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New adventure cycling/bikepacking routes in Wisconsin
New long-distance US and WI bike routes are being proposed PLUS boat thief,
Kevin Boyle
June 22, 2022
Mornin' readers, we hope the Culver's Flavor of the Day is your fav. This is the Wiscampsin Weekly - the email that gets you in the know on the Wisconsin outdoors in 5 minutes or less. New reader? Subscribe here.
The 'route' of today's email:
US/WI bike paths 🚴♀️
Boat thief 🚤
Mayfly hatching 📈
Wheelin' around WI: New US and WI Bike Routes
Well folks, Wisconsin's moment has finally arrived.
In the ultimate collab between the DOT, the DNR, and the Wisconsin Bike Federation, new bikepacking/adventure cycling routes have been proposed in Wisconsin.
Thick enough to stop a bullet (Uncle Dave isn't the best of shots), the 88-page 2022 Wisconsin Bikeways Report details 4 new USBRs and 6 new WIBRs proposed for Wisconsin.
And to save you all that reading time, we're gonna serve up the juiciest parts like State Fair wiener schnitzel.
If you're as stoked on bikepacking and adventure cycling as we are, grease those chains and don your padded shorts, folks, and read on!
What is a USBR and WIBR? US Bike Routes and Wisconsin Bike Routes that connect communities, cities, and states for cyclists to travel the US/Wisconsin by bike.
Adventure cycling/bikepacking nationwide
You've probably heard of these Forrest-Gump type characters that bike the entire US, coast to coast, under their own power by way of bicycle.
Typically, these road warriors travel backroads, city streets, and highway shoulders to get from point A to point B. Which isn't always that scenic (or safe). Watch out for that ______!
But the U.S. Bicycle Route System hopes to change that with the National Corridor, a grand plan to connect the US through interstate bike paths, called USBRs.
Currently, there are 11,000 miles of USBR across 24 states, but when completed, the project will entail 50,000 miles across 40 states.
These routes piecemeal together bike paths to allow for scenic and safe long-distance bike travel through the US.
So what about Wisconsin?
Make way for milk trucks
Wisconsin is hallowed ground in the cycling community.
Beautiful scenery. Low-traffic roads. Delicious post-ride cheese + beer.
The reason we have such great bike routes is due to our low-traffic, high-quality paved rural roads, which were necessary back in the day when milk trucks used to travel from farm to farm.
And just like the Rails to Trails project, many of these routes have been re-purposed for recreation.
So 'Scons and folks from all over the world come to wheel about Wisconsin on day, weekend, and weeklong trips criss-crossing our great state.
Wisconsin Bikeways Report
Currently, Wisconsin has one USBR route, USBR30, which connects Milwaukee to La Crosse, WI over 269 miles. Can't recommend this one enough, folks.
But there are TONS of epic rides all over Wisconsin that are unknown/undesignated, which got the DNR/DOT/Bike Fed peoples' attention.
They even looked into heat maps on Strava to figure out where folks were choosing to ride, like we are some giant flock of migratory gear heads..
So here are the recommendations (we already got #37 on the calendar for September).
Drumroll please!
USBR 8: Superior, WI to Hurley, WI - 124.5 miles
USBR 10: Houlton, WI to Niagara, WI - 346 miles
USBR 20: Hudson, MN to Manitowoc Ferry - 335 miles (USBR 20 cuts east-west across the widest portion of the state!)
USBR 37: Illinois border at Lake Michigan to Michigan Border (Marinette) - 238 miles (USBR 37 runs the length of eastern Wisconsin).
WIBR 11: Wisconsin-Iowa-Illinois border (Dubuque) to Wisconsin-Minnesota border west of Danbury - 450 miles
WIBR 22: Mississippi River at Dubuque to downtown Madison, WI - 160 miles
WIBR 31: Holmen, WI to Danbury, WI - 200 miles
WIBR 42: Manitowoc, WI to Fountain City, WI - 320 miles
WIBR 51: Bridgeport, WI to Land O'Lakes, WI - 385 miles (WIBR 51 is the longest north-south state route).
WIBR 71: Beloit, WI to Nekoosa, WI - 200 miles
This is huge for Wisconsin cycling, folks!
Having completed the USBR30 twice (even once on a tandem), we realized how spectacular traveling Wisconsin is once you leave the interstate.
And with the introduction of these new USBRs and WIBRs, we're hoping this will open the door for even more long-distance tours in Wisconsin.
Sounds like someone needs to come up with a updated map... Add it to our long list of to-do's.
So if you're up for the adventure, call up a friend, put together your gear list, and get ready to see Wisconsin the way it's meant to be seen. With a sore rump and breathtaking views.
Now get out 'der!
The "Holy cripes" Moment of the Week❗️
Stumped on a summer vacay? Check out this 4k footage of the Apostle Islands by air (and read our coverage last week). So darn pretty!
Nuts and Seeds 🌰
🛶 Crooks on canoes: Here's a first - a 24 year-old man in Rothschild stole a boat by way of canoe. He approached a docked boat and... traded his paddle for an outboard motor. Thankfully, the police found the thug (and the boat). Should have stuck to C strokes!
📈 Mayflies on the rise: Everyone remembers the first time they slipped (literally) on a slew of Mayflies on the sidewalk. Well, June is the peak of the Mayfly hatching in northern Wisconsin, and it attracts a whole bunch of protein-seeking critters... Sounds tasty.
🚗 The road less traveled: There's a new guide out on Wisconsin Rustic Roads, cataloguing 123 different beaut's of a drive that will make you say for criminy cripe's sake, guy. Forget the highway, take the scenic route!
See you next week!
A Review from the Trail...
Well, how'd we do this week?
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