The map below is only an approximate route.  You can see maps of the daily routes at the Freewheel website.

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Route Breakdown

Day 0: Frederick to Red River and back. 36 miles.

Day 1: Frederick to Elgin. 75 miles.  There is a 6 mile option to ride the 1,000 foot climb to the top of Mount Scott (elevation 2,464)

Day 2: Elgin to Anadarko. 61 miles.

Day 3: Anadarko to Watonga. 72 miles. There will be a century option for this day.

Day 4: Watonga to Guthrie. 71 miles.

Day 5: Guthrie to Drumright. 55 miles.  Speedwheel will happen in Drumright this year.

Day 6: Drumright to Ponca City. 79 miles.

Day 7: Ponca City to South Haven, KS. 36 miles.

There are a couple of important announcements.  First, accident insurance will be available for the first time. Secondly, and maybe more important, the shower truck will be setup on Saturday.

The full week cost will be $175 for adults, $100 for children (6-18).   Registration will be available within two weeks.

Full details available at the Freewheel website.

The Board of the annual cross-state bicycle tour, Oklahoma FreeWheel, is proud to announce that Joy Hancock has been appointed Director, starting October 2011.

Joy, 31, brings a history of event and volunteer management and is an avid cyclist, having competed in a number of triathlon and cycling events, including FreeWheel in 2008 and 2009. Her involvement in Freewheel has gone beyond just riding – she has also given talks at FreeWheel seminars on how to train for this cross-state bicycle tour.

Hancock, reflecting upon the new position, said ‘I’m delighted to be the new Director of FreeWheel. I hope to build on the great organization that former director Ellen Proctor has helped establish, and work to make FreeWheel the best event that it can be, both for the communities we visit and for the participants.”

Additionally, Ellen Proctor, Lee Griffin, Laurie Daugherty, and Amy Shackelford will join Tom Brown, Ross Snider, and Barbara and Don Pike on the FreeWheel Board of Directors. This group of dedicated volunteers hopes to continue to improve on the great success of this ride, as they give hundreds of hours of time to helping FreeWheel be the best it can be.

FreeWheel, the nation’s second longest-running cross-state tour, traverses a different area of the state each year. It generally follows a south to north route to take advantage of the prevailing winds, and is not a race. The ride is limited to 1000 participants, who stay in host communities along the route. Part of the entry fee goes back to the communities which host the riders.

2012 will mark the 34th edition of Oklahoma’s premier bicycle touring event.

via Oklahoma FreeWheel Cross State Bicycle Tour.

The route for the 32nd Oklahoma Freewheel has been announced and will go through the East Central part of the state this year, which will mean some longer legs but probably a few less hills than last year.  The itinerary is as follows:

• Day 0, 6/11 – 40 Miles, Durant to Red River and back
• Day 1, 6/12 – 66 Miles, Durant to Coalgate
• Day 2, 6/13 – 60 Miles, Colgate to Wewoka
• Day 3, 6/14 – 75 miles, Wewoka to Checotah
• Day 4, 6/15 – 74 miles, Checotah to Bristow
• Day 5, 6/16 – 85 miles, Bristow to Pawnee
• Day 6, 6/17 – 52 miles, Pawnee to Tonkawa
• Day 7, 6/18 – 40 miles, Tonkawa to Caldwell, KS

The cost for this year’s ride has not yet been announced, but will be available in mid-February when early registration begins.

Personally, I can’t wait.  My plan for this year is to attempt to ride it self-contained.  Anyone else planning on taking the ride?

Note: Please note that the map above doesn’t represent the exact riding route, but just the stops the trip will take.

An Edmond man injured in a car-bicycle accident near Lake Hefner last year was back on the road again in a weeklong bicycle ride across the state in June.

via Edmond man recovers from car-bicycle accident to ride across the state | NewsOK.com.

The route for Freewheel crosses the western side of the state this year.  The itinerary is as follows:

• Saturday, June 6th -  Duncan
• Sunday, June 7th – Anadarko
• Monday, June 8th – Cordell
• Tuesday, June 9th – Cheyenne
• Wednesday, June 10th – Thomas
• Thursday, June 11th – Fairview
• Friday, June 12th – Alva
• Saturday, June 13th – Kiowa, KS

Registration begins the second week of February and will be $110 for the full week.  I can’t wait for June to get here!

Please note that the map above doesn’t represent the exact riding route, but just the stops the trip will take.