Introduction
Wisconsin Camp and Tour is for riders of intermediate cycling ability who are looking for a challenging week of cycling, but not as extreme as a PAC Tour cross country tour. Wisconsin Camp is intended to introduce riders to the PAC Tour experience with plenty of good riding and informative seminars. These camps and tours are based on the same format that have made PAC Tour Desert Camp in Arizona so popular. Now we are offering these same type of events in the Midwest at a great time of year for summer training.
The roads at Wisconsin Camp and Tour are legendary (see Fred Matheny's sidebar article). Routes are planned to travel 60-80 miles per day with many desolate stretches of secluded farm roads. Meals will be served at hometown restaurants that still cater to local farmers and families. Since Wisconsin is famous for their ice cream, each afternoon includes a stop at a local old time ice cream parlor.
Wisconsin Tour is unique to offer a great selection of destinations to ride each day while keeping the daily distances to 60-80 miles. Beside the countryside, each day will also offer other historic and scenic points of interest. We will stay at several classic towns including a tour of the New Glarus Brewery.
 During Coaching Camp riders will have the opportunity to meet and listen to many knowledgeable guest speakers. A broad range of topics will be discussed including bike fit, nutrition, mechanics and bike repair, training programs, wheel building and adventure travel. There will be informal afternoon programs that focus on repair and service topics. Each evening will include more programs and videos of other technical topics.
Our coaches for 2009 are Jim Langley and Bob Olsen (coaching week), and Fred Matheney (both weeks).
Every rider at Coaching Week will receive a special "Bike Fit with Bobby" coupon to have a personal 20 minute fitting session with Bob Olsen. Bob has been at Desert Coaching Week the past five years and presents one of the most popular clinics of the week.
These Wisconsin Weeks are intended to introduce new riders to PAC Tour. In the past Wisconsin Week has been filled with 75% of PAC Tour veterans who come and return year after year. If you are thinking of joining a PAC Tour event these Wisconsin Weeks are good ones to try. Sign up early because they will be filled by March. Each week is limited to about 40 riders.
Coaching Camp Page | Tour Page
Travel Plans
Wisconsin Coaching Camp is based in Beloit, Wisconsin just north of the Illinois border. We are near the crossroads of I-90 going between Chicago and Madison and I-43 coming from Milwaukee. If you are flying to Camp the Milwaukee Mitchell Airport is an hour drive by car. We recommend the Milwaukee Mitchell Airport as the closest and most convenient by rental car. The Chicago O'Hare Airport is two hours away. There is the Van Galder Bus Service every hour for $27 from Chicago to Beloit. This bus does not take bike boxes at peak times if the luggage area is full. If you do not want to travel with your bike, you can ship it Federal Express or UPS to the PAC Tour office an we will bring it to the start.
What is Included
- Double Occupancy Motel Room (Saturday night through Friday night)
- Breakfast, Lunch and Snack stops
- Collector Jersey (sign up before April 1st)
- Wisconsin Week T-shirt
- 500 miles of marked rural routes each week
- Full vehicle support each week
- Bicycle Maintenance and Repair Service
- Coaching and Entertainment Programs
Coaching Camp Page | Tour Page
Lon Haldeman's Midwest History
It was the summer of 1973. A fifteen year old boy is oiling the well worn chain of his bicycle. This bike had been scavenged from a dumpster before the trash man could take it away. The gold paint was chipped and the bike was missing the front derailleur and both shift cables. The worn out brake shoes were replaced by blocks of wood bolted in their place.
When this bike was new it was a Raleigh Hercules English Racer. Now it was Lon Haldeman's first real bike. This was the bike and the countryside that got Lon interested in long distance cycling. That summer he rode it to the Walworth ice cream shop that was ten miles away. Then he rode it on 50 mile jaunt around Lake Geneva. He rode it on his first 100 mile day trip to the town of Whitewater. Now thirty years later, after fifty cycling races and tours across America, Lon is still riding these same roads in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.
Lon would typically ride 400 miles per week as a teenager and never duplicate a route within 30 miles of home. The gridwork of farm roads allowed for a variety of terrain and scenery. Lon wasn't training, he was just exploring and riding. Gradually after five years and 50,000 miles of local cycling, Lon was in good enough shape to pursue his cross country racing ambitions.
The Idea for Wisconsin Cycling Camp
As Lon criss crossed America by bicycle he saw a tremendous variety of scenery and spectacular cycling roads. Still when Lon returned home he appreciated his local roads that offered quiet and safe cycling routes. That is why the idea to offer a summer cycling camp on these roads was a logically choice.
Lon wanted to provide a midwest camp that was educational, but also fun. Lon thought if you enjoyed cycling, it was a natural progression to want to learn more about it. The first step was always to enjoy cycling and keep the goals of training and competition in perspective as part of a lifetime sport.
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Matheny's Musings
by Fred Matheny of www.roadbikerider.com
I've found cycling paradise.
I don't know your definition of velo Valhalla but I found a reasonable facsimile in south-central Wisconsin when I coached at PAC Tour's Wisconsin Cycling Camp (www.pactour.com).
Nearly every road in Wisconsin is paved, thanks to the dairy industry. Farmers had to get the milk to market each day so the dairy lobby pushed for pavement. Tiny roads that would be dirt or gravel anywhere else are glorious blacktop in the cheesehead state.
