The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

The Black Hills of South Dakota

June 8th to June 22nd

Ride Director: John McCoy
Ride Co-Director: Linda Stewart
Ride Driver: Warner Griswold
Report by: Ed Hass

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June 8th – June 22nd, 2019

Ride Director: John McCoy assisted by Linda Stewart (Co-Director) and Warner Griswold (Driver)
Report by: Ed Hass

This tour started in Rapid City, SD and made a clockwise loop south and west through the Black Hills of South Dakota and eastern Wyoming comprising about 500 miles.  We visited the towns of Hill City (SD), Custer (SD), Newcastle (WY), Sundance (WY), Hullet (WY), Spearfish (SD), Deadwood (SD) and Rapid City (SD).  Major attractions included Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Mickelson Trail, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave, Devil’s Tower, and abundant wildlife along the route.  Wildlife sightings included bison, prairie dogs, prong-horned antelope, wild turkeys and numerous birds. Riding weather was nearly prefect – cool, sunny, low humidity and very little rain.

The route included much climbing (about 30,000 feet total) with one day’s option to climb the highest peak in South Dakota cycling to 6200 feet and hiking up to 7200 feet.  Generally grades were gentle (3-5%) with a few short steep pitches.  Roads were smooth with nice shoulders and very courteous drivers.  Accommodations were usually in Holiday Inn Express or Best Western motels with three two-night stays. 

We made our own lunches every morning and carried them with us or met the luggage truck along our routes.  We enjoyed happy hour every day after our rides with abundant snacks, fruit, veggies, beer, wine and soft drinks. Dining options included very upscale (Skogen Kitchen in Custer and Botticelli in Rapid City), to local restaurants featuring specialties of the region such as bison, trout and walleye, as well as Subway, pizza choices and fast food chains along the route.

If you are a strong cyclist in good shape, this tour is one you should consider in the future.  It has just about everything to offer a cyclist could wish for.  Hats off to John, Linda and Warner for great route selection, nice accommodations and excellent food choices.