Mark your 2006 calendar for week-long bike rides

Some of my favorite cycling days occurred on week-long rides in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington state — CAM Tour, Bike Virginia, and RAW. So when I started the blog last winter, I listed all the week-long bicycle rides I could find in Across State Bicycle Tours.

Most, if not all, of those 60-some rides are history now, but I've been culling through those biking links for updates for 2006. Quite a few have new dates for 2006, and a couple already have posted their routes.

Of course, not all are routed clear across their states and some are less than a week long. But they all provide a sense of adventure and give cyclists a chance to find new roads and regions to bike through.

Many of the state rides have already scheduled their 2006 dates, even though they don't have a route or host towns firmed up. Following is a list of states where rides have been updated. Go to that state's page and look for the ride; updated information is in red.