Description

Tour

Distance - 200-375 miles

Join us June 7, 2020 through June 12, 2020 for our 18th annual Grand Illinois Bike Tour! Our 2020 loop will tour the Trails of Madison County, on the Illinois side of the St. Louis area.  We will start and stop in Litchfield, with overnights in Lebanon (one night), Edwardsville and Godfrey/Alton (two nights each). Join us and invite your cycling friends (non-riding volunteers needed too). Registration is now open with Early Bird Rates through Nov. 30!

Choose among our daily mileage options for a total ranging from 200 to 375 miles, consisting of quiet rural roads and 140+ miles on trails (almost all asphalt-surfaced) on old railroad corridors.  Pick between our camping and hotel options, and enjoy evenings filled with good food and fellowship with riders hailing from around the country. Proceeds benefit Ride Illinois, a nonprofit bicycle advocacy organization, and support our mission to make Illinois a better, safer and more enjoyable place to ride.

Our fully supported tour basics:

• Basic daily route distances between towns range from 45 to 52 miles. Longer route and layover day options are available. Routes are marked, and both cue sheets and RideWithGPS navigation are provided.
• Campers will tent in parks and college grounds, with showering facilities on-site (4 nights) or nearby via shuttle bus (1 night). All breakfasts and dinners (10 meals in total) are included.
• The hotel option, available for an additional fee, accommodates approximately 100 riders and sells out early. Nine meals (all breakfasts and four dinners) and evening receptions are included.
• Luggage transportation is provided in separate vehicles for campers and hotelers.
• Emergency SAG, refreshment stops, and t-shirt are included. Expert bike repair, as well as professional massage, are available every day to hotelers and campers, at the campsites. (In addition, other services are available including tent setup and takedown, towel and sherpa services.)
• Nightly meetings include ride information and more.
• Velosophie, an optional reading discussion group, meets before dinner each day. Join the fun after dinner at camp, as fellow riders play guitar and banjo.

The ride is limited to 250 riders. Registration is now open with Early Bird Rates through Nov. 30!

Registration will is available online as well as via a PDF that you can print and mail to Ride Illinois.

Why should you ride GIBT? We will let some of the riders in this year’s GIBT answer that with their favorite parts of the ride:

• “I had a great time. The folks who do the ride were interesting and funny. I felt welcomed as a lone first-timer and really had a lot of fun.”
• “The routes were enjoyable and varied.”
• “This ride was perfect for me! The mileage options, camping, Velosophie, meals, layover days, and location = perfect!”
• “Great ride. Liked the small size.”

Route

The tour begins and ends in Litchfield, with free parking for the week, and stops in Lebanon, Edwardsville (two nights) and Alton (two nights).

On each of the four days when we move to a new town, we offer a basic route of 45-53 miles with longer options for an extra 20 miles or so.  Ride at your own pace on quiet, rural, mostly flat roads and on the area’s trails, and enjoy plenty of time each day to explore the small towns and attractions along the route and in our overnight host towns.

The third and fifth days will be layover days, during which you can explore sites and other local attractions, ride trails and rural roads on somewhat shorter options around Edwardsville and Alton.  Or, just enjoy the days however you wish.

Preliminary Route Mileages (subject to change)
Day 1: Litchfield to Lebanon
Basic Route – 52.4 miles, +808 ft climbing (camping) or 51.9 miles, +689ft climbing (hotel)
Long option – TBD

Day 2: Lebanon to Edwardsville
Basic Route – 45.3 miles, +971 ft climbing (camping) or 50.1 miles, +1,043 ft (hotel)
Long option – TBD

Day 3: Layover day in Edwardsville
Long Route – 49.6 miles, +743 ft climbing (camping) or 48.6 miles, +683 ft (hotel)
Shorter options – TBD

Day 4: Edwardsville to Godfrey/Alton
Basic Route – 52.9 miles, +1,045 ft (camping) or 50.4 miles, +835 ft (hotel)
Long option – TBD

Day 5: Layover day in Godfrey/Alton
Details TBD.  Longer options will include riding adjacent to the Mississippi River and its bluffs to Grafton (est. 40-44 miles) and/or Pere Marquette State Park (est. 53-57 miles).

Day 6: Godfrey/Alton to Litchfield
Basic Route – 45.1 miles, +1,333 ft (camping) or 46.3 miles, +1330 ft (hotel)
Long option – TBD

Registration

Early Bird Rates (by Nov. 30)
Non-Ride Illinois member $500
Member $465 Email us at info@rideillinois.org to confirm status
17 and under $365 (must be accompanied by an adult rider)

Regular Rates (after Dec 1)
Non-Ride Illinois member $515
Member $480 Email us at info@rideillinois.org to confirm status
17 and under $365 (must be accompanied by an adult rider)

Optional Hotel Package  (in addition to the registration fee)
Single Occupancy $635 (plus registration fees)
Double Occupancy $385 per person (plus registration fees)

Contact

Gina Kenny

gina@rideillinois.org

(708) 334-2244