For more than a decade, the La Crescent Rotary Club's Apple Blossom Bike Tour has been bringing people together to enjoy the beauty of southeastern Minnesota while making a difference. What began as a local community ride has grown into a regional tradition that supports Rotary's mission, local projects, and meaningful scholarships.
Register today at appleblossomtour.org and read on to find out what the hype is all about!
What started out as an event to bring the community together for a bike ride, is now a well-organized bicycle tour that draws people from the tri-state area and beyond for a dynamic experience.
A few Rotarians got together and did what they do best; they started a journey to create positive change in the community by creating a bike ride to raise funds. Since 2013, proceeds from the Apple Blossom Bike Tour have benefited polio eradication, community projects that include parks, the community garden and youth programs such as Robotics and Lego League, just to name a few. Rotary extended its generosity by partnering with two amazing scholarships to carry on the legacies of two local women.
The first of two generous partnerships was with the Living For Liz organization in 2015. Living For Liz was a non-profit that raised thousands of dollars for lung cancer research. Elizabeth Holman Melde was the daughter of Steve and Monica Holman of the La Crescent Rotary club. Elizabeth lost her life to lung cancer at age 25. Living For Liz has now transitioned into a scholarship fund for high school and nursing students.
Rotary also partnered with The Erin Dunlap Mathews Scholarship in 2019, which is in honor of Shawn and Michelle Dunlap’s daughter, Erin who lost her life at age 26 to a pulmonary embolism. Erin loved the beauty of the La Crescent area and loved challenging herself with a family bike ride. Shawn says, “We ride to remember Erin, and we ride to enjoy the beauty and fellowship of everything and everyone around us.”
La Crescent is becoming a destination for cyclists. In 2023, we were recognized as a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists and we were chosen by USA Cycling to host the Gravel Nationals in 2025 and 2026.
The Apple Blossom Bike Tour typically draws over 100 riders every year. Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond participated in 2016.
This event brings not only the immediate La Crescent community together, but also the surrounding areas. Cyclists come from all over, including Colorado, Tennessee, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and beyond, to ride one of the best rides in Southeast Minnesota.
Register today at appleblossomtour.org