The country roads and bike trails around Mineral Point, Wisconsin are a destination for bikers from all over the US, if not the world!
Hundreds flock to our hills for organized rides like the Dairyland Dare, which takes place this year on August 10th. (Check out what I hope is a helmet-cam video from the 2010 Dairyland Dare.)
Others take a more low-key approach and explore the area on their own. Here’s a link to a blog documenting the three-night biking vacation of a couple who made Harriet Story’s Bluebird Hill Country Cottage their biking hub. Bluebird is one of many local lodging establishments that offer a Bed & Bike discount for guests who bike in. To chart your course, you can find helpful maps of the 28 area bike loops at the Cycle Southwest Wisconsin website or in the local chamber office.
Much credit for the emergence of the area as a biking mecca must go to the Dairyland Dare, now in its 8th year. Event founders Michelle Godez-Schilling and Stewart Schilling (pictured at left) estimate that 1300-1400 riders will tackle the 50K, 100K, 150K, 200K and 250K loops that comprise the aptly named Dare. Registrations for this year’s super well-organized event have come from over 20 states and some from outside the US.
Here’s how Michelle explains the increasing popularity of this challenging event: “people are amazed by the beauty of the area and the friendliness of the people they encounter at the event and during their visit.”
If riding through the bucolic hills of SW Wisconsin isn’t reason enough to take part, consider that 20% of the entry fees goes to Wisconsin Bikes for Good, Inc, a non-profit organization formed to give back to the community groups who volunteer to staff the event. Since its formation, Wisconsin Bikes for Good has given back $95,000 to the community.
To learn more about the Dairyland Dare – visit their website, http://www.dairylanddare.com, or look for their super-cool posters around town.
– Contributed by the Hays
High Street Beat 
Kudos to Michelle and Stewart for all of their hard work. It is a really wonderful event.
I dunno man, those hills were KILLER to learn to ride a bike on as a kid…