grainger County Sheriff is covering the spread himself, and Race Day Events lists a menu of pulled pork barbecue, chips, homemade baked beans, coleslaw and cobbler waiting for riders once they roll in.
The ride is officially organized by the Grainger County Parks and Recreation Department under Director Randy Evans, according to Grainger County government. That pairing of a county recreation agency with sheriff's office hospitality reflects how deeply the ride is woven into local government and law enforcement outreach, rather than existing as a standalone cycling event.
Funding Shop With a Cop Through the Seasons
Money raised from the Tour de 'Mater goes toward Shop with a Cop, the program that provides holiday gifts, winter clothing and essential items to local students and families in need. It is not the only fundraiser propping up the program — Grainger High School also hosted a car, truck and tractor show in May 2026 to support the same cause, according to a Grainger County law enforcement post shared on Facebook.
Regional cycling clubs have taken notice, too. The Smoky Mountain Wheelmen Bicycle Club has promoted the Tour de 'Mater among its members, coordinating club participation and pre-registration discounts, and cyclists from Knoxville and surrounding East Tennessee counties regularly frequent Grainger County's rural roads. The ride has also landed on regional tourism radar, appearing on the Middle East Tennessee Tourism Council's 9 Lakes of East Tennessee promotional calendar as a late-summer outdoor draw for a county that borders both Norris Lake and Cherokee Lake.
Why the Ride Is Named for the Tomato
The Tour de 'Mater takes its name from Grainger County's identity as tomato country, a heritage celebrated each July at the Grainger County Tomato Festival in Rutledge. That free festival, established in 1992, draws as many as 50,000 visitors and is known for its Tomato Wars. Commercial tomato farming took hold in the county during the 1950s, according to WBIR Channel 10, as multi-generational farming families shifted away from tobacco and bell peppers toward greenhouse and field tomato production.
Grainger County, home to an estimated 25,700 residents as of 2025, is split into northern and southern sections by Clinch Mountain, with Rutledge serving as the county seat alongside Bean Station and Blaine. Riders looking to join Saturday's event can still register online before 8 a.m. or show up in person at the Justice Center with cash or a check in hand.
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