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Fall Cycle Tour
Online Registration for Fall Cycle Tour
The 11th Annual Fall
Cycle Tour is scheduled for October 11, 2008. The tour - from West Yellowstone
to Old Faithful and back - is 60 miles long. It's a terrific way to wind up a
summer of riding and, again this year, a portion of the proceeds from the ride will be donated to the Yellowstone Park Foundation. The 2006 Cycle Tour generated $1500 for the Foundation.
Fall is a gorgeous time to be in Yellowstone - the elk are
bugling, the aspens have turned to gold and the thermal areas are relatively free
of crowds. Come enjoy the finest season that Yellowstone Park has to offer - ride in the Fall Cycle Tour.
The route starts in West
Yellowstone at the Chamber of Commerce Visitor's Center and follows Yellowstone
Avenue to the gate of Yellowstone National Park. All tour participants must pay
the Park entrance fee ($12 for cyclists) or be able to show your Park Pass. Annual passes are good for your
spouse and minor children only. All other family members (cousins, nephews, etc...) must have their own passes. Once through the gate,
the route follows the main road as it winds along the Madison River. At Madison
Junction, the route turns right, crosses the Gibbon River and climbs up what
locals call the "Firehole Hill". This is the only significant climb of the
entire ride. Once you get to the top, you follow the main road as it winds
along the Firehole River and past several of Yellowstone's most famous thermal
areas until you reach Old Faithful. At Old Faithful, we recommend that you take
the time to see an eruption and spend some time walking around Geyser Hill. To
get back to West Yellowstone, simply follow the same route in reverse.
We will have feed stations along the
route again this year but there will only be two of them. The first will be located at Madison Junction and the second will be located at Old Faithful.
We still recommend that you carry enough food to keep you energized and we will provide a few portable snacks at registration.
Those of
you concerned about your ability to ride the entire 60 miles need not worry.
The route is patrolled by 2 or 3 sag wagons (vans with trailers) that, once
full, can give you a lift back to West Yellowstone. Two mechanics, Les from
Yellowstone Bicycle and Melissa from Freeheel and Wheel, also patrol the route
to help with repairs and flat tires.
There is no "day of" registration for the Fall Cycle Tour.
All participants must register in advance. Cycle Tour check in will take place from 6:30 to 8:00 PM, Friday, October 10 and from 7:30 to 8:45 AM, Saturday,
October 11 at the Chamber of Commerce Visitor's Center located at 30 Yellowstone Avenue across the street from Free Heel and
Wheel. The ride will start at 9:00 AM.
All Cycle Tour participants are
welcome to join us for a spaghetti dinner at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort at 6:00 PM. The dinner is held at 6 PM to allow everyone to finish the
ride, relax and get showered. A raffle and door prizes are part of the post
ride dinner.
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