Plenty are familiar with the Tour de France. Far fewer, we’d wager, have ever heard of the Tour de Coup, which takes participants on a journey to explore local small scale poultry producers, beekeepers and backyard gardeners. On Sep. 17 South Bay residents are invited to join the this guided cycling tour of urban farms all over Silicon Valley.

The event was inspired by the “Tour De Cluck,” a bicycle tour of backyard chicken coups all over Davis, Calif. Featuring a chicken art-auction, egg-inspired cooking demonstrations and a “chicken skool,” the Tour De Cluck even garnered attention from The New York Times.

Like so many others, Scott Vanderlip, a Los Altos Hills software engineer,  was inspired by the Tour De Cluck, and brought the event back to his home town. He now hopes it will inspire others to take up the art of chicken farming while also promoting healthy and sustainable farming in urban communities. Although the entire tour is certainly lengthy—the whole ride is about 100 miles—participants aren’t required to pedal to every stop along the way. They can visit as many or as few coops as they choose.

The event itself has grown immensely since it was founded five years ago—expanding from 11 coops to  29. Nearly 1,500 bikers participate. Last year a record 2,008 residents registered for the tour, which spread through cities from San Mateo to San Jose.

The event is free, but registration is required to participate in coop tours.