The Argus Leader essentially opened the 2012 across-state bicycle tour season this weekend with its South Dakota route announcement for Tour de Kota.
It might seem a little early to be planning for a mass bicycle event in 2012, but several of the more popular week-long rides have announced their dates, although not their routes.
RAGBRAI, Ride the Rockies, Biking Across Kansas, Cycle Oregon and Oregon Bicycle Ride (OBR) all have announced their 2012 tour dates; the OBR organizers also have announced a rare Mountain Montana Bicycle Ride in 2012.
Meanwhile, the nonprofit Adventure Cycling Association has announced a full slate of self-supported and fully supported bicycle tours for 2012, including a handful of new ones.
Look for details on all these rides in the coming weeks at the Across State Bicycle Tours pages at BikingBis.
Tour de Kota was launched by the Argus Leader newspaper in 2005 as a bike ride along the Missouri River to commemorate the Lewis & Clark Expedition's 200th anniversary.
The 2012 Tour de Kota rolls out June 17-22, beginning in Dell Rapids. The 464-mile route forms a figure-8 that swings into Minnesota for an overnight in Marshall.
Typically, 700 to 800 cyclists participate in the ride. About half ride for the entire week. Organizers call it a challenging ride with prairie vistas and rolling hills.
The grand-daddy of all across state bicycle tours — Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) — will have a route announcement party Jan. 28 in Des Moines to celebrate its 40th year.
RAGBRAI XL rolls out July 22-28, 2012 (early registration is Nov. 15, 2011).
The Denver Post announces the Ride the Rockies route on Feb. 5, 2012; the ride is tentatively scheduled June 10-16, 2012.
The Oregon Bicycle Ride is scheduled July 12-28, 2012, and the Montana Bicycle Ride is Aug. 4-11, 2012. Those routes have yet to be announced, although dates are posted at OBR's Facebook page.
Biking Across Kansas, where I spent a good week on my bike last year, is June 9-16 in 2012. Registration opens Jan. 29.
The Adventure Cycling Association announced its tour packages for 2012 last week. The routes range from cross-country to around states. New rides added to this year's mix include Sierra Cascades, Outer Banks of North Carolina and the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York.
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