Ride 15 - Ride Across Wisconsin 2026

Crossing the Eau Claire River. 7/11/26 dwm

The Ride Across Wisconsin Saturday took 750 bicyclists around Eau Claire county and several counties south of Eau Claire.

There were three route options, 170 miles, 100 miles, and 60 miles. Everyone started together. Those going 60 were the first to turn off the main road.

I chose the century route for the second straight year, but decided to change up some of the ways I approached it in 2025.

I got to the starting gate more than 10 minutes early and maneuvered my way a lot closet to the line than before. I figured moving up would mean fewer bikes in front of me.

There was a countdown, "On your marks, get set, go!" then the bikes slowly moved forward, hesitantly, until the bikes up front were up to speed and I was able to follow suit.

The Eau Claire police led the bike parade from Phoenix Park to the edge of the city. Thanks to the 6 am start and the police escort, bikes used an entire lane for most of the first three miles.

Waiting to leave. 7/11/26 dwm

When it comes to riding, it's nice when the roads are in good shape. Other than one short stretch in the country and a bumpy section of city streets less than five miles from the finish line, the roads were very good.

It's real important going downhill. Over the first 60 miles we climbed at least 20 character building hills, and ultimately went down the other side of those hills.

I used my brakes on several descents, one in particular was long and steep, I spent most of it with hands on the brake. The fastest downhill I reached 36.7 - which feels a lot faster on a bike than in your car.

I wrote about a ride a couple weeks ago where I consciously decided to plan to get regular calories and energy during each hour on the bike. I felt better and wasn't hungry.

My shadow. 7/11/2026 dwm photo

The first rest stop was 22 miles into the ride on the grounds of a small country church. Organizers were ready with a lot of options to drink and eat. That was another motivation to start near the front, because last year when I got to the first stop, all that was left were orange slices.

Pleasant Valley Lutheran Church. 7/11/26 dwm

It was in Strum where momentarily, another rider and I didn't see the arrows left on the pavement pointing out where to turn. We passed the last street downtown and were heading to a United States highway, which I knew wasn't on the route.

We turned around and waited for a small group of cyclists approaching. They weren't sure of the direction either, but one of them had their GPS (ground positioning system) working and it eventually confirmed we were on the right path out of town.

I happened to be next to the GPS bike as the rider read off the streets we were crossing and where we could find the road we needed to travel.

On a climb. 7/11/26 dwm photo

Once on track, we continued talking and spoke long enough it made sense to introduce ourselves.

It turns out Carmen was from Sun Prairie, just the other side of Madison from where I live, More important, we rode at the same pace.

Over the next 50-some miles and three rest stops, we hung together up and down the hills and looked for the other before leaving the rest stop.

I had experience with much of the route from a year earlier and lived in Augusta, which was part of the route and hosted the third rest stop.

Carmen and me at Dells Mill. 7/11/26 dwm

After ten years in Augusta, I knew a little about Dells Mill, and shared that with Carmen. We took a break there and got a picture on the bridge that overlooks the mill and dam.

Over the years, I've had a number of similar encounters on long bike rides. I think there is something to a situation where two people meet. know nothing about each other, and are unlikely to ever meet again, that creates an atmosphere for deep conversations. You can talk about a lot of things over 50 miles on bikes.

At Dells Mill, I talked to one of the hosts as it bustled with cyclists and other tourists. It turned out we knew each other from when I lived there, so it was nice catching up.

The Eau Claire river heading into its city. 7/11/26 dwm

After the stop outside Augusta, it was on to a county park near Altoona for the final rest stop before completing the ride's last 12 miles.

That stretch felt really long last year as I rode it solo. In one stretch last year, I thought I missed a turn and spent time needlessly back-tracking before seeing other riders who helped me out.

Sharing those final miles made the time go by fast.We had a special moment outside Augusta when we saw a young Amish boy working a small lemonade stand. We stopped and had a thirst-quenching homemade lemonade and a nice conversation with the young man.

We'll never forget it, I'm sure.

The finish line. 7/11/2026 dwm

After crossing the finish line, we had a lunch of Mexican food in the Wisconsin Bike Federation's tent and received our finisher's prize, a very nice Cameblack tumbler cup with the Bike Fed logo.

At that point, a Century ride under our wheels, we went our separate ways.

According to the Bike Computer:

Distance: 110 miles

Average Speed: 16 mph

Time in the Saddle: 7 hours, 7 minutes

Bike, car, and passengers on the Colsac III across the Wisconsin River. 7/10/26 dwm
Climbing another hill. 7/11/2026 dwm
Rest Stop Two in Osseo, WI. 7/11/2026 dwm photo