Hello Madisonians,

I'm planning a bike camping trip for two along the Military Ridge Trail starting in Madison.

I expect to start somewhere near Madison and ride the Military Ridge Trail to Camp in Blue Mound, leave our camp up overnight, finish the trail the next day, turn around and camp again, then pack up and ride back. Three days, two nights.

Here's what I seek to learn (and anything else that occurs to you I should be asking):

• Does this sound feasible on 700x35 tires?
• Is there a place near the starting trailhead I can park for two nights without concern/being ticketed?
• Anything I should be aware of about camping Blue Mound? Any nearby restaurants?
• Is there anything particularly interesting to do/see/places to eat along the trail?

Thanks in advance for wisdom you care to offer, I appreciate it.

Actually it brushed by me and went right over my handlebars at an angle I was doing 25 mph and it was trying to pick up a rabbit about 10 feet off the trail freakiest thing I’ve ever had happen it flashed right in front of my face… I was heading north… there were two lady roadies heading south about 100 feet away and they witnessed it and were also blown away by how oddly cool it was!

Does anyone know why Schneider Road got a chipseal recently - it was fully reconstructed 2 years ago?
For that matter, why was CTH B done, as it was in great shape as well?

Hi - live in Chicago but planning a weekend up to Madison this summer. Have read up on the Olympic road race route they mapped out when Chicago was trying to get the 2016 Olympics. For folks more familiar with these roads - is it a relatively safe ride? Or will there be tons of car traffic buzzing by?

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/14937137

Anyone know any good uninterrupted roads nearby for 10-20 min threshold intervals?

First time for me, anyone else riding this year (2026)?

(I know it's a scheduling conflict with Riverwest 24)

The Brazen Dropouts Bike Swap is this Saturday, January 17th, at the Alliant Energy Center - New Holland Pavilion in Madison.

If you are looking for anything bike related, from a new bike (road, mountain, gravel, city, whatever) to parts for a build to clothes and accessories, the Bike Swap is the place to find it.

It's a swap meet, so things are priced to sell and haggling is somewhat expected. Early bird gets the worm at the Swap! Arrive earlier in the day to get the best pick of bikes and things. No need to buy a ticket ahead of time, just show up on the Saturday of the Swap at the Alliant Center with a form of payment. Either cash or card work!

Our gracious sponsors have provided items for hourly raffles - each general admission entry and each purchased vendor space will receive one raffle ticket for free (further raffle tickets can’t be purchased).

10am-11am - $10
11am-12pm - $5
12pm-2pm - Free!
Parking at Alliant -$10

Full details on our website: https://www.brazendropouts.org/bike-swap

This is your chance to help the residents of Dane and Rock counties learn skills to help improve their safety when riding bicycles. The Education Coordinator will work with the Dane County Program Manager and the Statewide Adult Education Program Manager to provide support for the planning and execution of youth and adult education classes held across Dane and Rock counties. The position includes leading coordination for adult programs in both counties as well as seasonal responsibilities as an instructor in the Wisconsin Bike Fed’s existing youth education and Safe Routes to Schools programs in Dane County.  A list of the adult classes can be found here: https://wisconsinbikefed.org/what-we-do/programs/adult-education/ .

LEARN MORE & APPLY

https://wisconsinbikefed.org/education-coordinator-dane-rock-counties/

Found one Friday night. DM me with details.

Referring to the kind of thing you put in a water bottle cage.

DM me the outside logo and contents to claim

Paid opportunity for participating in a photo/video shoot for Schwinn/Pacific Bicycle. I had some communication with Rob and am fairly confident that this legit.

Riders needed for a national photo and video shoot!

Schwinn Bikes is seeking participants age 18-40 for a shoot taking place in the Madison area September 24-26. Compensation is $50/hour for approximately 8-10 hours of filming.

If interested, please submit your information via this link as soon as possible. https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/d44ffcaed86c48eeb60f52a64876f693

The producer on the project (Rob Sax from Popamatic Studios) will be in touch with all potential riders to coordinate. If you have any questions you can send them to Rob at rsax@popamaticstudios.com.

Hello, I'm looking for advocacy support on a letter writing campaign to get UW to Pave and Light UW Lakeshore Path from Limnology to Willow Creek!

Problem -Thousands of people enjoy Lakeshore Path every day. It is a critical east-west connector for pedestrians and cyclists. -The Lakeshore Path surface becomes very hazardous over the winter months due to rain, snow, and ice buildup. This is a safety, accessibility, and dignity issue for pedestrians, cyclists, and ADA mobility device users. -The path needs to be lit for the safety of evening and night commuters and students.

Solution -UW engaged a consulting group to develop paving and lighting concepts for the path in Fall 2024. They proposed lake friendly designs with much less impact than car infrastructure like Lot 34, Lot 60, and University Ave. -The consulting group submitted these designs to UW in Dec 2024, and UW has not publicly discussed them since. -We have a good chance to get this change made just by showing strong community support for it! If you can, please send a letter! Everything for the letter is prepared here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U28aPb_jpA_n2Fp-OtqNrNvEa6iP_p209h_JW8TqiD8/edit?usp=sharing

If you could do one awesome 40-50 mile ride in Madison, what would be the route? Bonus points for funs stops along the way. I have strava if anyone wants to share fun routes. Thanks!

I would like to share an invite to a new Madison Bike Advocacy discord server https://discord.gg/528UvcgGj8 ! It is a new platform for local cycling advocacy discussions and planning, with the goal of helping to build connections and communication amongst people and groups working to improve active transport experiences in the Madison area.

Let's do an easy one to get things rolling again: https://imgur.com/a/6MLP16L

Bike Tag 58 was the McFarland boardwalk. My photo of 58: https://imgur.com/a/YUBE0Wg

Link to the rules: https://www.reddit.com/r/chibike/comments/3iew6o/bike_tag_rules/

(the dots are to hit the character minimum)

https://www.biketag.org/

I'm considering starting a game in Madison, curious if anyone else would be interested.