These black ribbons thread their way among steep hills and traverse pastures via winding curves. Most are bordered with grass manicured by local residents. (Lawn mowing seems to be required for residence). Drivers were courteous but there weren't many cars. We rode for miles in echelons, taking the whole lane (or the whole road).
I didn't see one patch of glass in 600 miles. There's virtually no roadside junk either. It made me wonder why Wisconsinites are so much prouder of their landscape than people in other states where chucking beer bottles and fast food wrappers out of car windows seems to be the official state sport.
Although Wisconsin roads are bliss, they aren't eternal bliss, at least for me. They're great for a week but for daily training I like my home roads in western Colorado--the altitude, big climbs and wild feel of riding in the mountains.
I like to see the occasional elk and there's a definite shortage of the horny fellas in Wisconsin. And jeep road adventure rides up in the hills, done on a modified road bike, remain a standard in my training arsenal.
So I won't be moving to Wisconsin any time soon. But would I do another tour in the Badger State? You wouldn't have to ask me twice. With apologies to West Virginia and John Denver, Wisconsin is almost Heaven.
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Hi Lon and Susan,
Thanks again for the great camp. Riding the six centuries back to back gave me a sense of accomplishment and pushed my riding envelope. Fred, Ed and the other riders were a great group with which to spend the week. I'm sure another PAC Tour ride will be in my future.
Please stop by the farm for a visit if you ever pass through the Berlin area.
Best regards, Bill P.
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To reiterate what I mentioned to Lon & Susan Friday night after the evening session, that PAC Tour has lived up to my expectation in producing a top-rated camp. Organization of the camp & rides were outstanding, and I really enjoyed the challenge and appreciated the camaraderie and encouragement from the staff and other riders.
Dwayne T.
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Susan and Lon:
I wanted to let you both know that Linda and I really enjoyed the camp. We met alot of great people and got some good information. Having a camp in the Midwest was a good idea.
Thanks for having us and showing us around your "neighborhood". It's beautiful farm country and several us commented about how neat and well kept the farms are there. A nice slice of "real America". The routes were great and well thought out.
Thank you again and hopefully we can join you again on a future ride or camp.
Chris L.
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"How many customers write thank-you notes to businesses they deal with? That must be a sign of something. I had a great week at Camp. I rode as hard as I possibly could and pretty much enjoyed every minute. What a great bunch of people. Thank you for putting together a memorable tour. My next chance for a PAC Tour will be Wisconsin Week next year. I can't wait."
Steve B.
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"I want to thank you for an exceptional vacation. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The biking was wonderful and the lectures and seminars were great. We already planning on attending next year's adventure.
Tracy I.
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"Just a short note to tell you how much I enjoyed the past week. The routes were great! I think my favorite route was to New Glarus. With the information I gleaned from Andy Pruitt's Medical Guide for Cyclists I am hoping to correct a problem I am having with my right foot. Even if I had not ridden one mile the evening lectures offered useful information."
Bill C.
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I thoroughly enjoyed the entire week. The routes were great and the hills to New Glarus and back a nice challenge. The lunch and ice cream stops were always fun especially in Harvard and Waterford. I always learned something at the evening seminars. Most importantly I had the opportunity to meet really wonderful people who enjoy cycling.
C.C.
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Dear PAC Tour,
Thanks to all of you for the great biking camp last week. Every single day had an exceptionally high "laughter" metric - a sure sign of success! I left with a ton of fond memories and special experiences. My resulting relaxed mood is still with me.
Everything about the camp was perfect - I wouldn't change a thing. As usual, the logistics (packets, communication, hotel arrangements, transactions) were handled flawlessly. And, as usual, I just LOVE the jersey. One of my favorite aspects of camp is reconnecting and riding with the friends I've made through several camps and trips. It's fun to meet new people too. You draw and cultivate a wonderful crowd of people.
Some of the other highlights for me personally were:
- Meeting Pete and getting to hear about his pioneering experiences in-person. In 1986, I watched the RAAM coverage on television, and was struck by the positive energy of Pete and his crew. This impression really stayed with me for years. I'm even more impressed now that I've gotten to spend some time with him.
- John's biking insights always seem to apply to life too. I always walk away from his talks with one or two life mottos. My favorites this time were to "train (live?) by the principles, rather than the numbers" , and "satisfactory vs optimum". I like to think of his lectures as "Everything I Learned About Life, I Learned on a Bike."
- The routes were wonderful, and really showed off the beauty of the Wisconsin and Illinois. The route sheets are excellent, but I really appreciate the M markings on the road. Thank you Lon for going through the extra trouble. Being somewhat navigationally challenged, it takes an element of stress out of the ride.
Anne M.
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It is the people that really make your rides. And I just get to know a new group and have to go home. It keeps me coming back, though. It was a privilege riding with and listening to John and Pete. Thank you for all your hard work.
Steve B.
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A very heart felt "Thank you" for such a wonderful week in Wisconsin. I had a spectacular time. The riding was great, beautiful, beyond my expectations. You guys put on a first class event, taking very good care of us riders. The people I met were some of the nicest I've ever rode with‹the men who became groupies to us small clan of women were wonderful to ride with us! It was very much fun. I'm looking forward to the next PAC Tour event I can manage to schedule!
Carolyn D.
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Wisconsin Tour June 13-20, 2009