There's nothing quite like completing an hours-long bike ride and having your pick of some or all the following creature comforts:

A variety of fruit, snacks and cold energy drinks.

A massage.

Hot showers.

Help with your tent.

A pasta dinner -- salad, spaghetti, desserts, beverages.

A full-service bike shop.

A walk around town.

A variety of bars and restaurants for post-ride food and drink.

It is all part of That Dam Ride to Confluence, a fully supported two-day round-trip Sept. 12-13 along the Great Allegheny Passage from Boston -- 68 miles-- or Connellsville -- 28 miles.

Participants ride unencumbered. The Mon/Yough Trail Council, which organizes the annual ride, picks up their baggage in Boston and Connellsville and has it waiting for them at the Outflow Campground at the base of the dam in Confluence.

It is best to arrive at the respective trailheads early -- 7 a.m. in Boston and 11 a.m. in Connellsville -- put your baggage in the truck and start pedaling. If you do not have a tent, Boy Scout Troop 15 will loan you one for a small donation. They will help you set it up at the campground.

That's also where you can get a massage for a small donation.

There will be rest stops in Cedar Creek Park; Connellsville, where lunch will be served Saturday and Sunday; and Ohiopyle. Coffee, juice and light snacks will be available at the campground Sunday morning. A breakfast sandwich -- ham, egg and cheese -- will be offered for $2.50.

A full breakfast is available at the popular Sisters' Cafe, a short ride from the campground. But get there early -- it opens at 6 a.m.-- because Sunday mornings can be busy.

For those who prefer a relaxed, get-acquainted ride, sign up for the Tour de Confluence, a 12-mile trip in and around the southern Somerset County town. It will be led by author, historian and veteran bicyclist Bill Metzger and yours truly. We will depart from the parking lot beside the Riversport store at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

In addition to pointing out the many bike-friendly businesses in town, including the new Confluence Cyclery bike shop, the tour will include a stop at the overlook where participants can see the confluence of the Laurel Hill Creek and the Casselman and Youghiogheny rivers.

We also will pedal to Harnedsville, a four-mile round-trip that includes two bridge crossings over the Casselman River and a stop at an umbrella magnolia tree with large leaves the size of, well, umbrellas. There will be a rest stop at The Parker House guest house in Confluence.

In 1986, the first segment of what became the Great Allegheny Passage was opened from just below Confluence to Ohiopyle, the popular whitewater town 11 miles downstream. The bike trail parallels the Youghiogheny River from Confluence to McKeesport.

The cost is $65 per person for those riding from Boston or Connellsville.

The Tour de Confluence is $35 per person. The deadline for registrations is Aug. 26. Proceeds benefit the Mon/Yough Trail Council and the nonprofit organizations that provide volunteer support and services.

The price includes baggage transportation, a tent site at the Outflow Campground, two lunches, dinner, snacks, fruit and energy drinks, a T-shirt, entertainment by Waldo Young and a drawing for prizes. Inger Jensen last year won the $300 grand prize from the West Newton Bike Shop.

A limited amount of "indoor camping" is available on the floor of the Confluence Volunteer Fire Company.

There also are a number of B&Bs and guests houses in the town.

Proceeds benefit the Mon/Yough Trail Council and the nonprofit organizations that provide volunteer support and services.

For more information, go to www.thatdamride.org, e-mail info@thatdamride.org or call 412-754-1100, mailbox 4.