Wisconsin Bike Fed’s 2024 Ride Across Wisconsin Event Revisits La Crosse to Milwaukee Route One Last Time

MILWAUKEE – The Wisconsin Bike Fed is proud to announce the 9th Ride Across Wisconsin (RAW) August 17-18, 2024, with registration opening at 8am on Sunday, January 7, 2024.

The Bike Fed’s largest fundraiser of the year will revisit its route from La Crosse to Milwaukee one last time with options to ride entirely on paved surfaces or on a combination of crushed limestone trail and low stress roads to explore our beautiful state by bicycle.

One of 2023’s ride influencers, Brendan Carberry (aka “Outside Brendan”) offered a review of the RAW route on his YouTube channel:

“Beautiful farmland, sunrise over the corn stalks, this is, like, as good as it gets for road riding… Every single backroad in Wisconsin is just buttery smooth.”

“Wisconsin gravel is so good. The size of the gravel, they call it crushed limestone, just a small layer on top of a super hard subsurface…this trail all the way along is incredibly smooth…it is basically pristine… you just fly right along.” 

The 2024 RAW route showcases quintessential Wisconsin attractions including the Elroy-Sparta State Trail Tunnels, Wisconsin Dells – Waterpark Capital of the World, Merrimac Ferry, Trek’s World Headquarters, and a new finish line at City Lights Brewing Company. With one- and two-day options, riders can choose a 235-, 165-, 135-, or 100-mile challenge based on their abilities and ambitions.

This year, riders can participate in a one-day ride either traveling 100 miles from La Crosse to Wisconsin Dells or 165 miles to Trek Headquarters in Waterloo with a festive finish line party in both locations. Riders who choose a two-day adventure will stay overnight in the Wisconsin Dells and finish at Trek Headquarters in Waterloo – or continue on to complete the full 235 miles across Wisconsin at the finish line party in Milwaukee.

New option in 2024 – Team Relay. For those who have considered riding across our beautiful state by bike, but may find the mileage a bit too challenging or want to experience bike joy as a team effort, we now offer the team relay for two to five riders to share the miles and the registration fee.

For 2023 RAW VIP rider Steve Cohan of Madison, raising money for the Wisconsin Bike Fed during the Ride Across Wisconsin is important to him so that he and other cyclists can continue to enjoy this state from the saddle of their bikes for years to come. “It’s just kind of a fun thing to do in summer, but some of us do it all year round too,” he shared with Spectrum News 1 in 2023. “And Bike Fed is making sure that that stays that way.”  

Welcoming riders from Wisconsin, the United States, and internationally, RAW features a well-marked course, full-service ride support provided by Wheel & Sprocket, and bountiful rest stops to refuel along the route. Participants can sign up for an all-inclusive transportation package for themselves, and their bikes, to the host city of La Crosse. A full VIP option is available that includes RAW apparel, transportation, and lodging in La Crosse. Bike Fed members are eligible for a registration discount. Details about Ride Across Wisconsin routes, registration, transportation, and support are available at www.RideAcrossWisconsin.com.

Businesses and communities interested in information on how to support riders, RAW, and the Bike Fed through sponsorship opportunities may contact Community Engagement Manager Michelle Bachaus at michelleb@wisconsinbikefed.org.

As always, RAW promises to be fun, epic, and hard – but worth it. Support of RAW helps to make cycling in Wisconsin better for everyone.

About the Wisconsin Bike Fed
The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin Educational Foundation, Inc. (AKA Wisconsin Bike Fed) was established as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 1988 to cultivate, motivate, and unite residents, communities, businesses, and political leaders to move bicycling forward in Wisconsin through education, legislation, and involvement. For 35 years the Bike Fed has been the only statewide organization that advocates for better bicycling for everyone who rides a bike in Wisconsin:

• Advocate for cycling – including encouragement for the governor to include transportation access and environmental concerns in the proposed 2023-24 biennial budget.
• Provide programs to make bicycling safer and more accessible across the state – particularly in the state’s most populous urban communities of Milwaukee and Madison.
• Promote Wisconsin as an economic engine for cycling – highlighting scenic trails and emphasizing the many large and small businesses that support bicycling as direct producers, repairers, or vendors of bikes and related accessories, as well as the hospitality industry that benefits from cycling. According to the most recent impact study released by the governor’s office in 2020, consumers spent $1.42 billion in 2017 on direct bicycle-related expenditures, bringing funds into our businesses and state budget.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.