The idea for adding a bike ride to the Paperfest lineup of activities originated with one of the event's co-founders, Jim Boots, several years ago. He and the Paperfest committee talked about adding a bike ride but they didn't want to do it until they found the right person to head up the event. As a consequence, the idea "just didn't get off the ground" until Boots approached Wendy Van Dyke of Kimberly about coordinating a bike ride in 2005.

Van Dyke, a veteran long-distance bike rider, has trained for and ridden in the Tahoe Century, a challenging 100-mile, one-day bike ride around Lake Tahoe to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the last four years.  Van Dyke took part in her fourth Tahoe Century June 5 as part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program, which she joined shortly after her daughter Abby's untimely death in February 2003.

Abby was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or ALL, the most common childhood leukemia, one week before her fifth birthday in September 2001. She died 4½ months later of pancreatitis, a side effect of the chemotherapy drugs used to treat the disease.

"The more Dr. Boots and I talked about it (the Tour de Fest) the more excited I got about it," Van Dyke said. "I thought, 'Yeah, it could be a fun event.' It's another fund-raising avenue I can do for the Leukemia Society. It's a win-win situation. It'll be great for Paperfest - a new event that, hopefully, will draw more people. And I can raise more money for the Leukemia Society."
Proceeds from the Tour de Fest will benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the world's largest voluntary health organization dedication to curing leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma and improving the quality of life for patients and their families.

Names will be entered once for every $50 in pledges collected. A prize drawing will be held at the finish area around 3 p.m.
"I guess this is where I'm meant to be. This is the path God has me on; it's all related. It's amazing how it all comes together, and who he brings into your life," she said.

Boots said he came up with the name of the ride, "Tour de Fest," based on Lance Armstrong's success in winning the Tour de France in recent years. "I thought Tour de Fest for the bike ride fit nicely with Paperfest," he said.

Once Van Dyke agreed to coordinate the bike ride, she got down to work. She is using her own riding experience as a guide to help her with the first annual 2005 Tour de Fest, but admits she's "winging it."  "It's a brand new event. We'll do what we can this year and see what works and what doesn't work and tweak it next year. The first year is the hardest, with all the planning and organizing," she said, "but once we have this all down, it'll be fun. There are lots of little details, but little by little it's coming together."

The Recyclist bike shop in Kaukauna has provided much needed help. They laid out the entire course and they will mark it. "They are helping me out a great deal with all of that," she said.

There will be a choice of three different routes on the Tour de Fest on Saturday morning, July 16: One that is approximately 18 miles long, one about 40 miles, and the third, 70 miles. The routes start and finish at Sunset Beach in Kimberly. Riders will go through the CE tunnel, and wind their way through some Darboy neighborhoods as they head to High Cliff State Park.  "They will not allow us to go through the park, so we have to go around it - up the hill into Sherwood," Van Dyke said. "Then it will go south along Lake Winnebago; it's a beautiful, beautiful route. The longest (70-mile) route goes along the lakeshore for a while, and then it kind of loops around and comes back. "The 18-mile ride will be a nice one for families, people who want to take their kids along. Hopefully, it isn't too long that it will scare people away. Parents can hook up the trailer to the back of their bikes and put the little ones in and go out for a nice ride."   The 70-mile ride, however, will attract a different type of rider. "The caliber of rider who is going to ride 70 miles would go faster," she said, "riding 12 to 14 miles an hour."  The Tour de Fest is a ride, not a race. "Everybody doesn't start at once; it's as you are ready to go in a certain time frame. It's not a race at all; it's just a ride. Everyone rides at their own pace," Van Dyke said and they must obey all traffic laws as the roads are open to traffic. For riders' safety, helmets are mandatory.  Rest stops along the way will provide bagels, fruit, snacks, beverages and restrooms.

Early on Van Dyke and the Paperfest committee talked about giving Tour de Fest participants the option of collecting pledges for the Leukemia Society. "It's not going to be required," she said, "so, if people want to just come and do the ride, they are welcome to do that. "If they want to support the Leukemia Society, however, they can collect pledges. We will have prize drawings afterwards for the people who do collect donations. The (bike ride) T-shirts are not included in the registration cost; we are going to sell them separately. If people want to, they can buy them separately for $15. Of that, part of the cost will go for the shirt and the rest to the Leukemia Society. The shirts will be Paperfest Tour de Fest shirts. They also will say Team Abby on them in memory of Abby."
While it has been a challenge to organize the Tour de Fest this year, Van Dyke knows that once she gets the bike ride off the ground, each succeeding year it will go a lot smoother. "I have so many other ideas; I wanted to do some kind of ride for little kids. In Sunset Park there's a paved trail, so I'm envisioning all these kids on their bikes with streamers on them and little horns. … They can decorate their bikes with the training wheels or tricycles and have this ride."

There's also talk about expanding the Tour de Fest in the future to a century or 100-mile ride around Lake Winnebago, said Boots, who would like to include a triathlon event in the future. "In talking to Lyle at the bike shop, it sounds like there's a lot of positive feedback as far as a century ride," Van Dyke said. "A lot of people would be interested. He knows a lot of people from bike shops in the area and has spoken with some, like in Fond du Lac and Oshkosh and they're all for it and they'd be willing to help us with it."
Van Dyke said she needs volunteers to help on the day of the event at the registration table Saturday morning, at the rest stops to hand out food and water, and for people to drive the SAG, or support and gear, vehicles. SAG wagons will patrol the routes until 3 p.m. to provide direction, mechanical assistance and transportation, if needed. "If anyone is having mechanical problem with their bike they'll have bike tubes; or if they're tired and can't make it any further, they can catch a ride," she said. "I just wish I could ride in it. I'll be a floater that day, helping wherever help is needed. I'll ride it before hand - more than once, I'm sure."

Advance registration is $18 adult and $16 kids 12 and under and must be postmarked by July 12. Entry fees on the day of the event are $22 adult and $20 for kids 12 and under. The price includes the rest stop food and beverages and five food/drink tickets for use at Paperfest.   Registration for the ride begins at 7 a.m. on July 16, departure is between 8 and 10 a.m., and finish time is by 3 p.m.
The bike tour will be held rain or shine. "The big thing that is going to be the determining factor in the ride's success," Van Dyke said, "is going to be the weather. This is a weather dependent event. If the weather is beautiful, I think we'll have a great turnout. If it rains that day, we probably won't.  "Typically, Paperfest weekend is one of the hottest of the summer. Starting early in the morning, it won't be as hot. I don't think most bikers mind the heat as much as the rain." Flyers with registration forms are available at all bike shops in the Fox Valley or log onto the Paperfest Web site, www.paperfest.com. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. For more information, call Van Dyke at 733-1865.

After months of hard work planning and preparing for the 2005 Tour de Fest the event is ready to make its debut.   "Now we just need riders," Van Dyke said.